Young Jakartans lap up fashion
By Irene Sugiharto
JAKARTA (JP): When we look at some of Jakarta's youth, it is hard to believe an economic crisis hit Indonesia. Jakarta's spectacular females look as if they were always on the catwalk, with their frighteningly high heels, black strapped dresses, three-quarter skirts and tank tops.
What seems to be the norm now is the body revealing and feminine look most youth are conforming to. Cleavage and flat tummies are exposed, and we get a clear look at long slim legs. The difference between day and evening wear is often difficult to discern; maybe its a splash more makeup for the nighttime scene. The ready-to-roll look is spotted almost everywhere in Jakarta, including cafes, bars, restaurants and discos.
Like many other young urbanites, Rita, a 21-year-old university student in Jakarta, always wants to follow the latest fashion trends.
"But this does not necessary mean that I'd be willing to wear anything," she said. "Being selective and choosing what suits me is important."
For the evening she puts on a different look than for the day wear, "but that is if I have the time".
"I usually wear relaxed and comfortable outfits for the day and switch to something more glamorous or dark for the evening."
Her favorite outfit to go to cafes, bars or discos is a combination between a three-quarter cut skirt and press-on top, or a simple black dress with open, sexy high heel shoes.
A fashion disciple, she admits that she always tries to conform to what most people are wearing.
"It takes me hours to get ready, especially in the evening, because I want to look charming and more elegant. I even find time to go to my hairdresser to get my hair done", says Rita.
Taking hours and hours just to get ready to go out seems to be a stereotypical perception of females, maybe because people think they are more conscientious about people mocking them.
Fashion expert Muara Bagdja said the latest fashion trend is the sporty look from Prada or the irresistibly eye-catching funky Miu Miu. He added that the scary pale look is also in fashion.
The latter style is seen more among adolescents -- anak baru gede (teenybopper). Most youth seem to go for the press-on strapless tops and combat trousers. An even more general look is the three-quarter cut trouser and three-quarter cut shirt often worn to malls. But whatever they wear, adolescents are always spotted with stylish footwear.
Print and electronic media, especially MTV, is surely a big player in the world of teen fashion. Latest styles, trends and lifestyles are introduced to society through the use of media in every form. This media greatly influences Indonesian youth and their choices of wardrobe.
Ninuk Pambudy, a fashion observer from Kompas daily said: "Today's youth, in my opinion, are mostly trendy, but being trendy does not mean clinging to designer labels."
According to Ninuk, however, "Adolescents have the tendency to imitate older people. This is their way to seek and search for self-identity. It's odd that when we are young we want to be older, but when your number gets bigger you wish you were young again."
Fashion is often a way for a person to fit into a particular society. "Fashion in Jakarta is pretty much seen as a uniform, where it is a social language among people in a certain group to fit into that group," Bagdja said.
He also said: "What young people are wearing today is really a continuation of past trends. Styles are more or less influenced by personal lifestyles, environment and, in my perception, MTV."
But no matter what we wear, a dress refers, no matter how overtly or subtly, to the real us. What we wear has nothing and everything to do with us. We will never be able to hide the soul beneath our clothes.
Trends overlap, go away and return. Today's fashion is just another phase. What we see now will eventually alter before our eyes.