Oscar Lawalata: 'Concubine' show a jaded variation on a theme

Sunday, March 21, 2004
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Remove from the equation the acrobatic martial arts performance, the singing diva and the crimson and gold ornaments from the recent couture show of designer Oscar Lawalata -- and what have you got?
The long and short of it were clothes barely distinguishable from one another. Drapery-like, baby doll, or with a empire line, the basic construction was identical, making the collection a monotonous stream of the same act.
At the end, there was the unfortunate question if Oscar's latest collection -- themed "The Last Concubine, Dying Gracefully -- lived up to the couture definition at all.
Couture presents a highly artistic but still wearable collection which is the harbinger of the next trend, something not evident in this collection. It was disappointing as Oscar, despite his relatively young age, has long been regarded as one of the country's most promising designers.
He made his breakthrough when he finished second at an international design competition in Singapore in 1999, a prodigy on the fashion scene at the age of 22.
His subdued, ethnic-influenced ready-to-wear designs earned him recognition, leading to the establishment of the first line OSCAROSCAR, OSCAROSCAR and a division for uniform design in his name.
OSCARCOUTURE made its debut three years ago, presenting a modern, daring and gleaming fashion collection with floral-shaped sequined patterns adorned over fine cloth, such as chiffon and lace.
While the first couture collection emphasized loose, draping patterns, the new collection is more sensual and follows the curves of women's bodies.
Oscar was smart enough not to jump completely into cheongsam and classic Chinese dress, but instead only used both elements in the pattern making technique.
Most were layered ballet skirts with flared and asymmetric lines, and bustiers with modifications. Instead of satin, tulle dominated the collection, giving a light, fluffy effect.
Colors ranged the gamut: subdued pink and green, bright hues (shocking pink, bright red, orange) to simple black and brown.
No motifs were involved, only paillette, embroidery and sequins -- in floral, as details.
Several items of men's wear were presented, mostly inspired by the Chinese suit and in brown and blue.
There were also a few pieces from Oscar's newest line O2L, a ready-to-wear collection aimed at "cosmopolitan, dynamic and stylish" young people.
But the show was really about the couture line, which was supposed to be glamorous and elegant, but instead showed the stagnation in the young designer's creativity.
Although it could not be called a rip off of other collections or unoriginal, it failed to inspire, and could not even be called good. It was particularly disappointing because the local fashion scene has singled him out for particular praise.
It seemed that Oscar is another example of a prodigy who veers into realm of the celebrity and gets lulled into a sense of complacency by all the hype.
With his stunning, androgynous look, long thick hair and a beautiful face, he occasionally takes to the catwalk himself and is a regular on the party scene. And perhaps the sideline stuff of celebrity overshadows his talent and profession as a designer.
There is no denying Oscar has an undeniable strength in marketing and image building. He always manages to create a show that is packaged with a flair for the extravagant.
The first couture presentation, for instance, was held at the swimming pool of the Bung Karno Sports Stadium in Central Jakarta.
There, some 50 designs, including men's wear, were displayed on a runway built around the pool, with entertainment of dancing, singing, diving and water ballet included, and capped off with a fireworks display.
His tie-dye collection was displayed at the artistic Gedung Dua8 in Kemang, South Jakarta, as well as the office of a radio station.
This most recent couture show relied on a theatrical show combining fashion, music and dance. There were wushu martial arts athletes, Titi DJ singing the Mandarin version of her Sang Dewi (The Goddess) and rhythmic dancers.
Unfortunately, even the performances came off as pretentious and unenjoyable.
Thanks to his image, big corporations were willing to be sponsors of his show, including a luxury car company, a department store and an upmarket apartment.
Fashionistas and the city's cr‚me de la cr‚me swarmed the arena for all that Oscar had to offer.
Unfortunately, the cloak of glamor and high-powered hype could not cover the fact that the creativity quotient was sorely lacking.

Labels: fashion

Posted by hera at 2:07 AM | Permalinks | Comments

Obin: Handmade gems, but don't use the 'e' word

Sunday, November 02, 2003
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

There is always a treat in store at the fashion shows of noted cloth designer Obin. Aside from the expected array of beautiful traditional cloth and the tasty spread of local cuisine served before the show, there is quirkiness and theatricality in the presentation.
Last week's show included child singer Tina Toon strutting down the 40-meter catwalk connecting two stages, doing her version of the "drilling" dance moves of popular singer Inul Daratista.
What distinguishes Obin's show from other "look-at-me" local fashion presentations is that the combined effect of a plump 10-year-old girl performing a very adult dance, the stage props and the models' theatrical moves never seemed forced or pretentious.
All of it came together to highlight the real star of the show -- the stunning cloth, all of which is handmade.
Derived from traditional sources, the cloths are woven, embroidered, stitched-dyed, tie-dyed, smocked and ripped, before Obin's BIN House turns them into excellent sets for women, men, bridal and kids.
The latter was the reason Tina was on stage in the first place.
"I want to reject the sense of wearing (traditional) cloth, that it's not merely for occasions like a wedding party. It doesn't mean that it's a drawback for us (to wear it), it aims at going back to our habitat, our culture," Obin, or Josephine Werratie Komara, told a media conference prior to the show.
In her own everyday wear of kebaya (traditional blouse) and kain (cloth wrap), the 48-year-old master of batik and other indigenous textiles said she felt offended when her compatriots called her style "ethnic".
"Ball gowns or tuxedo are considered classic, but why is the kebaya called ethnic? If foreigners call it ethnic, fine. But it's strange when Indonesians call it the same. Because this outfit is classical Indonesian," said Obin, who has been working with traditional cloth since 1975 and whose boutiques are found in Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Netherlands.
In a less colossal presentation than last year's, the show called Matahati (conscience) brought to the stage some 200 sets of clothes, made up of around 600 pieces of 300 different types of cloth.
If last year's collection consisted of stonewashed jeans, poncho blouses and bustiers aside from the mainstay kebaya, this year's women collection weighed in with a more elegant assortment.
It consisted of old-school kebaya, cheongsam and their modification, as well as contemporary gowns.
There were blouses inspired by the Balinese classical kebaya, while another derived from Javanese or even European style, with ruffles on the wrist and along the collar and front.
Obin also took some inspiration from Muslim dress, as well as more contemporary fashion applied in long tube dress, or evening gowns.
Some outfits followed the curve of women's bodies, but others were straight or even asymmetrical in cut. The motifs were stripes, geometrical, floral or plaid.
Obin and her main designer Cita never follow a particular fashion trend, as Obin said being fashionable was far more important than fashion.
"It will last longer," she said, emphasizing that all of the handmade designs were "made with heart, by workers that are more deserving of being called artisans."
All of the dresses were accompanied by shawls, which are modified from traditional batik to ikat weavings or jumputan dye. Some shawls were a combination of different techniques, looking like patchwork, drapery or even wool.
They all came rich in motifs, texture and colors, the latter earthy and natural -- bottle green, purple, brown, red and all -- and carefully and beautifully combined. A standout was a baby pink kebaya with aquamarine scarf, mixed with matching kain, for a very pretty effect.
As for the men's collection, the main inspiration was baju koko Muslim dress, with the modification in the details, such as the side pocket or the collar -- Chinese style or asymmetric.
"We also just come up with a new technique, making long trousers from handwoven cloth. After six years observation, only now have we succeeded in making creased and neat trousers," Obin said.
Although she has been producing wedding dresses for years, the show last week was the first to include a bridal sequence.
The collection comprises an all-white wedding dress, made up of different styles: Kebaya, cheongsam and Western-style wedding dress. There was also one design that was accompanied by a burqa-inspired veil, very elegant and beautiful.
The show also marked the launching of a kids and teens collection, ranging from two years to 17.
The children looked very cute in fluffy dresses, tunics, spaghetti strap dresses or even the kebaya and kain.
The latter idea, according to Obin, came as she found quality ready-to-wear children's collections expensive, although it is doubtful that her excellent designs will be cheaper.
The main purpose is to familiarize the younger generation with traditional cloth.
"Traditional cloth is very good in quality, very old and very rich. Parents will not have to worry that children will not be comfortable wearing it. All of my children have been wearing kain since an early age, it's fine," she said.
"Today's children won't be familiar with traditional cloth when they grow up. But it's not too late to introduce them to it now."

Labels: fashion

Posted by hera at 2:22 AM | Permalinks | Comments

Dongre hopes India can become a fashion mecca

Sunday, October 13, 2002

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The collections of Indian fashion designer Anita Dongre displayed here recently were just what I had imagined they would be: rich in detail and color.

What I did not expect was that the silhouettes were so modern and came out so clean cut (blame it, if you will, on the Indian movies and soaps that portray women in either traditional saris or 80s-style outfits).

Rather than pure saris and shalvar kameez (traditional Indian dress), Dongre goes with neat two-piece blouses and trousers, or even evening gowns and jumpsuits, but with detail containing Indian elements such as embroidery or beads.

With a career spanning 15 years and being one of India's top designers, her trademark lies in the fusion of international or Western silhouette with the soul of India.

"Various Western designers are influenced by the East. They (the designers) always travel to the East for inspiration because we have such a rich culture, rich colors and rich details.

"However, the women of today are really becoming global dressers, which is a bit sad because they are dropping traditional costumes. Being a designer, I combine both aspects. My designs have this festive Indian connection but are very comfortable. I specialize in fusing styles. I don't do very traditional outfits," said the 38-year-old Bombay native.

Graduated from the fashion school at SNDT University, Dongre set up her own company which designs and produces Western and ethnic garments.

She has two lines: ANITA DONGRE and AND. The first one is the couture label, which translates some forms of traditional Indian techniques like batik, tie and dye, and vegetable dye prints into contemporary silhouettes.

This line is retailed in leading stores across India and is also supplied to stores in the UK, the Gulf, Singapore and Canada.

Among the creations from the first line that she has brought here was a beautiful long sleeve shirt with floral handmade embroidery.

The embroidery, called Lucknowi Chikan, meaning a kind of cloth wrought with needle work, comes from a place called Lucknowi, located in the center of India.

"This type of embroidery can only be found and made there, and is done by Muslim women only. They pass it down from generation to generation. The women in the family usually did it in the past. For one outfit, it can take around a month to get it done," Dongre said.

She uses both Indian and imported fabrics for her collections. For the Chikan collection, Dongre uses crepe, georgette and chiffon in soft, feminine colors and flowing designs, with the delicate embroidery as the main focus.

"Accessories are also important as they make the look complete. I like simple clothing that is heavy on accessories. Again, the East is rich in crafts that have to be sustained," she said.

The second brand, AND, meanwhile, has made Dongre the first Indian designer to launch an accessible, ready-to-wear collection of Western women's wear.

"In India, more women are working in offices, multinational companies, and they prefer Western outfits. So, I offer them clean and reasonable outfits. I also design denim and casual lines," Dongre said, while showing some of the pictures of her collection, which is sold nationwide in India.

It is her aim to make wearable and accessible designs, which is the secret of her success.

"I don't want to be like those sensational designers who are just good in fashion shows and then make a hype in media, but people can't really wear their clothes. Selling is really important. I like my clothes to be worn by people. That's why I like Giorgio Armani, because he has this clean style and creates wearable clothes with different lines. That's why he has survived for so long," said the soft-spoken and friendly Dongre.

She is not, however, influenced by any particular Western designer as she only refers to them to identify today's trends, which are still determined by the four cities of fashion -- London, Paris, Milan and New York.

"Fashion now is really ruled by the West. I really hope that in the near future, the East can take over. Because we are really rich, you know," said Dongre, adding that she could not wait to see the batik here.

The main obstacle for Eastern designers in penetrating the West was their lack of marketing and financial capabilities.

"Western designers are brilliant at marketing and promotion, beside being financially well-established. So far, only Japanese designers are able to do it here," she said.

Dongre herself once tried to gain a foothold in the West after she was invited two years ago to the CPD Dusseldorf, the largest fashion fair in Germany, becoming the first Indian designer invited to showcase her collection in the finale of the CPD fashion show.

Despite the successful show, she was unable to penetrate the Western market as it required an agent and finance, while she was not ready for that.

So, for now, she is still based in her home country where she said the fashion scene is now really happening.

"We have amazing, amazing talents. I really hope that one day, in the near future hopefully, India can become one of the fashion capitals of the world," Dongre said, smiling.

Labels: fashion

Posted by hera at 12:50 AM | Permalinks | Comments