Getting Better with Age

The Jakarta Post   |  Tue, 04/29/2008 3:57 PM  |  Global Style

Indonesia is fortunate to have two veteran designers who have very different ways of expressing their sartorial selves.

March boasted more than its fair share of national holidays, as well as a flood of invitations to this and that event, including to fashion shows of two very experienced designers. Naturally, they are no longer 20 or even 30-somethings, but that is not meant to be an insult (both are enviously youthful-looking).

First came Chossy Latu, who held his show at the Mulia Hotel and drew an audience composed of women roughly the same age as himself. His designs were a return to the 1980s, with simple cuts of clothing that were nevertheless still sophisticated and glamorous.

He also showed a collection of batik designs by Pauly Pattipeilohy from Art of Palohy batik. Chossy and Pauly formerly worked for batik designer Iwan Tirta (Pauly was with him for 30 years). The show closed with an appearance by longtime model Sarita, in a white wedding dress with gold prada detail on the bottom section.

A few weeks later, I went to the Biyan show at The Dharmawangsa. Known for his beautifully feminine designs, Biyan on this night unveiled a very young and contemporary ready-to-wear collection for his diffusion line, Studio 133. For a crowd of some of the capital’s best-dressed socialites, Biyan provided clothes that were ultra practical, stylish and modern.

While Chossy looked to established women as his inspiration, Biyan focused on professionals who lead active, dynamic lifestyles. So, there is the best of both worlds for fashion-conscious you. No more looking into your closet and complaining about having nothing to wear.

+ Samuel Mulia

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved.