Courtesy of Chitra Subiyakto

Fashion undeniably has been of great importance in building people’s image and fashion stylists have a large role in conceiving image.

Movie characters, singers and even models in commercials need fashion stylists to augment their image. Looking pedestrian and unstylish is seen as sin to them.

In the business of fashion-related image handling, no one has more authority than Chitra Subiyakto. A fashion director and stylist, Chitra is the go-to expert in developing concept and design as well as managing the wardrobe and accessories.  

Her unique or unconventional sense of style was the reason she was hired by Cosmogirl teen magazine to serve as its fashion stylist soon after it began publication in 2000. Prior to her being hired, she worked on a freelance basis for Cosmogirl, during which she also handled a variety of projects for magazines’ fashion pages, movies, television commercials, fashion shows, music concerts, music videos and personal styling.

Chitra has been hired to design the wardrobe of countless models for numerous television commercials. Even if you are not aware, dozens of sinetron actors that turn up on an hourly basis on local television stations have their wardrobe handled by Chitra. More singers and performers have also been taken care of by Chitra, cementing her reputation as the most sought-after fashion stylist in the business.

I met Chitra soon after lunchtime at Alun-Alun Indonesia shopping mall at Grand Indonesia Shopping Town. Her eclectic, yet elegant style was reflected in her outfit. She wore a tenun shirt with a polka dot layer on its bottom edge, jodhpur pants, flats and a string of accessories. She jokingly called her look as “grandma-modernism” referring to her penchant for mixing traditional fabrics and accessories with a modern touch.

Her hairdo reminded me of the singer of the New York band Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Karen O. The do gives her that youthful and dynamic look, belying the fact that she is a mother of two.

Born in Jakarta, in 1972, Chitra has had no formal training in fashion. She graduated from the Indonesian Management and Business School.

“I wanted to major fashion in my studies. But all my siblings have worked in the art scene, so my father wanted me to study economics to stop me from working in it too. I bowed to his demand and finished my study in economics. But then I thought that I would kill myself if I worked in a bank. So I convinced my father that although I would not use my degree in the finance sector, I would not be a starving artist who worked on the sidewalk,” Chitra said.

Chitra is the youngest of five and came from one of this country’s most well-respected families. Her father is the country’s first commander of the Indonesian Navy Adm Subiyakto. Her mother Raharty “Titi” Subiyakto, was the sister-in-law of Indonesia’s first vice president Mohammad Hatta.

It is obvious that Chitra was influenced by her mother’s style. Her mother previously ran a column for Femina magazine called “Etiket” (“etiquette”). She has four siblings who work in the art and entertainment scene. Her older brother Jay Subiyakto was one of the country’s most sought-after directors during the heyday of music videos.

“My parents’ passion had been for art. For instance, they often took us to see gamelan [traditional Javanese musical ensemble] performances.” It is a small wonder that their children grew to love arts too. “My mum, who loved collecting traditional fabrics such as tenun, songket and kebaya, often took me on a tour to see how these fabrics were made, which I enjoyed.

“Also, she often took me to see collections from designers such as Iwan Tirta and Obin, something that exposed me to fashion from early childhood. Lessons in fashion stayed with me long after I grew up,” Chitra said, adding that she considered that her keen sense of fashion grew naturally.

She was a little confused when I asked whether she had a role model in fashion. It turns out that she followed no one other than herself in deciding her style. She described herself as an eclectic who loves to combine a variety of elements to create a rich and playful look.

In the late 1990s, she was a big fan of Japanese designers such as Kenzo and Issey Miyake. During this period, these designers mixed traditional and modern elements in their designs. “I love the way they combined dresses made from traditional fabrics with sneakers.”

The Japanese designers’ style is something that is closer to home for Chitra. These days it is easy for her to add Indonesian details to her works whenever possible. Often she gives batik skirts, tops, or even handbags to her clients to wear, without worrying that it will look too outdated. It is her inimitable skill in accentuating the modern, without losing traditional roots, that make her concept stand out.

Other than Japanese designers, one figure she admires greatly is American designer Colleen Atwood, who had been nominated for an Academy Award and won the Oscar multiple times. Her recent project was designing the wardrobe for Tim Burton-directed Alice in Wonderland. Chitra is also a big fan of Eiko Ishioka who designed the costumes for Bram Stroker’s Dracula.

It was not always easy for Chitra to promote her style of preference, after all, the fashion business is something of an idealism-killing industry. “For instance, the ‘tomboy look’ may be your personal style, but you can’t dress everyone according to your preference. I always imagine myself as the character to determine how they should be dressed.

“For example, when I was deciding Kris Dayanti’s outfit as a lawyer in her movie Jatuh Cinta Lagi [Falling in Love Again], I envisioned myself as a lawyer too, thinking of what would I wear if I were a lawyer. I do the same whenever I need to decide the outfits for an array of characters from a beggar, singer, teacher and so on,” said Chitra.

Chitra debuted as a fashion stylist for a movie production when she was hired by director Hanung Bramantyo for the romantic flick Brownies in 2004. It was a success and she went on to work on   movies such as Mirror, Ungu-Violet, Heart, Jakarta Undercover, Pesan dari Surga (Message from Heaven), Laskar Pelangi (The Rainbow Warriors) and Sang Pemimpi (The Dreamer). A number of directors that have used her service include Rizal Mantovani, Riri Riza and Mira Lesmana.

Her current project is the Nyanyian Lembah Baliem (Baliem Valley Song) a movie directed by Lasja Susatyo slated for release in December. Tackling the subject of HIV/AIDS in Papua, the film stars Nicholas Saputra, model Susan Bachtiar and a cast of Wamena people.

In the music industry, she has been a sought-after fashion stylist and has handled wardrobes for music concerts, music videos and cover albums for a whole host of performers including Melly Goeslaw, Kris Dayanti, Anggun and Sheila Majid.

If you were in the audience for Kotak Musik, a concert featuring young singer Gita Gutawa earlier this year, you may have noticed the extravagant wardrobe of the singer. Yes, it was prepared by Chitra. She also agreed to help Gita with her live performance in between her busy schedule.

Gita is not the only performer looking for Chitra’s sagely fashion advice. Scores of mainstream pop bands such as Peterpan, Nidji and Ungu have all sought her counsel. Giving counsel to the bunch of male performers proved to be more difficult. The reason is simply because there are not too many selections of male clothing.

Another problem that encumbers Chitra is that she does not have enough time to do it all. In the Kotak Musik project, Chitra was only given three weeks to develop and realize the wardrobe concept not only for Gita but the entire host of musicians, dancers and guest performers.

Despite the intensity, Chitra loves her job. She said she enjoys being a fashion stylist especially the reward that comes from the job like hanging out with creative people that could widen her horizon.

“Fashion stylists work behind the spotlight. In Indonesia there isn’t much appreciation or many awards given to fashion stylists,” Chitra said when asked about her achievement so far. “But I’m excited enough to see people enjoy wearing outfits that I have chosen; seeing that the color and styles suit them perfectly.”

Today, Chitra has branched out by taking on the stint as a creative buyer for Alun-Alun Indonesia, an up-market shopping mall that offers high quality traditional Indonesian products including handicrafts, fashion and food.

Her job was to attract the younger market into buying products offered by the establishment.

“I choose the youth because as a fashion stylist, I find it difficult to get traditional garments that are also trendy. I want to make the youth realize that to love Indonesia they don’t have to wear outdated clothing. It is still possible for the young to look cool with something that is Indonesian,” she said.

“I have designed the concept and invite young people to work with me. I accommodate their ideas and ask them to create products that are friendly to the market. Early on, I was baffled as to why people wore the Che Guevara T-shirt. Indonesian national heroes are also cool but no one ever puts them on T-shirts. So, I made T-shirts with the picture of General Sudirman and they sold well. Another example, mini skirts with a touch of batik are also on high demand.

“It’s not true that young Indonesians don’t love their culture. The problem lies within the supply. Products with Indonesian themes are still limited.”

It seems that after this project, there’s no stopping for Chitra. Currently, she is working on her book about fashion for the young. This project is something of a novelty for her but her years in the fashion industry gives her the credential to write a book on the subject.

“I am done with writing and I hope the book can be published later this year. The main argument in this book is that fashion reflects your inner beauty. Your style does not need to be complicated and you don’t have to wear brands to look good.

“Basically fashion is free and fun. You should not take fashion too seriously.”

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