Grandeur of 'kebaya'

Anne Avantie’s fashion show was probably one of the most awaited events of Jakarta Fashion Week 2013.

It was not only about the designs or the beautiful models.

Many fashionistas came dressed to the nines from head to toe, wearing gorgeous traditional kebaya blouses and batik, along with their best makeup and hairdos.

Actress Dian Sastrowardoyo closes designer Anne Avantie’s show with a strong touch of glamor.The show, themed Pusparini Inspiration, turned out to be a spectacle worth waiting for — a fabulous celebration of color and design in 50 kebaya and batik pieces, presented in seven magnificent sequences.

“Puspawarni can be translated as colorful flower. The fragrance and beauty of colorful flowers is inline with the role of Indonesian women,” Anne said.

She said her inspiration for the fashion show came from generations of influential Indonesian women whose dedication made women proud and whose love inspired the nation.

Among the figures cited were RA Kartini, the Javanese princess who strived to educate her fellow women; Cut Nyak Dien, the Acehnese guerrilla leader who struggled against colonialism; and Fatmawati, the wife of first president Sukarno.

Famous faces like senior model Arzetty and actress Atiqah Hasiholan opened the show, followed by three celebrity couples — Anna Maria and Roy Marten, presenter Donna Agnesia and Darius Sinathrya as well as singer Bunga Citra Lestari and Ashraf Sinclair.

The collections included a long V-neck kebaya adorned with glittery sequins that was paired with modern batik cloth split in front, which was worn by Arzetty.

Atiqah took the stage wearing orange parang batik paired with a green kebaya that would look strapless if the thin tulle that thinly wrapped her shoulder went unnoticed.

Anne’s exploration of the kebaya focused on feminine cuts with modern twist. Ruffles ruled as seen in a white ruffle-tail dress with a low heart neck, a short silver and pink kutu baru kebaya, a high-neck dress with cape sleeves and exaggerated ruffles.

The designer did not only play with beautiful cuts for the neckline and belt, but she also gave adorable bold statements to display a woman’s silhouette.

Additional handwork details and ornaments on the kebaya and batik cloth played a role in building the charm of the outfits. She used brocade as sweet ornaments in the bottom part of the batik long skirt, which successfully became a red thread in the attire.

A duet between singer Harvey Malaiholo and a pregnant diva Krisdayanti gave a short break before the audience in the full-house tent enjoyed a row of classic kutu baru kebaya that were presented by some high society ladies.

As the night continued, the combinations of colors used for the batik and brocade got bolder. Shiny gold batik dresses with brocade tops became the highlights of the collection.     

Top model Kimmy Jayanti stole attention with an A-line long dress with cap sleeves brocade, while Dominique Diyose took the stage in a cheongsam top with long brocade skirt that was half wrapped by gold batik dress with a classic Gurda pattern to create a ball gown silhouette.

Some of the gowns were decked out with thin and wide colorful cloth depicting flowers.

The appearance of actress Dian Sastrowardoyo closed the show with a strong touch of glamor. Her heart-shaped kebaya was complimented by a large golden belt and paired with a gold batik skirt that was half wrapped by red velvet. The golden pattern around the red velvet created an alluring style.

While some shows closed with a big applause, Anne’s show that night attracted repeated applause – showing that her kebaya creations stayed in the hearts of many women.

— Photos by Wendra Ajistyatama