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Designers go beyond Muslim fashion conventions

Rya Baraba (Courtesy of IIFF)The necessity for long sleeves and ankle-skimming hemlines in Islamic fashion challenges designers to leverage every inch of extra fabric to go the extra style mile

Kindra Cooper (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Sun, June 16, 2013

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Designers go beyond Muslim fashion conventions Rya Baraba (Courtesy of IIFF)" border="0" height="350" width="233">Rya Baraba (Courtesy of IIFF)The necessity for long sleeves and ankle-skimming hemlines in Islamic fashion challenges designers to leverage every inch of extra fabric to go the extra style mile.

Those looking to cover up need not shirk bold colors and prints: flair meets modesty in the form of graduated hemlines and cleverly draped cuts in punchy hues that trace and at the same time detract from the female figure.

Never before has Muslim fashion been so light and airy. The most prevalent runway pieces at the recent Indonesia Islamic Fashion Fair were ankle-length shirt dresses in sheer chiffon and plaid worn unbuttoned as overcoats that billowed out from behind when the wearer moved.

When sported with a turtleneck tucked into cigarette pants, the figure is modestly cinched, a pair of black stiletto heels peeking from underneath conferring a further feminine touch without the need to show curves or skin.

At the show, wide-legged harem pants seemed to have ceded “It” status in Muslim fashion to more slick straight-leg pants — or pinstriped cigarette pants (which were in fact traditional hand-woven tenun lurik made from cotton thread) as in the case of designer Hannie Hananto, which she paired with hooded overcoats in oriental prints.

While neon and leather are not normally synonymous with devout modesty, Hannie proved the look could quickly gain anchorage.

A model sporting a wool blazer in highlighter orange over an ankle-length black leather skirt cut an unforgettable figure on the runway, the look prevented from veering into gaudy terrain by Hannie having paired the bright blazer with a hijab in an identical neon shade.

Errin Ugaru (Courtesy of IIFF)Errin Ugaru (Courtesy of IIFF)Designer Errin Ugaru kept the color schemes similarly simple — although no less vibrant — by pairing scoop neck chiffon tunics in bright red, magenta and neon orange with a hijab in an identical hue; achieving a simple, congruous look made businesslike with the accoutrement of a blazer and matching cigarette pants in contrasting grey denim worn beneath the tunic.

The blazer’s peplum hem and the draped skirt of the tunic accorded the same soft girly touch as ruffles or a bow would sweeten up a blouse — with the added bonus of rippling in recollection of a river stirred by breeze when in motion.

“Jeans or denim are not usually worn to formal events, but in our new collection we created denim that can be worn to formal events by decorating it with sequins,” said the designer’s rep, Anette.

With a tailored fit and matching blazer in muted shades that depart from traditionally sky-blue jeans, there’s no reason denim should be off-limits at a dinner party.

With their loose, belly-forgiving cut, cape coats were — predictably — a show fixture. Hannie fashioned the garments using tenun from Palembang, adding a hood to cover the hijab — and, in one particularly dramatic get-up, creating a matching black fabric with the same white geometric tenun motif to make the wearer appear taller.

All eyes were on hemlines as long-tail shirts billowed like parachutes at Errin’s show, brazenly putting forward the notion that tights and straight-leg pants could be permissible for wearers of the hijab because their just-above-the-knee cut concealed the aurat or parts of the body that should be covered, per Islamic rules.

Designer Anggiasari Mawardi, the brains behind the brand Anggia Handmade and newly minted author of the debut novel Let’s Talk About Blazer for Muslimah, rolled out a series of voluminous handkerchief hem dresses in print and solid colors made from tenun lurik, taffeta, silk and chiffon that hearkened to Cinderella’s baby blue ball gown – marking a mission accomplished for the designer who described her collection as “princess-like”.

Hannie Hananto (JP/Kindra Cooper)Rya Baraba (Courtesy of IIFF)<)

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span class="inline inline-left">Rya Baraba (Courtesy of IIFF)The necessity for long sleeves and ankle-skimming hemlines in Islamic fashion challenges designers to leverage every inch of extra fabric to go the extra style mile.

Those looking to cover up need not shirk bold colors and prints: flair meets modesty in the form of graduated hemlines and cleverly draped cuts in punchy hues that trace and at the same time detract from the female figure.

Never before has Muslim fashion been so light and airy. The most prevalent runway pieces at the recent Indonesia Islamic Fashion Fair were ankle-length shirt dresses in sheer chiffon and plaid worn unbuttoned as overcoats that billowed out from behind when the wearer moved.

When sported with a turtleneck tucked into cigarette pants, the figure is modestly cinched, a pair of black stiletto heels peeking from underneath conferring a further feminine touch without the need to show curves or skin.

At the show, wide-legged harem pants seemed to have ceded '€œIt'€ status in Muslim fashion to more slick straight-leg pants '€” or pinstriped cigarette pants (which were in fact traditional hand-woven tenun lurik made from cotton thread) as in the case of designer Hannie Hananto, which she paired with hooded overcoats in oriental prints.

While neon and leather are not normally synonymous with devout modesty, Hannie proved the look could quickly gain anchorage.

A model sporting a wool blazer in highlighter orange over an ankle-length black leather skirt cut an unforgettable figure on the runway, the look prevented from veering into gaudy terrain by Hannie having paired the bright blazer with a hijab in an identical neon shade.

Errin Ugaru (Courtesy of IIFF)
Errin Ugaru (Courtesy of IIFF)Designer Errin Ugaru kept the color schemes similarly simple '€” although no less vibrant '€” by pairing scoop neck chiffon tunics in bright red, magenta and neon orange with a hijab in an identical hue; achieving a simple, congruous look made businesslike with the accoutrement of a blazer and matching cigarette pants in contrasting grey denim worn beneath the tunic.

The blazer'€™s peplum hem and the draped skirt of the tunic accorded the same soft girly touch as ruffles or a bow would sweeten up a blouse '€” with the added bonus of rippling in recollection of a river stirred by breeze when in motion.

'€œJeans or denim are not usually worn to formal events, but in our new collection we created denim that can be worn to formal events by decorating it with sequins,'€ said the designer'€™s rep, Anette.

With a tailored fit and matching blazer in muted shades that depart from traditionally sky-blue jeans, there'€™s no reason denim should be off-limits at a dinner party.

With their loose, belly-forgiving cut, cape coats were '€” predictably '€” a show fixture. Hannie fashioned the garments using tenun from Palembang, adding a hood to cover the hijab '€” and, in one particularly dramatic get-up, creating a matching black fabric with the same white geometric tenun motif to make the wearer appear taller.

All eyes were on hemlines as long-tail shirts billowed like parachutes at Errin'€™s show, brazenly putting forward the notion that tights and straight-leg pants could be permissible for wearers of the hijab because their just-above-the-knee cut concealed the aurat or parts of the body that should be covered, per Islamic rules.

Designer Anggiasari Mawardi, the brains behind the brand Anggia Handmade and newly minted author of the debut novel Let'€™s Talk About Blazer for Muslimah, rolled out a series of voluminous handkerchief hem dresses in print and solid colors made from tenun lurik, taffeta, silk and chiffon that hearkened to Cinderella'€™s baby blue ball gown '€“ marking a mission accomplished for the designer who described her collection as '€œprincess-like'€.

Hannie Hananto (JP/Kindra Cooper)
Hannie Hananto (JP/Kindra Cooper)
She, however, proposed that the dreamy dresses, reminiscent of a Taylor Swift red carpet get-up, could go from ballroom to boardroom if topped with the right blazer.

'€œThe dresses are worn with blazers because I want to show that Muslim women can wear blazers without looking stiff or monotonous, and yet keep the smart lines.'€

The '€œsmart lines'€ she created could be seen in the case of a violet chiffon dress featuring seven tiers by tying a bow at the waist and capping off the look with a cerise blazer.

Love it or hate it, the purple beret perched atop the model'€™s cotton candy pink hijab was perhaps more of a runway ornament than a real-life dress suggestion.

Jeny Tjahyawati'€™s Poudre de Riz (Rice Powder) collection flew in the face of design convention and her soft-spoken demeanor in a multitude of ways: First, in that the collection was rendered entirely in flannel, second, with her use of diagonal stripes in banana-and-strawberry-smoothie colors, third, with her figure-hugging silhouettes.

Rebellion proved to be a crowd-pleaser, however. Towering in wedge heels, a model strutted down the runway wearing bright yellow wide-leg pants printed with shocking pink and purple pineapples worn with a pull-over in lemon chiffon, while another appeared in a caftan and tights worn with the same beach-y print, brazenly dispelling the notion that Muslim fashion is limited to shapeless abaya (a long, loose black cloak that covers the body from shoulders to feet).

Archetypal gypsy looks '€” always a design muse in Muslim fashion '€” complete with hoop earrings the circumference of teacup saucers, peasant skirts and the clashing of floral prints, had their turn on the runway.

'€œWe used a little bit of velvet and some satin, chiffon silk and a little bit of lace ornamentation,'€ designer Abel Haraba from Rya Baraba said of his Bohemian Soul collection.

If fringe detail and raised embroidery aren'€™t for you, designer Qonita Gholib took a safer route to the gypsy look by preserving the handkerchief hems and wraparound pants and tops but kept every item of clothing in each outfit the same color with slight shade gradations.

'€œI used batik tulis fabric made from silk but this time I won'€™t be using sequins because I want to display a more '€˜teenage'€™ image,'€ said Qonita, who added that middle-aged women young at heart tended to favor more showy designs while teenagers were warier of flamboyant fashions.

While covering up may present the quandary of looking drab or losing youthful spirit, skillful accessorizing maintains modesty while allowing young girls and women to personalize their looks.

Brooches that used to fasten the hijab about the throat or at the crown of the head '€” usually featuring a beaded fringe that dangles over the back of the head '€” are a popular go-to accessory and many of them at IIFW feature cloth tulips and roses on lace bordering.

The cloth flowers, ranging in color from maroon to palest pink, were seen on ribbon and chain necklaces, shawls and even glass stud earrings.

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