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Hengki Kawilarang: Mastering clashing opposites
Hengki Kawilarangâs Spring/Summer 2014 Retro Pop collection
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Hengki Kawilarang's Spring/Summer 2014 Retro Pop collection.
The stakes are high for a designer who chooses to render a collection half in monochrome, but with the accoutrement of wedge heels, carelessly piled-up hair and graphic-shape bib necklaces, the subdued palette of black, white and light grey proved ample arsenal for fashion designer Hengki Kawilarang in his recently-debuted Spring/Summer 2014 Retro Pop collection.
A natural favorite was the sheer man-tailored shirts with pinprick-sized polka dots, buttoned right up to their stiff collars, sleeves cuffed at the elbows and worn tucked into knee-length flat front shorts.
A panel of much larger polka dots graced the inseams of the shorts, framed in black and light grey and accented with white for an unprecedentedly androgynous, polished-casual look suitable for frequenting chic high-end haunts.
The edgy motif was recycled in the skirt of an A-line dress with a black and silver gemstone-encrusted bustier with sheer black netting for the center front and bold black shoulder seams, brazenly proposing that shiny surfaces, polka dots and diagonal stripes can co exist in one outfit if you're torn between textures without veering into the garish.
Similarly, the diminutive polka dots on see-through fabric ' as timeless as the hound's tooth check ' were reprised in the form of a sheer dress with slightly puffed long sleeves, whose long tail ' more like a train ' trailed along the floor. A yellow choker necklace with a fabric gemstone-studded bib gave the appearance of a dramatic high collar.
An exemplar of Hengki's untried 'futuristic-meets-1960s' theme took the shape of a metallic mini-skirt with aluminum foil-like shine anchored down to earth by a stiff-collared button-down, combining diagonal black-and-white stripes slanting at various angles with large, candy-sized polka dots. A bib necklace combining yellow, red and black fabric flowers with glimmering rhinestones broke the monotony of the monochrome color scheme.
'The collection was inspired by the colors used in pop art and retro,' Hengki says.
Substantiating the design adage that conflicting motifs can gracefully meet if on the same color palette, the horizontal, vertical and diagonal stripes adorning a blazer that reached the hips had an ethnic nuance and yet, black-and-white never fails to convey a sophisticated look. The garment could undoubtedly pass as office-environment dress codes.
From underneath peaked a pleated A-line skirt with wide diagonal stripes, further emboldening the look and yet, courtesy of the monochrome, keeping within refined realms.
Peplum is normally associated with an outfit befitting high tea or a business gathering, adorning a no-nonsense, strictly solid-color blouse or cocktail dress.
In his new collection, Hengki made peplum pop in the shape of a white blouse with asymmetrical sleeves ' the left sleeve off-the-shoulder, the right sleeve capped ' dappled with a tessellation of orange circles boldly ringed with white, which, from afar, looked like polka dots.
A large-buckled beige belt cinched the waist, while on the tulip hem of the white skirt that the blouse was paired with, a further asymmetrical quirk in the designer's bid to curtail predictability was added.
The same orange and white optical illusion-like motif graced a pair of flat front, pleated capri pants paired with strappy wedge heels incorporating the same motif.
The latter part of the collection was more color-splashed, characterized by Hengki's experiments in printing tenun (traditional woven cloth) motifs.
Using print methods while keeping watercolor-like gradations was traditionally achieved by weaving with different-colored threads, allowing Hengki to customize the colors to the energetic feel of his collection ' watermelon green, banana yellow, shocking pink, aqua and royal blue ' in a departure from the traditionally earthy, muted browns, blues and reds customarily used to make tenun, which rarely combine warm and cold colors.
One such statement piece was an overcoat combining shocking pink segueing into orange with royal blue fading to aqua blue.
Far from being an eyesore of clashing highlighter colors, the tie dye-like gradations between the bold hues gave the garment an overall muted look punched up by the mustard-yellow pencil skirt worn underneath.
A high-collared blazer combined three shades of blue on a turquoise background, the watercolor motif recalling the sunshine-flecked surface of a swimming pool on a hot summer's day.
The blazer was donned with a pair of sheer tights encrusted with white sequins, leaving irregular gaps to create a contrast with the sheer black material.
Metallic made one final appearance as a pair of pleated shorts, worn with an overcoat and featuring the same water surface-like motif.
Worn tucked into the shorts was a dark blue shirt featuring a butterfly collar, the dark-green geometric semicircles of a shade akin to the dark-green flecks on the overcoat. The metallic shorts imbued the otherwise ethnic, poolside-happy look with a bold kick.
Geometric patterns in the repetition of diamonds, squares and arrows in black, blue, green and white adorned with black gemstones took an ethnic tangent in the form of blouses and skirts paired with solid-color tops and bottoms in bold rose pink.
Longer hemlines were trotted out toward the end of the show, and one such to-watch item was a flared maxi dress featuring an unmistakably tenun motif in orange, red and grey with alternating panels of large black and white polka dots.
' Photos courtesy of Hengki Kawilarang
