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Ning Hadiati: Enjoying the fruit of assiduity

(JP/ Ade Rizal)Ning Hadiati has never ceased to be engaged in creative activities since her youth, which has earned her international recognition through her dress design work for a recent global beauty pageant

Ade Rizal (The Jakarta Post)
Surakarta, Central Java
Fri, October 11, 2013

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Ning Hadiati: Enjoying the fruit of assiduity (JP/ Ade Rizal) (JP/ Ade Rizal)

(JP/ Ade Rizal)

Ning Hadiati has never ceased to be engaged in creative activities since her youth, which has earned her international recognition through her dress design work for a recent global beauty pageant.

Her preoccupation with design and crafts culminated in her receiving the good news in September that the carnival costume she had created won third place in the National Costume category in the Miss Supranational Contest.

Miss Supranational is an international beauty pageant organized by the Panama-based World Beauty Association since 2009. This year the beauty pageant was held in Belarus with participants from 50 countries.

Ning Hadiati was requested by Yayasan Putri Indonesia, a beauty foundation, to design a national costume to be worn by Indonesia'€™s Miss Tourism, Cok Istri Krisnanda, who represented the country in the contest. '€œI was one of the four designers participating. As it turned out, my costume won a prize. I feel very proud,'€ she said.

Ning'€™s carnival costume, named Dayak Butterfly, was designed based on library research to expose Kalimantan'€™s ethnic Dayak mythology as the major theme of the outfit, bearing the motifs of dragons, birds and the tree of life '€” all being brought to life in the form of a butterfly.

Two meters high and 3 meters wide, the butterfly costume weighed 5 kilograms. According to Ning, the set of clothes was comparatively light for a carnival and she had chosen light materials such as foam rubber, sponge, laced fabric and batik.

The craft art lecturer of the School of Literature and Fine Arts (FSSR), Sebelas Maret University (UNS), in Surakarta, explained that the costume worn by the Indonesian beauty was put together using a kemben (breast cloth wraparound), mini skirt, dangling tail, wings and a crown. The outstretched wings, measuring about 3 meters by 2 meters, were golden yellow and orange, and painted using an air brush coloring technique.

The breast cloth had a torso motif of colorful lines to indicate a typical feature of Kalimantan. The skirt and long tail used black velvet decorated with various ornaments that depicted the shapes of dragons, birds and spiraling shoots. It was predominantly gold in order to create a glamorous impression.

For the crown, the woman born in Cilacap, Central Java, on Sept. 11, 1959 crafted the headdress about a meter high, embellished with precious stones and sequins. She was fond of applying spiral patterns complete with tiger fur and peacock plumes representing Kalimantan to enhance the crown'€™s magnificent appearance.

The main costume was beautified with necklace-like adornments along the chest, again using spirals and gold, along with bracelets with peacock feathers, anklets strewn with beads and bejeweled shoes. After it was put together the butterfly costume was golden red, inspired by Kalimantan'€™s primarily red forest flowers. '€œRed is suited to women, so when Miss Tourism Cok Istri Krisnanda wore the outfit, an aura of beauty and elegance emanated from her,'€ she noted.

Ning Hadiati said she did not expect her costume to win a prize at the event because it was Indonesia'€™s debut in the annual pageant. '€œIt was also my debut in an international competition and that'€™s why I'€™m very happy,'€ she revealed. Although it was not the top prize, it has so far been her highest achievement in the craft and design work already undertaken throughout her career.

However, Ning claimed she was not fully satisfied yet with the Dayak Butterfly she had fashioned. She still noticed several weak spots that should have been improved, among others on the wings, which she described as less luminous. '€œIt was due to the pressing time to finish the complete set, only around three weeks. I think it was not an optimal design yet,'€ she said.

Ning was already very keen on arts while she attended junior high school. At the time, she showed greater interest in drawing lessons than in other subjects. She also always scored highest grades at school for art related practical assignments.

In view of this, Ning'€™s father encouraged her to study arts at Solo'€™s FSSR-UNS. After completing her studies, she became a design and craft arts lecturer at the same university. '€œI'€™ve been lecturing this subject for 26 years now,'€ said the 54-year-old lady.

She was first engaged in designing carnival costumes when she participated in putting together the Solo Batik Carnival six years ago, under the guidance of carnival outfit specialist Dynan Faris, who had earlier initiated Jember Fashion Carnival in East Java. '€œIn the beginning, I just enjoyed doing it. But now I simply can'€™t give up designing,'€ she pointed out.

Ning is currently a Solo Batik Carnival mentor in charge of directing and training participants in the creation of carnival clothing according to the relevant theme. '€œSolo Batik Carnival participants make their own costumes and later also display their outfits in the event,'€ she indicated.

Relishing her Solo Batik Carnival involvement, Ning can now be engaged particularly in the textile craft art creation process, which demands her deeper exploration of carnival costume designs by utilizing relatively less expensive materials. '€œTherefore, everyone here is also capable of making our own costumes to suit our tastes for greater satisfaction,'€ she added.

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