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Fashion Flair: The Aristocrat Collections Bringing back fashion before Chanel
Words Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak Photos Donny FernandoDesigners Sebastian Gunawan and Cristina Panarese presented a full-fledged women’s wear collection inspired by high fashion in the 19th and early 20th centuries
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Words Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak Photos Donny Fernando
Designers Sebastian Gunawan and Cristina Panarese presented a full-fledged women’s wear collection inspired by high fashion in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The latest ready-to-wear and deluxe collections of SEBASTIANred and SEBASTIANsposa were a fusion of vintage fashion and modern design, a combination of glamorous style and no-fuss wear that brought back the eras before Coco Chanel introduced the drop waist in the 1910s that radically changed the fashion world.
These consecutive eras — the Victorian period through 1900, followed by the Edwardian period — marked the surge in women’s fashion in Europe that came to the forefront with a queen ruling Great Britain.
Many designs came and went during these periods but all shared the aspect of screaming the confidence of a woman — the tailored suit, the adaption of men’s wear such as coats, ties and jabots attached to tall, stiff collars. Gone was the painful corset squeezing the abdomen with the change to body-hugging silhouettes boasting slim waistlines.
Those unfussy yet romantic and elegant designs were revived and flaunted on the runway at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Ballroom in Pacific Place mall on Oct. 11. Titled “Aristocrat”, the show did more than just introduce a retro style as it also celebrated sensuality and sensibility in women’s look — a fresh approach in today’s fashion.
It took the married couple nine months to finish the two collections that they said were inspired by Luchino Visconti’s Il Gattopardo (The Leopard), an Italian film released in 1963 which details the lives of the aristocracy during the 1860s social upheaval. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Costume Design.
Although the couple used skin-baring details in their designs, such as off-shoulder or plunge necklines, they covered most parts of the skin with skin-tone nylon sheath or lace.
“A sexy look for us doesn’t mean exposing the skin. A woman can look sensual even in masculine attire,” said Sebastian, a member of the Asian Couture Federation.
SIMPLY CLASSY
The “Aristocrat” opened with a light show that flashed a collage of floral motifs on the walls of the ballroom and transformed into a façade of a neoclassical mansion as a cue of what’s coming up next.
For the ready-to-wear label SEBASTIANred, Sebastian and Cristina showed 70 designs that covered the variety of styles from the celebrated eras. There were floral cocktail dresses in bold but feminine color palette, followed by long dresses in the hour-glass cutting style of the Victorian era that also translated in the details, such as off-shoulder, the low-cut décolleté neckline, puffed sleeves, bishop sleeves and simplified leg-of-mutton sleeves.
The collection also saw billowing silhouettes with small waists and full skirts amplified with layers of ruffle, outerwear, tailored shirts and long-legged jumpsuit.
The wide variety of styles in the eras apparently served as a playground for the designers, who incorporated the dearest accessories of ladies of the time — pearls and bows — into something different, giving modern design a touch of antiquity. One noticeable example was the little stiff white collar with a simple bow made of thin black ribbon, as a contrast to the feminine design. This masculine touch also appeared in the asymmetrical cutting with low front and long back that emulated the tuxedo suit of the men in the era.
The subtle yet lavish style is created through the use of an assortment of fabrics: damask, silk, crepe silk, lace and brocade. The collection comes in bold colors such as garnet red and cobalt blue combined with black or a fusion of delightful shades of icy blue, powder pink and buttercup yellow, as well as off-white and white tones.
THE RIGHT WHITE
Providing a perfect ending to the show, the SEBASTIANsposa bridal collection exuded a dreamy ambience with its eight wedding gowns bearing exquisite details. Adorned with Swarovski crystal beads and sweep trains, each gown showed a different character, from the tender, dramatic look to the proud and glamorous bride.
For one design, Sebastian and Cristina created a sculpted silhouette with ruffles that circled above the waist to also accentuate the sleeves; there was also a strapless pleated A-line for a more demure look. An off-shoulder gown with a blossoming silhouette was accessorized with bead-studded embroidery in a Baroque-style motif so that the whole design looked like body armor of the past.
The collection used taffeta and damask to form more structured designs, while chiffon and Chantilly lace were the main elements for the modest style.
The models wore pearls accessories and headpieces exclusively designed by the renowned Rinaldy A. Yunardi to complete the aristocratic look. With Aristocrat, the designers succeeded in presenting a whole different air in sartorial choices for urban women who seek a prestigious look through simple but classy fashions.
The Aristocrat collections are available at Sebastian Gunawan’s official outlets or visit website sebastiangunawan.com and Instagram accounts @sebastianredofficial and @sebastiansposaofficial for further information.
