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span class="caption" style="width: 175px;">A classic but dramatic creation by designer Sally Koeswanto is displayed during her farewell fashion show at the recent Bazaar Bridal Week in Jakarta.Prominent artisan Sally Koeswanto decided to bring the curtain down on her career as a fashion designer.

After 20 years of working in fashion, Sally waved goodbye with the plan to focusing on her roles as a wife and mother. All these years, she felt she had never had enough family time and good sleep.

'€œI'€™d been wanting to take a break for some time. It'€™s been quite tiring and I'€™ve started to feel bored,'€ said Sally, who is in her early 40s. '€œI love fashion, but the industry doesn'€™t suit me anymore.'€

'€œI be back in [any] business '€“ but one that doesn'€™t demand all of my time as I'€™m a kind of woman who can'€™t
sit still,'€ said the designer, who won the Favorite Designer award from Dewi magazine in 2004 as well as
The Australian Alumni Award in 2009 for Creativity and Design among her achievements.

Sally opened her own fashion business in made-to-order clothing in 1995, not long after she graduated from the Whitehouse School of Design in Australia in 1994.

In 2002, she held her first solo fashion show and launched her other line, Skin, in 2008.

In her last fashion show at the Bazaar Bridal Week 2013 in Jakarta recently, her collection became one of the highlights of the bridal week.

Sally showcased around 30 gowns, cocktail dresses as well as wedding gowns. Almost all of the collections were epic, her signature design.

The artisan'€™s farewell show began with four models wearing her mysterious yet classic cut black long dresses as well as dramatic and edgy brown dresses.

For the opening dresses, Sally applied floral ornaments on the bust area as well as see-through material in some parts.

A knee-length cocktail dress stood out as the designer put an edgy floral adornment on the torso area and significantly mixed see-through material on the outside with turquoise fabric on the inside of the bottom part.

For the gold color collection, Sally emphasized the classic cut, a strong reminder to the elegant flair of ancient Greek fashion.

The designer also played with various types of dresses. She started with a warrior-like two piece A-line short dress, some sheer long dresses, a short dress with tail and volume, a diva-like one-shouldered long dress and a semi-couture sheer long dress with floral ornaments along the torso and arms.

Sally displayed some courageous designs as she chose bright red and red wine colors on her four long dresses. She also combined elegant floral embroideries with her famous dramatic layers.

Also on show were 12 white gowns, which were perfect for wedding events.

Her wedding gowns varied from a sweet princess-like gown with a bow on the waist, a cheongsam-inspired embroidered dress, a fluffy one-shouldered gown, an edgy gown with a breathtaking ornament on the backside to a classic one with outstanding layers.

After leaving the business, Sally said she would have time to contemplate her next move.

'€œI want to know what my true calling is, what my purpose in life is. I simply just want to be a better person.'€

'€” Photos by Wendra Ajistyatama