Words Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak Photos Bimo Raharjo

The fabled Marchesa Luisa Casati is immortalized in the 2017 spring/summer collection of Sebastian Gunawan Couture, the first attempt of the fashion designer at haute couture fashion.

The 91-piece collection brings back the artsy, glamorous fashion of the Italian heiress who was famed for her eccentricities in early 20th century Europe.

The muse of many artists, including painter Salvador Dali, and patroness of the Ballet Russes was definitely not a regular noblewoman; she was known for walking with a pair of leashed cheetahs and, instead of a necklace, wearing a live snake as a fashion accessory.

These details of her life were adopted in the collection as well as the lively show at the Ballroom of Hotel Mulia Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Nov. 29, which was opened by a ballet performance of the fashion designer with his wife and creative partner Cristina Panarese.

“Cristina and I revived the fashion elements introduced by Luisa Casati as our main inspiration which are the fusion of cultural elements from the East, such as Turkey, Japan and China, with the European style of the West, resulting in a work full of intricate details, multicolored and rich in its looks. It embraces the inspiration of fashion in the future,” said Sebastian.

In the first part of the show, models strutted the Moroccan-style decorated stage to display 56 looks, with 20 of them shown for the first time at Paris Couture Fashion Week 2016.

Each look carries Sebastian’s signature of bold cutting and romantic silhouettes that adore a woman’s body, but the focus of attention is on the appliques, the material texture and choice of colors that is daring yet beautiful.

The extensive use of gorilla faux fur around the cuffs, neck, rim of the top or skirt — some resemble a snake coiling around the body — adds a different dimension to the whole look instead of overshadowing it.

The intricate hand-sewn embroideries of gold-colored thread enhance the synergy from blue, maroon and green in a dress of different materials with various textures as ornaments.

They also used material with motifs similar to leopard skin to enliven the imagery of the marchesa’s favorite pets.

Sebastian did not only play with color blocks in the collection, but also experimented with materials. He transformed light and delicate materials such as silk and lace brocade into the sturdy construction of a tailored dress. His creative team designed and produced the material exclusively for the collection.

Sebastian and Cristina offered a complete variety of attire to choose from: the body-hugging silhouettes of hourglass-shaped long gowns; long jackets; two pieces — tops that were actually a modified cape to go with pants or oversized skirts; onesies with a front zip that came with matching capes; as well as volume dresses that were a fit for cocktail parties and other formal events.

If the first part of the show presented pieces with strong imagery, the second one softened the mood with the display of 20 looks in pastel colors and flowery embroidery.

Dominated by peach and soft green colors, the dresses remained as strong as the previous line due to unique applications, such as accordion pleats for skirts, puff sleeves or tiered tops.

OLD IS NEW AGAIN

The last 15 pieces were a sweet surprise from the creative hands of Sebastian and Cristina. They retained the main theme and concept of the whole collection, but with a slight change in how they treated the embroidered motifs and the materials in what proved a successful experiment.

If in the previous two sections the embroidered ornaments fully integrated with the clothes, here the designers seemingly took out the ornaments of the lace brocade materials, enlarging and emphasizing it while the design was constructed around it.

Instead of using black faux fur as in previous sections, the latest display came with bright color fur. If the ornaments in the earlier designs were embroidered with gold thread around the edges, the designers replaced it with tinkling golden sequins or the fur.

The collection was unique and eccentric, pooling the masculine and feminine in fashion into a single look.

“I combine the elements of classic, sophistication and elegance to make women dare to explore themselves,” said Sebastian about La Divina Marchesa

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