Lomba Perancang Mode or LPM is an annual competition for new and upcoming fashion designers and when it was first held by Gadis and Femina magazine in 1979, it was quite a breakthrough since there was virtually no fashion competition at that scale during that year. The competition keeps giving birth to new talents who, over the year, not only keep the public engaged with their creations, but also helped to shape the fashion industry till now.
During this year’s Jakarta Fashion Week, there was a show who was held to remember all those big names in fashion who once were a winner of LPM. These designers were chosen by the JFW Fashion Council, a group of Editor-in-Chief and Fashion Editors from top publications. The past LPM winners who were selected to showcase their designs were Chossy Latu (LPM 1979), Itang Yunasz (LPM 1981), Carmanita (LPM 1987), Denny Wirawan (LPM 1993), Andreas Odang (LPM 2005), Billy Tjong (LPM 2005) and Eny Ming (LPM 2007).
Chossy Latu presented a collection entitled Songket The New Look. He turned songket into jackets, coats and dresses, dominated in black and gold colors and pair them with items which give them a hint of 40’s retro style. The models wore wide-brim hat, lacy tights, flowy palazzo and one particularly beautiful songket jacket was paired with a sparkly LBD. Beautiful!
The next one was Andreas Odang who made everyone giggle with the title of his collection Love Hurts. Surprisingly though, the pieces he created had a romantic flair to it with a combination of brocade, organdy and shantung, some were given rosette embellishment that created a more feminine aura.
Denny Wirawan wowed the audience with his fierce cross-cultural collection. Traditional NTT and NTB tenun were mixed with wool, plaids, pinstripes and herringbone patterns, and turned into structured coats and dresses. There was also a synthetic fur coat which the model wore with a pencil tenun skirt and a pair of tenun boots! The models were wearing accessories from Kasha Bijoux by Sjulli Darsono which added tribal feel to the whole look. The collection was closed with a model whom I think is a traditional NTT dancer, wearing brightly-colored tenun cocoon jacket and dress complete with traditional headdress as well as painted face. She looked like a warrior. A very fashionable one if I may add 🙂
Eny Ming with her label MING, brought the theme Two Sides that night which showed classic tailoring using both opaque and transparent fabrics. The feel of her collection was very utilitarian especially they were dominated with military green and taupe. Eny Ming also surprised the audience when the leather backpacks carried by the models were turned into vests and cropped jackets.
Carmanita’s Signature collection was a stark contrast to MING masculine pieces. Hers were fluid, loose-fitted and effortlessly chic. Tenun in vibrant hues were showcased in tunics, dresses and skirts which look very wearable. My personal favorite was a look that combined an orange asymmetrical top with gathered detailing on the front with Ikat skirt and a jacket that looked like Lurik. It was a mish mash of patterns and colors that were so attractive and unique!
Billy Tjong was next and even though his collection was called Satu Hari di Indonesia, there was no obvious nod to any of our traditional culture. Instead, the models were walking on the runway wearing cocktail dresses in gorgeous Spring hues such as turquoise, yellow and green. The dresses were shaped in a way that’s resembling flowers and I felt like watching a parade of exotic butterflies fluttering through a beautiful garden.
Last, but certainly not least, was Itang Yunasz who brought to us his Heavenset collection. He made Muslim attires look extra glamorous with the use of chiffons, tuton as well as fabrics and songket from India and Sumatera in rich, bold colors. Not only came in toga dress and drapey gowns, Itang Yunasz also presented an outfit consisting of a jackets made from songket in shiny coral, with a pair of elegant flowy silk pants in salmon. The model was wearing a headscarf in the same material of the pants. The other pieces were also given blings and embellishments to add sparkles.
