Sunday, November 4, 2012

Swayed by the Enchanting Club Dahlia


A classic-cutting dress inspired by 1940’s fashion.

Mystery does not always sit in the dark. Everyone keeps a little secret — so behold, what’s beneath the glamorous gold. 

Like a trip through a time machine, renowned fashion designer Sebastian Gunawan took his audience at the spacious Hotel Mulia ballroom in Jakarta back to the 1940s fashion scene.

The showcase was held to celebrate the launch of his 2013 exclusive collection, entitled Club Dahlia, inspired by ateliers choice of high-class ladies circa 1940 in Florida, US. 

In the back of his mind, Sebastian was probably imagining rich young ladies gathering around in groups, enjoying snacks with light beverages while chatting and catching up on the latest gossip, scents of their perfumes blending in with cigarette smoke. 

They may have different stories, but those ladies attended these sort of gatherings with one goal in mind: to see and be seen. 

From light interactions to true friendship, Sebastian sees the true character of the Dahlia flower in them — natural femininity, which at the same time, carries the dramas of life.


A tail dress with enchanting detail

Imagining this, he designed 95 special creations for Sebastian Gunawan’s Club Dahlia line for 2013 as well as six wedding gowns for Sebastian Sposa collection.

In his collection, Sebastian played with colors, using light yellow, white-yellow, silver to coral and red on fabrics like linen silk, rami silk, damask, brocade, lace and tulle. 

The celebration started with his “This Innocence is Brilliance” sequence, with about 10 female models posing on the main stage before the runway with some big mock Dahlia’s in the background. Shot with greenish lighting, simple sparks of knee-length skirts and dresses were the stars of the moment.


Inspiring wedding gown for brides


Sebastian explored bright, fresh and soft colors to represent the innocent side of a woman.

Making its entrance was a sweet-looking predominantly black and yellow-white dress with black and light yellow accents above the chest area, wrapped by a yellowish kimono-inspired jacket.

Remaining faithful to the look of a 1940s Dahlia lady, Sebastian applied sheer eye veils by Rinaldy A. Yuniardi for all items.

Sebastian also played with peplums. A black-yellow peplum blouse gives off an edgy feel with black brocade leggings underneath.

On Laura Muljadi, a one-shouldered dress with a white outer, and a turquoise top inner and yellow bottom inner was a strong crowd pleaser.

Sebastian then carried on with his charming skills in producing effortlessly chic ateliers with the silhouette of a women’s heavenly body shape. 

The designer explored more with long dresses, folded volume skirts, capes, empire waist dresses and asymmetric gowns.

 In his “The Beauty of Interaction” sequence, Sebastian stepped up by presenting a unique blend of innocence and cuteness with glamorous style.

He even fused several identities into one piece and brilliantly mixed and matched calf- length pants with a voluminous blouse, light flowing skirt with flirty accent and boldly combined more than one floral pattern into one outfit.

Another one of Sebastian’s breathtaking dresses was a red plain tail dress with reversible accents of a colorful pattern on the inside part of the tail.

For his third sequence, “Rendition of Collision”, Sebastian switched it up with elegant and constructive fashion.

Classic colors of black, white and red on lace, brocade and damask fabrics were assembled all together into a dramatic look suitable for any occasion.

For one creation, Sebastian showcased baby doll femininity combined with impressive wide-leg pants — a strong statement that represents the dynamicity of a woman’s feeling.

 For upscale gala’s, Sebastian offered a black tail gown that was simply bold and beautiful.

To end the night’s celebration, Sebastian displayed his latest six undeniably enchanting wedding gowns with detailed and meticulous craftsmanship.

The six gowns showcased dome-shaped silhouettes, ball gowns and mermaid-inspired designs with sacred colors of off white and gold.

Rinaldy, accessories designer for Sebastian’s latest collection, said that he tried to not do too much with the Club Dahlia 2013 items.

“Basically, Sebastian’s items are all already glamorous, so I just added an eye veil for the regular collection and face veil for the wedding gowns. Aside from that, I also put in some basic black decorative necklaces to give a stronger line for the overall look of Sebastian’s designs.”

Sebastian said he focuses on the virtues from Club Dahlia that are dynamic, strong, mysterious, modern and multi-tasking.

“I was inspired by a women’s club that was called Club Dahlia. This collection shares more than just a story. It gives you an idea of how they thought,” said Sebastian, who is better known as Seba.

He said that each woman truly has a different character that will influence the final outcome of his designs. 

“Just through a first impression, we often see a woman as a gentle and sweet person. But, the more we get to know her, the more we see a mysterious part of her and the stronger character within her,” said the 45-year-old.

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