Happy Eid al Fitr: A Strategy to Re-style an Old Shirt
Selamat Idul Fitri. Happy
Eid Mubarak to all my Moslem brothers and sisters who just celebrated the end
of Ramadhan recently.
In Indonesia, Idul Fitri
(Eid Mubarak) is celebrated festively. It is not only the occasion to freshen
up our taste buds of Indonesians traditional culinary after a month of fasting,
but also the event to showcase the most elegant and handsome apparels and
traditional clothes. Batik, Ikat, Songket, Karawang, are only few of these
treasured Indonesian traditional clothes.
Idul Fitri (Eid Mubarak),
Christmas, Easter, Chinese New Year, Hannukah, Vesak, Kuningan, Birthdays,
Weddings are only few of those special days which require the host as well as
the attendees to look their best. However, new clothes require funding.
Meanwhile, let’s face it,
not all of us are endowed with the massive amounts of Paris Hilton’s and Nicole
Richie’s bank accounts as well as their enviable designers closets. Well, I for
one am not –and proudly to admit so-. Well, should one then dress shabbily due
to this type of deficiency? Certainly not!
In this case, one should
be creative in recycling or at the very least restyling our outfits so that
one’s wardrobe collection may have a double, if not a million lives ahead.
The first step of
restyling
is to ensure that we purchase classy fashion pieces with classic cut and colour
that can be worn agelessly. Despite of the bombardment of today’s fashion
advertisement which make us all craving with something directly from the
catwalk of Paris, London, Milan and New York, there are some classy pieces of
ensemble which kept on produced to meet the customers’s demands. One of which
is the all time favourite linen shirt.
Linen shirt is always
popular during summer. In South of France, almost each fashionable man and woman
would own and display one in each colour of the rainbow during the hot summer
days and nights. Either walking their pugs in Promenade des Anglais in Nice or visiting the Princely Palace in
Monte Carlo, one is rarely seen without the crisp linen shirt.
In 2010, when I lived in
Geneve, I decided to purchase an ivory colored Paul and Joe’s (http://www.paulandjoe.com/int_en/) linen shirt which is
classy yet less ordinary then the others. This shirt has no collar and it is
handsomely decorated with an elegant lace embroidery on the center front part.
When I first tried the
shirt on inside the changing room of Bon Genie in Geneve, I saw it as an
elegant and luxe version a la Francaise
of kemeja koko (In Indonesia, kemeja koko refers to a collarless or
tiny Chinese collared shirt for Moslem men to do their prayers which have now
been worn also to attend a semi formal and formal function).
From the first time I
owned the shirt, I know that it is a keeper which I will cherish to wear for
years and hopefully decades to come. In fact, my linen shirt has more than just
a double life, it possess a million lives. I have restyled the shirt
continuously for the past five years.
Honestly, I have been strutting
this shirt during those hot and sweaty European Summer days and nights from Cote d’Azur to Isola di Capri, from cruising inside the elegant Bateaux in Lac Leman to having an
elegant dinner in Interlaken. I surely made sure that it did not stop there.
Bearing in mind the
distinguished similarity of my shirt with a more traditional kemeja koko, I have restyled it for
attending the lovely celebration of 2015 Eid Mubarak in the Indonesian Consul
General’s residence in Sydney yesterday.
My strategy to restyle the
shirt is to wear it with a navy blue colored skinny chino to match the blueish
embroidery on the ivory colored shirt. Fashionista, remember not to wear a
black colored original cut trousers with your ivory colored linen shirt as it
is gets too serious, formal and ordinary for Eid Mubarak’s celebration which is
supposed to be less formal yet elegant at the same time.
The second and most
important step to restyle one’s old wardrobe is to strikingly match the
outfit with either monochrome or vibrant colored piece of shawl or scarf. This
works every time for me. The minute the shawl drapes elegantly on the shirt,
all the attention goes to the shawl. So fashionista make sure you choose a
shawl or scarf which is nicely made that suits your character. Be sure to
choose a pattern and colour that can represent your character. After all,
fashion is a way to express oneself, most particularly one’s ideas.
Naturally, to add a fashionable
twist, I put on my Mom’s recent acquisition –yes, in case you haven’t been
reading my blog, my Mom is a truly fashionable lady- when she visited me a few
months ago which I have been borrowing ever since. It is a black and white colored
Batik cotton oh-so-light-it-is-barely-there shawl which is designed by the
famous Japanese-born Australian designer, Akira Isogawa (http://www.akira.com.au/), and thoroughly crafted in Indonesia. The shawl
is richly decorated with an applique
of black beads and fine embroidery which I believe add a nuance of edgy romance
to the shawl. C’est tres joli edgy
romance, n’est-ce pas? :)
In short, as almost
everyone fell in love with the look, some shared the compliments directly,
while others with that sort of bewitching look in their eyes, I must say my
strategy to restyling the shirt to look as if it is a brand new has gone
completely successful!
Fashionista, have you
tried to restyle your wardrobe? If not, then you are not living the ever
changing 21st century fashion world. Better make it soon, boys and
girls!
Put aside your hesitation
not only because of my words but also due to the fact that even Her Royal
Highness Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, a.k.a. Kate Middleton, who is
acclaimed as one of the most beautiful trendsetters in the world, is well known
for her restyling wardrobes.
Wishing you all a great
week ahead and a very happy restyling!
Stay fashionably tuned to
JET’s articles and photios by following my instagram (@JETJAKARTA), Facebook
page (JET’s Fashion Diplomacy) and twitter (@jonesey4eva).
#jetfashiondiplomacy,
#indonesianfashiondiplomacy, #indonesianbatik, #idulfitri, #eidmubarak,
#indonesianconsulgeneralsydney, #akiraisogawa, #paulandjoe, #menslinenshirt
Standing next to the
Indonesian Consul General, Dr Yayan Mulyana, and Mrs Irene Mulyana, I was all
dressed up in my same old linen shirt and a Batik shawl for the festive
celebration of 2015 Idul Fitri. Location: The residence of Indonesian Consul
General in Sydney.
Linen shirt: Paul and Joe (http://www.paulandjoe.com/int_en/)
Batik scarf: Akira Isogawa (http://www.akira.com.au/),
Trousers: Zara (http://www.zara.com/)
Fashionably flanked
between these stately Loro Blonyo, a masterpiece creation by Benny Adrianto, a
true artist for Batik and Wayang (Indonesian Puppet). Location: The Residence
of Indonesian Consul General in Sydney.
Let’s show off this look
for Eid al Fitr at the famous promenade of Rose Bay Wharf.
Clutch: St. Agni (http://st-agni.com.au/) a Byron based designer which fine leather goods
are well crafted in Indonesia.
In Summer 2010, I walked
the stylish streets of Monaco by dressing up in Paul and Joe’s linen shirt.
Location: Port Hercule, Monaco.
Linen shirt: Paul and Joe
Five years ago, the Paul
and Joe’s shirt was my faithful companion during a weekend visit to Monaco
where I also visited the Prince’s Palace (http://www.palais.mc/en/index.html), home of Prince Albert
and Princess Charlene, as well as of his late Mother, the enigmatic Grace
Kelly, Princess of Monaco.
Bonjour Monte Carlo! Good
morning Monaco!
My Mom’s treasured Akira
Isogawa’s (http://www.akira.com.au/) hand-painted black and
white Batik shawl, which is crafted in Indonesia, up close and personal.
Meticulous and fine details
of my Mom’s Indonesian-crafted Australian-designed Batik scarf by Akira
Isogawa, one of Australia’s most prominent designers.
Indonesian-made and
Australian-designed Batik shawl by Akira Isogawa.
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