One is from Spain. One is from Malaysia. Which came first, which is finer?
Left: Isabel Sanchis's rosette dress from her spring/summer 2021 collection. Photo: Isabel Sanchis. Right Behati's rosette dress from KLFW 2023. Photo: Saufi Nadzri/KLFW
One is a couturière. One is, well, a multi-hyphenate designer, who also sings, dances, films, photographs, plays the rebana, assembles scaffolds for building "the biggest blazer ever worn on the red carpet". That the rose should appear in both looks could be coincidental. Or, perhaps, not. The rosette-shaped arrangement of fabric as a motif is nothing new in fashion. But one that is large enough to be worn on and adequately cover the body in a manner thought to be flattering takes considerable skill to execute. When done well, it is understandable how the result could be inspirasi to the beholder. To be certain, both are not identical, but in placing them side by side, a distinctness can be discerned. One is better at enhancing the appearance of the wearer; the other, not so.
Valencia-born Isabel Sanchis started her fashion business in the city of her birth in her adolescent years, but it was not until 1990 that her first collection was shown, and she began selling to small shops near where she lived and then expanding throughout Spain. By 1995, Ms Sanchis was ready to expand internationally, and in another five years, her mostly special-ocassion wear was available in 40 countries, mostly through specialist stores. Her spring/summer 2021 season saw several pieces based on intricately shaped, deftly layered rosettes that never betrayed the delicacy of natural petals. The rosette cocktail dress, pictured here (left), had the three-dimensionality of blooms, yet was perspicaciously contoured to keep to the sinewy lines of the body, neither constricting or adding bulk. Her RTW gowns are available at Pois, the go-to store for Mediacorp artistes in desperate need for a red carpet stunner, especially during the annual Star Awards.
Behati was founded in Kuala Lumpur five years ago as a label bent on "moving culture forward". The cultural component of their designs and the use of specific articles of Malay dress is key to their success, as well as their penchant for creating pieces that could readily go viral. Practical is not necessarily part of their brand identity. Founded and designed by Muar-born Tan Kel Wen, Behati is also known for providing absurdly massive clothes for some of Malaysia's trending pop stars. Whether these women look good is immaterial. More crucial is the publicity they are able to receive from wearing the outrageous, hard-to-move-in clothes. Mr Tan showed his emphatically "hand-made" rosettes and the awkward protuberant rose that served as a decorative bodice of a mini-dress (right) last Saturday during Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week. The dress, in fact, opened his fashion/cultural show. But, as we are aware, just because it blooms does not make it a flower.
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