STYLE
FROM EYES OF AN ISLANDER
9:45 PM
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"As a
Balinese, heritage
and culture have been an important
part for Balinese society. Culture affects almost every aspect of life on the
island and it leads to a vast variety of art. This is something that Balinese
people want to keep and treasure. Traditional culture itself influences the
Balinese fashion scene.
What makes Bali
inspiring for a person who is searching for creative muses is the unique blend
of traditional culture and modernity. Bali's constant flow of tourists from
around the world meets with the local Balinese ethnicity creates
a sole mixture of something that is not easy to forget. We can see it in the
fabric and in the design. How people combine traditional Balinese fabric into
contemporarily cut clothes or making fashion design inspired by Balinese craft.
For example, traditional fabrics that we call Endek or Songket, can now be found in the prints of many fashion
pieces. For the fashion trend itself now in the island, we can see so many
summer styles all around the island.
Bali is
well-known for its tropical weather where the sun is shining bright and the
crystal-clear blue beaches. It is not a surprise that Bali is filled with those
'tropical babe' or 'island darling' style from the people itself or from the
tourist who visit Bali for holidays. Wearing light-weight clothes would save you from the heat here so I would
recommend people to wear cotton, linen, silk or any kind of resort wear: slip
dress, jumpsuits, kaftans, crochet cover-ups, sexy evening dresses, you
choose!
My personal
preference, I would love to wear a maxi overflowing dress or a cute mini dress
with brown sandals, rattan bag and summer hats. I could wear it forever here in
the island! But I would like to try new style and up to boundless creative
mix-matching outfits. I would love to add some Parisian look to my casual daily
wear, being effortlessly chic with a sexy silky evening gown, adding more
bright and bold colors to my wardrobe just like what we see in Korean idol
groups, dressing with some Mexican festival vibe for some summer parties here,
or clashing all things together just as I want it to be based up on my mood
that day.
Fashion has no
boundaries and as the acculturation of local and international style is becoming more intense, this makes the fashion
scene more interesting in Bali. People around the world see what is unique in
Bali and people here in Bali also see what is unique from all travelers around
the world. Trends become more diverse, rich with many art, society, background
and ethnicity. The best part of it, fashion is a media for expression, to
express ourselves, and here on the island the choices of fashion are
endless.
For the
industry, Bali offers a wide fashion market. There are many fashion brands rising up with their own trademark and fashion
statements. It is going to be quite competitive for the fashion industry in the
future but it will boost the creativity. I can see also Balinese and Indonesian
people viewing Bali as a fashion destination, and they start joining this
fashion parade adding spice to Bali’s fashion scene. I see many young
entrepreneurs in Bali starting their own fashion line and ready to compete
in Bali’s fashion
market. I see young people also become
more interested in fashion as we can see in social media they post about their
‘outfit of the day’ and express themselves through their style.
I do hope
fashion in Bali would be something taken into account like 'Harajuku' style in
Japan or 'Hallyu' wave in Korean, with its own Balinese touch. Being unique and
trendy without forgetting the roots of Balinese culture. Maybe one day we can
see Bali’s style as something like that in the future. And I also hope local
people will be bold and brave to express themselves through fashion in a good
and creative way."
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On new year, I was on a writing work with Black Book Fashion, a curated fashion platform for the best independent designers in shopping destination around the world. We had conversation about fashion especially fashion in Bali. You can click here to view the full article featuring me on their website. It was so much fun to share ideas about fashion with them. We talked about the culture, fashion industry in this Island and how it can grow in the future.
…
Finally after a fast busy week, I went for a slow life by
the beach on the weekend. Enjoying sunset while discussing about each other's
past week and plans ahead. In a beach hut, Mano Beach House, I am
channelling my inner island-darling side in this beige maxi dress from a local store and
brown sandals from AEO. A nice pair
of sandal in a neutral brown shade is a must in my wardrobe, especially one
that can go well with so many summer dresses. And with a straw hat plus a round
rattan bag, what more to add to be an island girl? My boyfriend and I are
joining the 'no plastics' campaign, learning so hard to reduce our usage of plastic
to a minimum. Our goal is for a better earth, but let's make it on our island
first.
❤️
xx
Wearing: I LOOK maxi dress,
H&M straw hat, COCRAPARIS round rattan bag, AOE brown sandals
Photos by: Angga Wiadnya
4 comment(s)
Bali has always been a dream of mine. I associate Bali with peace and mindfullness. Bali is rich with culture and nature and that's two things I'd love to experience together. It's nice that the both of you are spreading the word about designers people may not have heard of. I'd love to check out these brands. Lovely dress! x
ReplyDeleteDarianne | www.dariannemariegrimball.com
hi, Darianne! Yeah, you should come to Bali and experience all the serenity stuff <3
DeleteI love these photos! You look so pretty.
ReplyDeletehttps://adventureswithcourtt.blogspot.com/
thank you, Courtney!
Delete