Shakeleg on Shop: All Dressed Up

I wrote an 800-word article about shopping last month. The boss said "You're a natural fashion writer! There's nothing much to edit" and happily pushed the "publish to cyberspace" button.

Truth be told, Shakeleg and fashion don't go together until only recently. Since moving to Indonesia, I've built a wardrobe comprising of... drumroll... factory overruns! Banana Republic, Zara, Gap, Calvin Klein, Esprit, Marks and Spencer. You name it, I've got it.


My small closet

Fine, I'm exaggerating but my point is, many global clothing companies manufacture their goods in developing countries, including Indonesia, and the so-called defective discards are sold cheaply in factory outlets here. I was told that some of these stores stock original items in perfect condition but sell them at before-tax prices.


Rumah Mode is one of the more popular factory outlets in Bandung

Bandung district, which is about three hours' drive from Jakarta, is a shopping haven. I've bought a pair of Gap slippers and some Adidas "dri-fit" running tank tops for a few dollars. In Jakarta, there's a store at Mangga Dua Square which stocks good-quality trekking pants and sweaters. Nearer to my apartment, there's Premium at Ambassador Mall and Heritage at Citywalk.

Thank god my untrained (cheapskate?) eyes can't spot defects and so to me they're as good as gold. What do you expect from somebody who used to pronounce Hermes "Her-Miss" and Guy Laroche, "Ghai -Lah-Rock"? (It's "Air Maze" and "Ghee Larosh" by the way, you dowdy twits!)

Eh, my imaginary cat Luka wants to say something. Hang on, I'm putting its paws on the keyboard.



*starts paw pressing* "My owner is as pretty as my fur and as cute as my nose. She can make a trashbag look like Prata". *ends paw pressing*

How random. But clever bootlicking boy, Luka! You even know similes. Now that saves me the trouble of blowing my own trumpet. But next time please type Prada and not Prata. *throws Friskies on the floor*

Besides these bargains, I've got some dresses tailor-made.

Fabric in a variety of colours, textures and designs can be bought cheaply at huge textile markets in Jakarta, namely Pasar Mayestik and Cipadu, where local fashion designers are known to find their signature threads.



Dressmaking services start from SGD 25. The seamstresses here make good copies and provide quality stitchwork: generous lining, hidden seams, the works. Some even make housecalls, where they visit clients' homes to take their measurements, do fittings and then deliver the goods, which are ready within a week.

The fun part of the whole process is choosing the dress designs online.

Check out this Cotton Cady Alexa dress on J.Crew's website.
J.Crew's price: USD225 (SGD 294).
Shakeleg's Indonesian copy: SGD39 (gold shantung fabric for SGD 4 and SGD35 for sewing).
Savings: SGD255.


J.Crew's


My copy

The problem is that this can be an addictive habit that's hard to break. So far, I've made a shantung camisole, a cheongsam, a tube dress (with bra inserts LOL!) and two kebayas.







Indonesia is the land of the kebayas. Women, rich and poor, get married in them. The wedding solemnisation outfit is usually a white kebaya top matched with a long batik skirt (see picture below).



I was clueless until I made this fashion faux pas, a definite "Her-Miss". Go ahead, laugh all you want. No Luka, I don't mean YOU. *confiscates Friskies*



Anyway, I realise that I can now call myself a true-blue Singaporean. I have a dress, a cheongsam, a kebaya and a saree! I made this saree while holidaying in India a few months ago. So now I can marry a Chinese, Malay, Indian or Eurasian. A single girl must always keep her options open!



I was flipping through the March issue of the Jakarta Timeout magazine the other day and I saw this.



Wohoho, jeans! Not any old jeans, mind you. But a Dior Homme-like leg-hugging skinny jeans. The problem is, my legs are neither huggable nor skinny. They're somewhat "Homme-like" though (read: manly or affectionately called "soccer legs" by my brother). Will Mr Sri Tanjung be able to bring out the Femme in the cursed pair of Hommes? Or will it be another "Her-Miss"? Stay tuned.

(Some pictures taken from the Internet)