We definitely haven’t heard the last of Ella, and during her Unplugged concert right here in the heart of KL, Malaysia’s Rock and Roll Queen decided to pull out all the stops, from instrumentation, all the way to fashion. And under the creative reigns of Jiman Casablancas from Tarik Jeans, well, it was a runway as much as it is a concert.
Three criteria were made very clear in the beginning. Everything needs to be elevated from the usual, Ella would wear almost exclusively black items, and only apparel from homegrown designers are chosen.
Fitting: Afiq M
As is fitting for a neo-rock look, Jiman rallied a full hand of Malaysia’s best, including names like Kit Woo, Ezzati Amira, Syomiriza Gupta, Joe Chia, and Afiq M to come up with a whole lookbook split into three parts, PEACE – Unplugged, LOVE – Traditional, and RINDU – Rock n Roll.
Fitting: Joe Chia
The gamut encapsulates many different genres of clothing, from an opera coat, Vivienne Westwood’s Victorian inspired Kebayas, an oversized puff warrior jacket, to a Kimono top, finished with glittered fringes for highlighted visual effects. Local jeweller Behati also had a hand in completing the outfit, providing finishing touches with their unique brooches.
Fitting: Syomiriza Gupta
To further accentuate the looks, Jiman called upon make-up maestro Khir Kalid, known for his dramatic editorial work. You’ll come to notice that outfit transitions from a t-shirt and jeans female rocker into a hijab wearing glam rock goddess was expertly done with the genius of Naz, a renowned hijab stylist who individually customised each hijab under the creative guise of Jiman.
Fitting: Kit Woo
Have a look at the photos to see the Queen dressed in the handful of Malaysia’s best.
