Thursday August 27, 2009

Princess for a day, He's Khmer!

By S. INDRAMALAR, thestar.com.my

Impeccable detailing ensures Lusan Mandongus brides look sensational on their big day.

ROMANTICISM and weddings go hand in hand, and almost every woman dreams of donning that white princess dress at least once in her life.

Donis Chan, who has been designing for brides for the last 17 years, believes a woman’s wedding day should be one of the most special days in her life and her dress, therefore, must be something extraordinary.

‘My designs are sophisticated and elegant, but also a little flamboyant,’ says Donis Chan.

“My designs are sophisticated and elegant, but also a little flamboyant. They’re definitely for women who are confident, sophisticated and who know what they want,” says Chan.

His wedding dresses, sold under the label Lusan Mandongus, are well known in Hong Kong, Japan and Europe for their glamorous styles and impeccable detailing. Chan says his designs are for women who appreciate style and couture-like details and who are, of course, romantic.

The 40-something designer, who was born in Cambodia but moved to Hong Kong with his family as a young boy, says he knew, from the time he was a fashion design student, that he wanted to design wedding dresses.

Sleek lines: A wedding gown inspired by the 1920s

“I still enjoy it even after 17 years. I meet beautiful girls every day,” he quips.

(The label Lusan Mandongus was originally inspired by the names of the four partners of the label – Donis and his three partners Lusanna, Manson and Angus. The four have since gone their separate ways but Chan kept the brand name).

As an internationally acclaimed designer, Chan spends much of his time travelling to Europe and Asia – for trade shows, buying trips or just suss out his markets – where he derives much of his inspiration for new collections.

Strapless wedding dress of heavy lace.

“I travel a lot and everywhere I go I find little things, mostly about the different cultures I experience, that inspire me. I sometimes incorporate these elements into my designs,” he says.

Two enduring inspirations that prevail in all of Chan’s collections are: fashion from the 1920s (elements like drop waists, full hemlines, sheer fabrics are always a part of a Lusan Mandongus collection), and jazz music because of its spontaneity and vitality.

“I really like fashion from the 1920s. The women then were very sexy, I feel, and it kind of makes me think of jazz, which is my favourite kind of music. It’s very liberating,” he says.

For his coming collection (out at the end of this year), Chan’s collection takes on a dreamy quality. “The global economic situation at the moment is not very positive, and I wanted my collection to be able to bring some joy and lift the spirit.

“The collection is happy, dreamy and ethereal. I used a lot of tulle which works very well for this look,” he explains.

For the Lusan Mandongus spring/summer 2010 collection, Donis Chan goes for the dreamy, ethereal look to counter the gloom of the current global economic situation

Duchesse lace, a Chan signature, is also a mainstay of the collection as is play with layering, exquisite embroidery and couture detailing.

“I love working with duchesse lace, which I tend to use all the time, and satin,” adds Chan who looks up to designers like Oscar dela Renta, Monique Lhuillier and the design house Christian Dior.

Though his spring/summer 2010 is not yet complete, Chan recently gave a sneak peek of a few pieces from the collection. The use of tulle definitely evokes a fairy-like quality in the dresses and, as always, Chan’s detailing is impeccable – from embroidered lace to cloud-like tulle roses – the dresses are unmistakably for brides who want to look nothing less than sensational.

General fashion trends, says Chan, do not factor into the wedding dress market.

“Wedding dresses don’t change that much. If you look at dresses from a century ago, you can see that the styles are more or less the same. It is the details that make the difference and this year, floral applique is the in thing,” he explains.

Chan produces two collections every year, each comprising about 50 designs. He has, to date, designed more than 1,700 wedding dresses and his favourite “is always the next one”.

Though he always includes a short dress or two in his wedding collections, Chan feels very strongly that long gowns are more appropriate. And white is always the preferred colour.

“White (or shades of white like ivory) signifies purity and honesty. You can have a little colour but I still think white is best,” he says.

His only advice for brides-to-be when shopping for a dress is that they stay true to themselves. “It’s your day and it’s your dress. I often see brides who come in with a host of relatives and friends who are all full of ideas on how the dress should look like. In the midst of all that, the bride loses herself and it’s a shame.”

Presently, he hopes to expand his Asian markets.

His boutique, Designer Bridal Room in Kuala Lumpur, where he sells exclusively made-to-order wedding gowns by international designers such as Valentino, Karl Lagerfeld, Christian Lacroix, Elie Saab, Pronovias, Manuel Mota and, of course, Lusan Mandongus – was his first boutique in Asia outside of Hong Kong.

If all goes well, Chan hopes to set up shop in Singapore and Shanghai in the near future.

> For further details, call 03-2143 3101.