Libertine Silver White: A Sheer Subversion for White Party Bangkok

A designer’s reflection on the tension between Asian discretion and the courage to be seen.

There is a distinct energy when you step into a space where a dress code is not just a suggestion, but a cultural contract. In parts of Asia, the air is often thick with unspoken rules: Be polite. Be moderated. Be demure.

And yet, we travel to places like White Party Bangkok or the great global circuit parties precisely to escape moderation. We go to find that electric friction between who the world expects us to be, and who we actually are.

The Libertine Silver White collection was born from this beautiful contradiction. It is rooted in my own lived experience moving between worlds—an Indonesian designer who understands the art of Asian discretion, but who has danced in the liberated spaces of Western progressiveness.

This collection is not about breaking the rules for the sake of chaos. It is about bending them for the sake of visibility. It is about entering a room dressed in white—obedient at first glance—while quietly, bravely, reclaiming your body underneath.

 

The Art of the Reveal

I grew up in a culture where sensuality is a whisper, not a shout. You do not strip; you allude. The seduction lies in the ambiguity. Contrast this with the Western nightlife aesthetic, which is often loud and declarative: “Look at me.”

WONGSO sits at the intersection of these two philosophies.

When designing Libertine Silver White, the mandate was clear: it had to be white. But how do you honour the purity of the theme while serving the heat of the night?

The answer lay in sheer white. A fabric that behaves like a second skin. It catches the light to create a “clean” silhouette in the queue, but becomes translucent the moment you step onto the dance floor. It bridges the gap between the Asian instinct to cover up and the human instinct to show off. It is a visual language that says: I am here. I am present. And I am not hiding.

 

Reclaiming the Uniform

There is a pattern I have observed, from the beaches of Bali to the warehouses of Berlin, and it is one of the reasons I returned to the drawing board for this collection.

We have allowed gym wear to become a uniform.

Walk into any major queer event, and you see a sea of polyester. Gym shorts, branded activewear, standard athletic gear. While I celebrate the dedication it takes to build a body—the hours, the discipline, the sweat—I believe our identity deserves a more nuanced expression than a locker-room outfit.

Libertine Silver White borrows the shapes of the gym—the boxy cut, the muscle tank, the skank tank—but elevates them into something undeniably dressed up. We replaced the utility of sportswear with the sensuality of sheer textiles.

The goal is to honour the physique you have worked for, but to frame it with intention. It is about walking into the party not looking like you just left the treadmill, but looking like you arrived to own the night.

 

The Pieces: A Language of Identity

Every piece in this collection is a dialogue between "behaved" and "bold."

 

1. The Boxy Cut Shirt

This is the bridge. The boxy cut shirt offers a structure that feels proper enough for a dinner or a hotel lobby. It creates a strong, architectural silhouette. But the subversion is in the transparency. It invites the gaze without demanding it. It is for the man who understands that true confidence doesn't need to shout.

2. The Muscle Tank Top & The Skank Tank

We kept the cuts familiar because they work. The muscle tank top and the skank tank are designed to follow the lines of the torso, celebrating the chest and shoulders. But by rendering them in this specific sheer fabric, they become softer, more tactile. They allow your skin to breathe and your definition to show through as you move. It is a celebration of the body, softened by the elegance of the material.

3. The Slut Shorts

I use the term slut shorts with affection and reclamation. These are designed for the moment you stop pretending to be modest. The cut is minimal, crafted to elongate the leg and offer total freedom of movement. They are for the heat of the party, where clothing becomes secondary to the rhythm. They are an act of courage—a refusal to be ashamed of desire.

4. The Thong

The foundation of the collection. The thong is the final word in the sentence. Worn under the sheer pieces or, as the night evolves, on its own, it is the ultimate expression of comfort in one’s own skin.

Freedom is a Feeling

At WONGSO, we believe that fashion is more than appearance; it is a language of identity.

Libertine Silver White is designed for the global traveller—the one who knows that White Party Bangkok is not just a party, but a pilgrimage of self-expression. It is for the man who wants to merge the respectfulness of his heritage with the liberation of his present.

Asian sensibilities say: Be subtle. Western culture says: Be seen. We say: Be both.

Wear the boxy cut shirt to intrigue. Wear the slut shorts to liberate. Wear the sheer white to remind the world—and yourself—that you have the courage to exist, exactly as you are.