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Outside X2 club it was raining. But inside, on the night of Jan. 25, things were just heating up. There was thumping house music and a steady stream of attractive Jakartans pouring in. As midnight approached hundreds of people crowded toward the stage in the center of the club.

What they were vying to see was the X2 Runway Festival, a four-day multi-site fashion-show extravaganza. The other venues were Equinox and Diagonale, which are respectively the sister club and lounge of X2. All three of the venues are located at Plaza Senayan mall.

“It’s not the first time we’ve had a fashion shows at X2, Equinox and Diagonale, but this is definitely the most extravagant,” said Andie Oyong, X2’s event coordinator.

The festival was billed as a showcase of 16 up-and-coming Indonesian designers’ latest work. Glossy white T-shaped runways were installed at the clubs for the event, which ran until Jan. 28. Over the four days, 64 models from the Indonesian Association of Model and Talent Agencies (AAMTI) showed off the wild and often-original creations.

On the first day, fashion designer Andi Saleh presented his latest collection, entitled “Love in Autumn.” It made use of ostrich and goose feathers and a variety of handwoven Balinese textiles, tenun Bali, which combined exquisite colors like bronze, fuchsia and terra cotta.

“It’s inspired by the beautiful colors of an autumn in Amsterdam,” Andi said.

An exceptionally enchanting item was a short-sleeved, empire-cut tenun Bali dress in blue and purple. The skirt of the dress was layered with soft and fluffy ostrich feathers, which gave the outfit a swank lavish look.

On the second day, bridal designer Paula Meliana showed off “Construction,” her latest collection, at Equinox.

“I wanted to do something that was completely different,” Paula said. “I wanted to be innovative so I presented a fashion collection made of construction materials, such as wires and nails.”

Steel nails stuck out of the hemline of one of the dresses, made from semitransparent black chiffon fabric, and the whole thing sparkled like sequins under the spotlights.

A spandex blouse was enhanced with a number of medium-sized paintbrushes that had been tied together with a ribbon to resemble flower petals and then strung across the chest. Another of her pieces, a simple black dress, featured rows of flattened thumbtacks around the collar.

Her materials were coarse. Somehow, though, “Construction” came off as sweet and feminine.

Day three at Diagonale featured a new collection, “The Red Carpet,” by Rosaline Lie and Mimi Ghozali, the designers behind the ready-to-wear label Flow.

“We know most party dresses are very expensive, even though you can only wear them once to a party,” Mimi said.

“We want to provide red-carpet looks for less [with this collection] so you can look as glamorous as a movie star without paying a fortune.”

The collection included a stunning emerald-hued long dress that combined silk and French lace with a floral pattern on the bodice. The dress would surely dazzle on any red carpet.

Flow dresses generally cost between Rp 1.5 million and Rp 3 million ($170 and $335).

That same day over at Equinox, Ichwan Thoha was showing off his “Unique & Colorful” collection.

“It’s inspired by the vibrant city life of Jakarta,” he said.

His designs featured casual blouses, short skirts and pants in sexy, asymmetrical cuts. Colorful French bows embellished some of his blouses.

Ichwan’s show also had men’s outfits. One of them was particularly eye-catching, a long-sleeved shirt with bold diagonal stripes and a pair of long trousers with a black-and-white floral pattern.

“When you hang out with your friends, you’ve got to stand out,” he said.

On the final day, designer Hengki Kawilarang presented “Disco Diva,” his ready-to-wear collection of cocktail dresses, at X2.

“[The collection] targets socialites of all ages,” Hengki said. “In my dresses, they can all be divas on the dance floor.”

His new collection consisted of 18 mini cocktail-dresses, enhanced with layers of tulle and Swarovski crystals.

The designer made use of electric colors such as orange, bright yellow and neon green.

“It symbolizes the wearer’s good spirits at a party,” he said.

One of the most memorable items was an enchanting, body-hugging yellow sleeveless dress. There were colorful beads branching out from the dress’s center and ruffled layers of tulle at the hemline.

Hengki’s new collection is priced between Rp 3 million and Rp 7 million.

For the Runway Festival’s grand finale, celebrity fashion designer Ivan Gunawan presented his latest collection, “Copacabana,” at Equinox.

A little after 1 a.m., he showcased 12 glitzy party dresses adorned with sequins, faux fur and crystals.

The cocktail dress that stole the show was a completely beaded, one-shoulder number. The tight-fitting mini-dress looked festive and sparkled beautifully under the club’s lights. Its skirt was made from faux fur that swayed seductively as the model sashayed down the catwalk, looking good to go and ready to get the party started.

“The collection matches the club scene,” Ivan said. “The dresses are fun and fanciful. You’ll truly shine on the dance floor.”

Andie, the X2 coordinator, said the whole event reflected the club’s philosophy.

“The shows provided a good example to our patrons for how to dress up for the club,” Andie said. “We have certain standards and when people do not live up to those standards they have to leave.”

In other words, if you want to get into X2 don’t show up wearing shorts and sandals or some ratty T-shirt and jeans. You have got to look the part if you want to party here.

“You don’t have to be handsome or beautiful to get in our clubs,” Andie explained. “But you have to look awesome. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but we can all look great if we make the effort.”

Salvia Irianti, who attended the event at Equinox, said she enjoyed it.

“All the dresses were very beautiful,” Salvia said. “I might not be able to afford them now, but they’ve given me ideas on what to wear the next time I go clubbing with my friends.”