KEBAYA INDONESIA

A Kebaya is a traditional blouse-dress combination worn by women in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Burma, Singapore, southern Thailand. It is sometimes made from sheer material and usually worn with a sarong or batik kain panjang, or other traditional woven garment such as ikat, songket with a colorful motif.

The kebaya is the national costume of Indonesia, although it is more accurately endemic to Javanese, Sundanese and Balinese[1] people.
Contents
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* 1 Etymology
* 2 History
* 3 Costume Components
o 3.1 Varieties
* 4 Political Significance
* 5 Modern Usage and Innovations
* 6 Notable designers
* 7 See also
* 8 References
* 9 External links

[edit] Etymology

Kebaya is inspired from Arab region clothing;[2] the Arabic word abaya means clothing.
[edit] History
R.A. Kartini and her husband in 19th century

The earliest form of Kebaya originates in the court of the Javanese Majapahit Kingdom as a means to blend the existing female Kemban, torso wrap of the aristocratic women to be more modest and acceptable to the newly adopted Islam religion. Aceh, Riau and Johor Kingdoms and Northern Sumatra adopted the Javanese style kebaya as a means of social expression of status with the more alus or refined Javanese overlords[3].

The name of Kebaya as a particular clothing type was noted by the Portuguese when they landed in Indonesia. Kebaya is associated with a type of blouse worn by Indonesian women in 15th or 16th century. Prior to 1600, kebaya on Java island were considered as a sacred clothing to be worn only by royal family, aristocrats (bangsawan) and minor nobility, in an era when peasant men and many women walked publicly bare-chested.

Slowly it naturally spread to neighbouring areas through trade, diplomacy and social interactions to Malacca, Bali, Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi and the Sultanate of Sulu and Mindanao [4][5][6] Javanese kebaya as known today were noted by Raffles in 1817, as being of silk, brocade and velvet, with the central opening of the blouse fastened by brooches, rather than button and button-holes over the torso wrap kemben, the kain (and unstitched wrap fabric several metres long erroneously termed 'sarong in English (a sarung (Malaysian accent: sarong) is stitched to form a tube, like a Western dress) After hundreds of years of regional acculturation, the garments have become highly localised expressions of ethnic culture, artistry and tailoring traditions.

The earliest photographic evidence of the kebaya as known today date from 1857 of Javanese, Peranakan and Eurasian styles.[7]
[edit] Costume Components
An elderly Sundanese woman wearing simple kebaya, kain batik and batik headcloth, West Java.
Indonesian maiden in kebaya and kain batik. The trace of kemban (torso wrap) can be seen underneath the semi-transparent brocade kebaya.

The quintessential kebaya is the Javanese kebaya as known today is essentially unchanged as noted by Raffles in 1817[8][9]. It consists of the blouse (kebaya) of cotton , silk, lace, brocade or velvet, with the central opening of the blouse fastened by a central brooch (kerongsang) where the flaps of the blouse meet. Traditional kebaya had no buttons down the front. A typical three-piece kerongsang is composed of a kerongsang ibu (mother piece) that is larger and heavier than the other two kerongsang anak (child piece). Kerongsang brooch often made from gold jewelry and considered as the sign of social status of aristocracy, wealth and nobility, however for commoners and peasant women, simple and plain kebaya often only fastened with modest safety pin (peniti).

The blouse is commonly semi-transparent and worn over the torso wrap or kemben. The skirt or kain is an unstitched fabric wrap around three metres long. The term sarong in English is erroneous, the sarung (Malaysian accent: sarong) is actually stitched together to form a tube, like a Western dress- the kain is unstitched, requires a helper to dress (literally wrap) the wearer and is held in place with a string (tali), then folded this string at the waist, then held with a belt (sabuk or ikat pinggang), which may hold a decorative pocket.
[edit] Varieties

There are two main varieties. The blouse, known as baju kebaya may be of two main form: the semi-transparent straighter cut blouse of the Java, Bali and the more tightly tailored Sunda kebaya and the more Islamic compatible, plainer baju kurung is a loose-fitting, knee-length long-sleeved blouse worn in the more adherent Muslim areas- including former Kingdom of Johor-Riau (now Malaysia), Sumatra and parts of coastal Java.

In Java, Bali and Sunda, the kain is commonly batik which may be from plain stamped cotton to elaborately hand-painted batik tulis embroidered silk with gold thread. In Lampung, the kain is the traditional tapis- an elaborate gold-thread embroidered ikat with small mica discs.[10] Sumatera, Flores, Lemata Timor, and other islands commonly use kain of ikat or songket. Sumba is famous for kain decorated with lau hada: shells and beads.[11]

During Dutch colonization of the island, European women began wearing the less restrictive and cooler kebaya as a formal or social dress. European women wore shorter sleeve and total length cotton in prints.
The day kebaya of the Eurasians was of white cotton trimmed with European handmade lace- commonly from Bruges or Holland and black silk for evening wear.

In the Malacca region, a different variety of kebaya is called "nyonya kebaya" worn by those of Chinese ancestry: the Peranakan people. The Nyonya kebaya is different in its' famously intricately hand-beaded shoes (kasut manek) and use of kain with Chinese motive batik or imported printed or hand-painted Chinese silks.
[edit] Political Significance

The only woman present during Indonesia's Proclamation of Independence, Dutch-educated activist SK Trimurti- wore kebaya cementing it as the female dress of Nationalism.
In Japanese internment camps during the Second World War, Indonesian female prisoners refused to wear the Western dress allocated them and instead wore kebaya as a display of Nationalist and racial solidarity separate from fellow Chinese, Europeans and Eurasian inmates.[12]

The 21st of April is celebrated in Indonesia as National Kartini Day where Raden Ayu Kartini, the female suffragist and education advocate is remembered by schoolgirls wearing traditional dress according to their region. In Java, Bali and Sunda it is the kebaya.[1]

Cultural rivalry between Malaysian and Indonesia has given rise to media-based spats over the true ownership of the 'kebaya.

Former President Megawati Sukarnoputri is a public champion of kebaya and wears fine red kebaya whenever possible in public forums and 2009 Presidential election debates.

The Suharto-era bureaucrat wives' social organisation Dharma Wanita wears a uniform of gold kebaya, with a red sash (selendang) and stamped batik pattern on the kain unique to Dharma Wanita. The late Indonesian first lady and minor aristocrat Tien Suharto was also a prominent advocate of the kebaya.
[edit] Modern Usage and Innovations
Singapore Girl modern kebaya
Garuda Indonesia flight attendant uniform in kebaya and kain batik.

Apart from traditional kebaya, fashion designers are looking into ways of modifying the design and making kebaya a more fashionable outfit. Casual designed kebaya can even be worn with jeans or skirts. For weddings or formal events, many designers are exploring other types of fine fabrics like laces to create a bridal kebaya.

Modern-day kebaya now incorporate modern Western tailoring innovations such as clasps, zippers and buttons- zippers being a much appreciated addition for ladies' requiring the bathroom, without requiring being literally unwrapped by a helper- to the extent the true kain is near unanimously rejected. Other modern innovations have included the blouse baju kebaya worn without the restrictive kemben, and eve the kebaya blouse worn with slacks or made of the fabric usually for the kain panjang.

The "Singapore Girl" uniform worn by Singapore Airlines stewardesses is a rather more tight-fitting interpretation of the traditional costume by French haute couture designer Pierre Balmain in 1972, considered an international icon. The female flight attendant of Malaysia Airlines also featuring batik kebaya as their uniform.

The female uniform of Garuda Indonesia flight attendants is more authentic modern interpretations, the kebaya is designed in simple yet classic kartini style kebaya derived from 19th century kebaya of Javanese noblewomen. The kebaya made from fire-proof cotton-polyester fabrics, with batik sarongs in parang or lereng gondosuli motif, which also incorporate garuda's wing motif and small dots represent jasmine.[13]
[edit] Notable designers

* Mr Raden Mas Marga Alam- famous Javanese designer and aristocrat from the house of Paku Alam keenly sought by Indonesia's socialites and wealthy.[14]
* Raden Sirait: the designer of the sarung and kebaya for the Putri Indonesia participants.
* Anne Avantie.
* Alin Anuar: Creative Director of Chantiq Skaly House of Kebaya[15]

[edit] See also
Flag of Indonesia.svg Indonesia portal
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kebaya

* Culture of Indonesia
* Culture of Singapore
* Culture of Malaysia

[edit] References

1. ^ a b Jill Forshee, Culture and customs of Indonesia, Greenwood Publishing Group: 2006: ISBN 0313333394: 237 pages
2. ^ Denys Lombard (1990) (in French). Le carrefour javanais: Essai dhistoire globale (Civilisations et sociétés). École des hautes études en sciences sociales. ISBN 2713209498.
3. ^ Maenmas Chavalit, Maneepin Phromsuthirak: Costumes in ASEAN: ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information: 2000: ISBN 974-7102-83-8: 293 pages
4. ^ S A. Niessen, Ann Marie Leshkowich, Carla Jones: Re-orienting fashion: the globalization of Asian dress Berg Publishers: 2003: ISBN 1-85973-539-8, 9781859735398, 283 pages pp 206-207
5. ^ Cattoni Reading The Kebaya paper was presented to the 15th Biennial Conference of the Asian Studies Association of Australia in Canberra 29 June-2 July 2004.
6. ^ Michael Hitchock Indonesian Textiles: Harper Collins 1991
7. ^ Maenmas Chavalit, Maneepin Phromsuthirak: Costumes in ASEAN: ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information: 2000: ISBN 974-7102-83-8: 293 pages
8. ^ Panular, P. B. R. Carey, The British in Java, 1811-1816: a Javanese account : a text edition, English synopsis and commentary on British Library Additional Manuscript 12330 (Babad Bĕdhah ing Ngayogyakarta), British Academy by Oxford University Press: 1992, ISBN 0-19-726062-4: 611 pages
9. ^ John Pemberton, On the subject of "Java"', Cornell University Press: 1994, ISBN 0-8014-9963-1: 333 pages
10. ^ Inger Mcabe Elliott Batik: Fabled Cloth of Java, Hong Kong Periplus: 2004
11. ^ Mattiebelle Gittinger, To Speak with Cloth:Studies in Indonesian textiles University of California: 1989
12. ^ Cattoni Reading The Kebaya paper was presented to the 15th Biennial Conference of the Asian Studies Association of Australia in Canberra 29 June-2 July 2004: 8
13. ^ Kompas Female Terbang Bersama Kebaya
14. ^ http://lifestyle.okezone.com/read/2008/12/16/194/174166/194/marga-alam-lelaki-dalam-bisnis-kebaya
15. ^ www.chantiqskaly.com

16. Indonesia Wedding Kebaya Picture
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