By Lisa Siregar
Over the years the kebaya, a traditional blouse, has been the attire of choice for Indonesian women. The opening show of Jakarta Fashion Week revealed how top designers met the challenge of creating stylish, modern kebayas that still honored the long cultural history of this classic Indonesian garment.
The term kebaya is derived from the Arabic word “abaya,” which means clothing.
It is normally long-sleeved and made of see-through materials like lace, although some prefer to use silk, cotton or brocade.
A kebaya usually consists of an inner blouse and an outer blouse with no buttons down the front, fastened by a brooch.
The blouse is traditionally paired with a skirt, known as a kain, which is wrapped around the waist and held with a string and a belt.
The kain is usually made from traditional fabrics like batik or ikat.
Last Saturday, top fashion designers paid tribute to the kebaya, which was the star of the invitation-only opening show of Jakarta Fashion Week. Petty Siti Fatimah, chairwoman of the country’s biggest fashion event, said the homage was a result of the designers’ dedication to their heritage.
“It is part of the big theme for Jakarta Fashion Week this year, which is ‘Styling Modernity.’ It’s about styling traditional wear with a modern touch.”
According to veteran designer Harry Darsono, prominent women have long preferred the kebaya. “During the Fatmawati [Sukarno] era, it was very fashionable to wear the kebaya, usually with a clashing batik floral pattern,” he said.
Harry said that in the 1970s, Titi Subiakto, a well-known musician, and Bintang Sudibyo, the grandmother of prominent designer Carmanita, popularized colorful kebayas.
“Next, Dewi Sukarno, one of the wives of Sukarno, popularized the use of lace in the design of kebayas, while Tien completely did the opposite. She never used lace for her kebayas,” Harry said, referring to Siti Hartina Suharto, the wife of President Suharto.
The Fashion Week tribute showcased the kebaya’s diversity, which goes against the popular belief that the traditional blouse belongs exclusively to the Javanese.
Sixteen designers presented their own twist on the kebaya, with garments incorporating Javanese, Sundanese and Balinese elements.
The list of designers whose work was featured at the show is a virtual who’s who of the Indonesian fashion industry: Edward Hutabarat, Lenny Agustin, Afif Syakur, Musa Widyatmodjo, Marga Alam, Widhi Budimulia, Susi Lucon, Ferry Sunarto, Raden Sirait, Priyo Oktaviano, Ari Seputra, Ghea Panggabean, Adjie Notonegoro, Anne Avantie, Harry and Ramli.
The show started with a series of kebayas from designer Afif Syakur, who patterned his pieces after the old Peranakan-style kebayas in his museum in Yogyakarta, which feature a hybrid of Malay and Chinese design elements.
Afif also had a lace kebaya in the Javanese-style, inspired by Kartini, the national hero.
He explained that the kebaya has both Chinese and Dutch influences.
During colonial times, only the elite could afford kebayas while people from the lower classes wore a similar garment known as a lurik.
Ari Seputra’s kebaya featured more of a Balinese feel.
While he also used lace, he chose to pair the white, V-neck kebaya with a silver belt neatly attached at the waist with a brooch.
This was complemented by a woven pink Balinese sarong.
Ari said the Balinese kebaya traditionally used lace, while the classic white top and the silver belt were meant to give it a touch of modernity.
According to Ari, women from different periods in history styled their kebaya in various ways. “In the old days, the silhouette for the kebaya was meant to be a little loose, with a small neckline and a camisole worn underneath instead of a bustier,” he said.
“But these days, women want their blouses to be slim and fitted, so there’s a different demand.”
Harry Darsono chose to present a vintage Sundanese kebaya that he and eight of his Sundanese staff members made in 1977. He gave the model a Javanese hairstyle to complement the look.
“The Sundanese kebaya is slightly different from the Javanese. They hug the body more closely, and have an unfolded neckline,” he said.
Harry put a lot of detailed embroidery into his kebaya and shawl.
To represent Indonesia’s national motto, Unity in Diversity, he paired his kebaya with a traditional textile from Makassar, South Sulawesi.
“Batik has had enough exposure already, so I wanted to focus on something different,” he said.
There were plenty of other designs that stood out at the event. Edward Hutabarat’s colorful, striped piece featured a folded neckline paired with wide-legged, flower-patterned batik trousers.
It was definitely a unique take on the blouse, adding a new perspective on how women can wear the kebaya.
Lenny Agustin paired her colorful kebaya with striped leggings to achieve an uncommon look.
In contrast, Anne Avantie brought back the classic white kebaya with an embroidered neckline and see-through sleeves.
Ramli created a kebaya with a round-neckline and white embroidery, which he paired with a long, turquoise maxi skirt made of songket.
Arif firmly believes the kebaya is uniquely Indonesian because other countries do not have it, even though Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei have versions of it.
“It’s one of our trademarks as Indonesians. Therefore it needs to be preserved and recognized by the international community,” he said.
Harry said he thought of the kebaya as a sensual outfit because it accentuates a woman’s curves and emphasizes the hips and waist.
“It’s how men picture women, with small waists and generous hips.”
He said women like wearing the kebaya because it has a presence about it. “It’s sexy and elegant. Just by wearing a kebaya, people will wonder [where you are headed to],” he said.
“It’s just, wow.”
Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com
