'Kebaya', fashion with staying power<\/p>\n
Stevie Emilia, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
--------------------------------------------------
\nThe Nyonya Kebaya: A Century of Straits Chinese Costume
\nDatin Seri Endon Mahmood
\nPeriplus Editions, 2004
\n176 pp
\n-------------------------------------------------------<\/p>\n
The invasion of practical Western style clothing has led to the
\nwaning appeal of the kebaya traditional blouse in recent years.<\/p>\n
Over time, the kebaya has become a clothing relic of the past,
\nonly taken out of the closet for official functions or special
\nevents<\/p>\n
But the fascination with the delicately embroidered kebaya
\nremains, shown in this book by the wife of Malaysian Prime
\nMinister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is herself a collector of the
\nfabric.<\/p>\n
The subject of discussion is the kebaya of the Nyonya --
\ngeneric name for women of peranakan (Chinese-Malay heritage)
\nheritage -- that the author lauds as one of the most outstanding
\nexamples of crafts in her country.<\/p>\n
Apart from her own personal admiration, she regards kebaya as
\ntruly artistic and elegant creations.<\/p>\n
The book is not intended to be an academic treatise on the
\nhistory of the Nyonyas or the kebaya, but the author started
\ncollecting Nyonya kebaya, conducted research and even interviewed
\nsome kebaya owners.<\/p>\n
The result of her intensive research is displayed in this
\ncolorful, beautifully illustrated work -- first published in 2002
\nfor the Malaysian market and this year for the international
\nmarket -- comprising five chapters and a postscript.<\/p>\n
The first provides a brief picture of the history of the
\nNyonya and their husbands, known as Babas, the cultural
\ninfluences as well as the rise of their culture and their
\neveryday life.<\/p>\n
Donned in their stunning attire, the Nyonya, compared to
\ntoday's women, had a grim life in a community which put men on an
\nelevated status but demanded that women stay in the domestic
\nsphere.<\/p>\n
With the limited choices available to them, the Nyonyas,
\nmainly from rich families, could immerse themselves in the
\npursuit of fine dressing as a Nyonya should look presentable: The
\nbest dressed, with the most beautiful designs on her kebaya, was
\nusually the best woman with the best husband from the best
\nfamily.<\/p>\n
Although the kebaya in general has been around for well over a
\ncentury, the Nyonya kebaya first appeared in Baba Nyonya culture
\nonly at the beginning of the 20th century.<\/p>\n
Nyonya fashion itself evolved with the passage of time -- from
\nbaju panjang (long dress) to the kebaya. Ironically, kebaya's
\nemergence as Nyonya fashion coincided with the renaissance of
\nBaba Nyonya culture, but its flowering as a distinctive form of
\nNyonya attire happened during the culture's decline.<\/p>\n
The Nyonya kebaya came to be identified with change. As it
\nreplaced its precursor, the baju panjang, in the late 1920s, it
\nalso marked the emergence of the new Nyonya -- modern, feminine
\nand sensual -- although the rise of the kebaya as a favored and
\nfashionable form of dress was not strictly limited to Baba Nyonya
\nculture.<\/p>\n
Unlike the baju panjang that refers to a loose, calf-length
\ngarment with sleeves that taper at the wrists, the Nyonnya kebaya
\nends at the hips and is gently shaped to flatter the figure.<\/p>\n
The first kebaya to be associated with the Nyonyas were kebaya
\nrenda (lace), with the earliest versions seen in photographs
\ndating back to the 1920s.<\/p>\n
Kebaya renda was around until the end of 1930s although by
\nthat time, a different type of kebaya -- kebaya biku -- had
\nstarted appearing. This kind of kebaya is said to be the first to
\nemploy the use of embroidery although it was mostly confined to
\nsimple motifs and cut-work.<\/p>\n
The earliest kebaya sulam (embroidery) itself emerged sometime
\nduring the 1940s, although the embroidery was simple and many of
\nthe embroidery styles and motifs in early examples were not too
\ndifferent from the earlier kebaya renda. It was only from the
\n1960s that kebaya sulam would break away from the traditional
\nstyle and show more intricate and exquisite embroidery.<\/p>\n
The beauty of kebaya is captured in the third chapter, through
\na display of Datin Seri Endon Mahmood's colorful collection,
\nalongside detailed descriptions by Cedric Tan, a sixth-generation
\nBaba from Malacca.<\/p>\n
Despite different embroidery motifs, one thing that makes the
\nNyonya kebaya distinct is the light, waist-hugging design, mainly
\nusing transparent fabric, as most of them were made of voile or
\norgandy, creating a sensual image.<\/p>\n
The motifs are mostly flowers, like daisies, orchids,
\nhibiscus, gladiola or rose; but there are also interesting ones
\nwith dragons, Japanese-inspired scenes and representations of
\nSpanish flamenco dancers.<\/p>\n
It is also clear that the kebaya is not only a work of art
\nthat requires skill to create, but also experience as well as
\nimagination.<\/p>\n
This fascinating book also takes readers through the kebaya
\nmaking process. It introduces readers to materials and tools used
\nto make a kebaya as well as the measuring, cutting and, most
\nimportant of all, the embroidering process.<\/p>\n
It turns out a kebaya's colors identify the social status of
\nthe wearers. Lighter colors -- like pastel pink or powder blue --
\nwere usually worn by young, unmarried Nyonya, while married
\nNyonyas would wear more vibrant colors, like red, sapphire, blue,
\nforest green, or burnt orange. Elderly Nyonyas, on the other
\nhand, preferred muted colors, such as brown, navy blue, gray and
\nblack.<\/p>\n
The book also explores other aspects of kebaya, with a chapter
\non accessories that served to complete the Nyonya look -- a batik
\nsarong (mostly from Pekalongan in Central Java, due to the
\nbright and bold combinations of colors), a pair of embroidered or
\nbeaded shoes, and a generous amount of Peranakan jewelry.<\/p>\n
Despite the book's minor mistakes, like mentioning Bandung as
\na town in Sumatra (p. 50), it manages to shed light on kebaya as
\nwell as its exquisite embroidery works, motifs, designs and
\ndetailed making process.<\/p>\n
As confirmed by the author in the Postscripts section, the
\nkebaya is not a very practical outfit for everyday use in today's
\nworld. Yet its beauty and what it represents have kept its
\nspecial place in society until today.<\/p>\n
The author also deserves praise for her efforts to bring
\nrecognition of the Nyonya kebaya to the world, and prevent it
\nfrom being lost -- something we would do well to copy here for
\nour own traditional wear.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/kebaya-fashion-with-staying-power-1447899208",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}