'Kebaya', fashion with staying power

Stevie Emilia, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

-------------------------------------------------- The Nyonya Kebaya: A Century of Straits Chinese Costume Datin Seri Endon Mahmood Periplus Editions, 2004 176 pp -------------------------------------------------------

The invasion of practical Western style clothing has led to the waning appeal of the kebaya traditional blouse in recent years.

Over time, the kebaya has become a clothing relic of the past, only taken out of the closet for official functions or special events

But the fascination with the delicately embroidered kebaya remains, shown in this book by the wife of Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is herself a collector of the fabric.

The subject of discussion is the kebaya of the Nyonya -- generic name for women of peranakan (Chinese-Malay heritage) heritage -- that the author lauds as one of the most outstanding examples of crafts in her country.

Apart from her own personal admiration, she regards kebaya as truly artistic and elegant creations.

The book is not intended to be an academic treatise on the history of the Nyonyas or the kebaya, but the author started collecting Nyonya kebaya, conducted research and even interviewed some kebaya owners.

The result of her intensive research is displayed in this colorful, beautifully illustrated work -- first published in 2002 for the Malaysian market and this year for the international market -- comprising five chapters and a postscript.

The first provides a brief picture of the history of the Nyonya and their husbands, known as Babas, the cultural influences as well as the rise of their culture and their everyday life.

Donned in their stunning attire, the Nyonya, compared to today's women, had a grim life in a community which put men on an elevated status but demanded that women stay in the domestic sphere.

With the limited choices available to them, the Nyonyas, mainly from rich families, could immerse themselves in the pursuit of fine dressing as a Nyonya should look presentable: The best dressed, with the most beautiful designs on her kebaya, was usually the best woman with the best husband from the best family.

Although the kebaya in general has been around for well over a century, the Nyonya kebaya first appeared in Baba Nyonya culture only at the beginning of the 20th century.

Nyonya fashion itself evolved with the passage of time -- from baju panjang (long dress) to the kebaya. Ironically, kebaya's emergence as Nyonya fashion coincided with the renaissance of Baba Nyonya culture, but its flowering as a distinctive form of Nyonya attire happened during the culture's decline.

The Nyonya kebaya came to be identified with change. As it replaced its precursor, the baju panjang, in the late 1920s, it also marked the emergence of the new Nyonya -- modern, feminine and sensual -- although the rise of the kebaya as a favored and fashionable form of dress was not strictly limited to Baba Nyonya culture.

Unlike the baju panjang that refers to a loose, calf-length garment with sleeves that taper at the wrists, the Nyonnya kebaya ends at the hips and is gently shaped to flatter the figure.

The first kebaya to be associated with the Nyonyas were kebaya renda (lace), with the earliest versions seen in photographs dating back to the 1920s.

Kebaya renda was around until the end of 1930s although by that time, a different type of kebaya -- kebaya biku -- had started appearing. This kind of kebaya is said to be the first to employ the use of embroidery although it was mostly confined to simple motifs and cut-work.

The earliest kebaya sulam (embroidery) itself emerged sometime during the 1940s, although the embroidery was simple and many of the embroidery styles and motifs in early examples were not too different from the earlier kebaya renda. It was only from the 1960s that kebaya sulam would break away from the traditional style and show more intricate and exquisite embroidery.

The beauty of kebaya is captured in the third chapter, through a display of Datin Seri Endon Mahmood's colorful collection, alongside detailed descriptions by Cedric Tan, a sixth-generation Baba from Malacca.

Despite different embroidery motifs, one thing that makes the Nyonya kebaya distinct is the light, waist-hugging design, mainly using transparent fabric, as most of them were made of voile or organdy, creating a sensual image.

The motifs are mostly flowers, like daisies, orchids, hibiscus, gladiola or rose; but there are also interesting ones with dragons, Japanese-inspired scenes and representations of Spanish flamenco dancers.

It is also clear that the kebaya is not only a work of art that requires skill to create, but also experience as well as imagination.

This fascinating book also takes readers through the kebaya making process. It introduces readers to materials and tools used to make a kebaya as well as the measuring, cutting and, most important of all, the embroidering process.

It turns out a kebaya's colors identify the social status of the wearers. Lighter colors -- like pastel pink or powder blue -- were usually worn by young, unmarried Nyonya, while married Nyonyas would wear more vibrant colors, like red, sapphire, blue, forest green, or burnt orange. Elderly Nyonyas, on the other hand, preferred muted colors, such as brown, navy blue, gray and black.

The book also explores other aspects of kebaya, with a chapter on accessories that served to complete the Nyonya look -- a batik sarong (mostly from Pekalongan in Central Java, due to the bright and bold combinations of colors), a pair of embroidered or beaded shoes, and a generous amount of Peranakan jewelry.

Despite the book's minor mistakes, like mentioning Bandung as a town in Sumatra (p. 50), it manages to shed light on kebaya as well as its exquisite embroidery works, motifs, designs and detailed making process.

As confirmed by the author in the Postscripts section, the kebaya is not a very practical outfit for everyday use in today's world. Yet its beauty and what it represents have kept its special place in society until today.

The author also deserves praise for her efforts to bring recognition of the Nyonya kebaya to the world, and prevent it from being lost -- something we would do well to copy here for our own traditional wear.