'Kebaya' makes triumphant comeback

'Kebaya' makes triumphant comeback

By Muara Bagdja

JAKARTA (JP): The kebaya (Javanese traditional long-sleeved
blouse) has swung like a pendulum in and out of fashion tastes.

It was put aside during the Dutch colonial era with the advent
of Western influenced fashions, but enjoyed a resurgence
following the declaration of independence in 1945.

Women in major cities often wore it as daily dress, but the
kebaya lost its popularity again in the early 1960s and was
relegated to an item worn only at traditional ceremonies or by
older women in the village.

Designer Edward Hutabarat made it a point to bring back the
blouse in his collection in 1996 and featured it in his work
Busana Nasional Indonesia (Indonesian National Dress). Since
then, the blouse has remained popular, surpassing the one-to-two-
year life span of most fashion trends, managing to hold its own,
despite the country's focus on western fashion.

It reached an apex in the late 1990s, when most designers,
established or otherwise, showed a kebaya collection, either
ready-to-wear or made-to-order. It was everywhere, to the point
that some fashion columnists became a little tired of seeing the
same old thing at every show.

The fashion has become so popular that it is no longer
confined to higher income women. Women of all classes are able to
go to a tailor and request, for example, a traditional blouse
made in the style that TV actress Desy Ratnasari wore at her
first wedding.

The kebaya got another vote of popularity recently when singer
Krisdayanti wore the blouse in her latest video clip and sold-out
solo concert, which was televised live.

So, how deep is the love of many women today for kebaya?

"It's very much on the increase. Women in Malaysia and Brunei,
who usually wear baju kurung (a kind of long tunic), now order
kebaya for their wedding dress," said Nelwan Anwar, a designer
famous for creations made from natural fibers.

Eddy Betty echoed his opinion.

"Today, customers are increasingly ordering kebaya more than
gowns," said Eddy, who is renowned as a designer specializing in
traditional blouses and bustiers.

He designed a broken white wedding kebaya in Sundanese style,
using textiles from Garut, for last Sunday's wedding of actress
Maudy Koesnaedi.

And the blouse's popularity is spreading to new groups,
evident by the fact that more ethnic Chinese women are choosing
it for special occasions, such as weddings.

Eddy said Chinese-Indonesians usually order modified blouses,
adorned with a shawl and a bouquet, for a wedding, while for the
reception they still prefer a ballgown.

Aside from the blouse's use as wedding dresses, ethnic Chinese
women also wear them when they are guests at wedding receptions.

Makeup artist Wawa, whose clients include a number of top
celebrities and upper class women, agreed that the ethnic Chinese
market was growing.

"Many Chinese-Indonesian women have started to wear kebaya.
Nowadays, I wear kebaya to many occasions so that people around
me and my customers will also turn to kebaya."

She said she owned 20 blouses created by Indonesian designers
and often pairs them with a simple sarong for work in her salon.

Wawa said it was a point of pride to wear the blouse and that
she would hopefully influence other urban women to follow suit.

"We'd better be out and about wearing it first, before it's
'stolen' by foreigners," she said.

"I often wear kebaya to show that by wearing it, one can look
not only beautiful but also young, because when I ask women why
they don't want to wear kebaya, they say that it makes them look
matronly."

There is also the aspect of tradition.

"Kebaya is a strong symbol of local culture," said Nelwan, who
created wedding blouses for such artists as Tamara Geraldine,
Rina Gunawan, Titi DJ and Inneke Kusherawati.

"Actually, our women have a personality, an indelible charisma
when they are clad in kebaya. That's why they love kebaya, as it
completes their appearance as true Indonesian women."

Rich variety

Today kebaya designs are far more advanced and rich in variety
than in former years. The material is not merely lace, but
adorned with sequins, embroidery, beads and small corsages.

Eddy, for example, combines it with tulle. Nelwan applies
hand-painting on silk, like the red silk blouse he created for
Maudy's wedding reception, which he took a step further from
tradition by modernizing it with modifications, including the use
of embroidery and sewn-in crystals.

The choice of material is also more varied now. Formerly, it
was often combined with batik, but today tenun (traditional woven
cloth) and songket (cloth embroidered with gold or silver
threads) exude a more ornate image.

"The image of kebaya has drastically changed, it is no longer
the kebaya of jamu (traditional herbal medicine) sellers, so
today women aren't embarassed to go for kebaya," said Eddy.

More than that, kebaya is currently considered on a par with
night gowns due to the various modifications in the style of
wearing a kebaya, as it is worn not only with asarong.

"Kebaya is multifunctional. Depending on the taste and the
occasion, kebaya can easily go with a long skirt, a sarong, a
party dress or pants," continued Eddy.

Nelwan feels optimistic that the blouse will remain popular.

"I even try to blend elements from the East and the West in my
new collection. I have combined kebaya with the balloon style
skirt to adapt to today's trends," he said.

With more women opting for the blouse to replace gowns or
dresses, there are some important considerations to ensure they
look their best.

"Most important is the fitting of kebaya, which needs a proper
measurement to fit the body's proportions," Nelwan said.

"If it is too loose, it will look like a borrowed dress and
detract from its beauty. Today's kebaya are generally ornate with
decorative elements, therefore a simple hair bun is recommended,
for example the cepol(small tight hair bun) style. Jewelry should
also be minimized."

"The blending should be in harmony," Eddy said. "If I may
quote Ibu Nuk Hediyanto (an expert on kebaya), the entire kebaya
outfit is akin to a flower. The kebaya is the petal, the sarong
is the stem and the selendang (shawl) is the leaf. Every item
should be in tune."