'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."