There's more than meets the eye to presidential fashion

By Agni Amorita

JAKARTA (JP): With the APEC summit in Kuala Lumpur upon us, fashion watchers are speculating on what clothes the heads of state/government will wear at the event.

In previous summits, the Philippines used the event to promote its traditional white barong, and Indonesia its batik. The Indonesian government assigned famous designer Iwan Tirta to create special batik designs to be worn by the state guests.

For world leaders, clothing is a bit more than just basic "body cover".

When Corazon (Cory) Aquino garnered support for her Laban Party, she started to "yellowize" the contents of her wardrobe. Even after she retired from the presidency, she remained faithful to the yellow which had become her trademark.

Another example is the president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela. According to the International Herald Tribune, Mandela fell in love with Indonesian batik when he attended an APEC summit in Jakarta two years ago.

Since then, he has collected a wide array of batik to wear to state events, including when he visited Britain a couple of years ago.

The artistic patterns of Indonesian batik apparently are to his taste in what he finds suitable attire for an African leader.

A search for identity through fashion was also done by Indonesia's first president, Sukarno. His search for typical Indonesian clothes led him to the black velveteen peci cap he seemingly loved to wear.

It all began in 1921 when Sukarno intended to leave Surabaya to continue his studies at Bandung Institute of Technology. The first time he appeared in public with the peci on was when he took part in a conference of youth organization Jong Java.

His style surprised his fellow western-educated activists, who considered the Javanese traditional blangkon peci cap to be usually worn by commoners, such as pedicab drivers.

Tired of being stared at by his colleagues whom he scornfully called "westernized", Sukarno cleared his throat and said, "We need a symbol of the Indonesian personality. This individualized cap, synonymous with the common worker of the Malay race, is indigenous to our people... I say, let us hold our heads high bearing this cap as a symbol of Free Indonesia." (Quoted from Sukarno, an autobiography as told to Cindy Adams).

From then on, the black cap became Sukarno's trademark. His style was copied by pro-independence activists. About a decade later, after being released from jail where he wrote his well- known thesis about free Indonesia in 1930, he addressed forums on free Indonesia.

The Dutch colonial administrators were enraged and put Sukarno back in prison. The colonialists also jailed anyone wearing a peci. But the peci bearers' struggle never let up. They succeeded and Sukarno was named president.

Aside from the black peci, Sukarno also set a fashion trend called "The Sukarno Look", a suit in which the jacket had belt loops, large round buttons and four large pockets. In fact the suit had an Army-look.

An architect by training, Sukarno was also an accomplished artist as apparent in his apparel. Beside his peculiar attire, he also used accessories such as dark sunglasses, epaulet, honorary tokens and a command stick.

Pictures of president Sukarno in his fashionable attire posing with American president John F. Kennedy is on sale on roadsides in many places. In the picture, Sukarno looks very elegant beside the legendary U.S. president.

When Soeharto came to power and became Indonesia's second president, he brought along drastic changes not only in politics but also in presidential fashion. Rarely did he wear a suit and tie. Instead he created his own fashion: Safari a la Soeharto, which was apparently influenced by his military background. The Soeharto Look is far from fashionable.

The safari suit was introduced by Yves Saint Laurent in his summer collection of 1968/1969. It is a short-sleeved suit and is generally made in earth colors (generally brown and khaki). Its jacket has four outside pockets.

The Soeharto Look consists of two pieces in dark colors. The upper piece of the New Order attire is always short-sleeved. The jacket is shaped like an ordinary jacket with two large pockets on the lower part and one on the left side of the chest, which is designed to place pens, glasses and so on.

Another characteristic of the safari shirt is the perpendicular cut at the lower back. The cut is intended to make the wearer look slim.

To lift its status and make it suitable for state events, the safari shirt is made with long sleeves. Soeharto wore this "upgraded" safari suit at a meeting with Russian foreign minister, Eduard Shevardnadze, at Bina Graha presidential office, Jakarta, as documented in the 273 page book titled Soeharto, My Thoughts, Words, and Actions.

During the authoritarian New Order administration, in which Soeharto was the central figure, almost all ministers and high- ranking bureaucrats wore safari suits as their daily working attire. During the Soeharto administration, officials were made to wear the same clothing when attending official ceremonies.

The third president, B.J. Habibie, has apparently used fashion to show the public that he is no fool of Soeharto's even though he once adored him as a super genius political guru.

Bung Rudy, as Habibie likes to be called, apparently has better fashion sense than Soeharto. This is evident whenever he wears a long-sleeved batik shirt with an ikat motif and eye-catching accessories.

You may have observed the way he dressed when he met with Philippine President Joseph Estrada in Batam on Oct. 13, or when he met with media leaders the first time as president of the republic.

He is not monotonous in his style. When he met with Bali Governor I Dewa Brata on Oct. 6, he sported a three-piece suit: trousers, jacket and waistcoat. The next morning at a meeting with economic activists he wore a red polka dot bow tie and blue suit.

He is more "courageous" in choosing colors. When leading the commemoration of Pancasila Sanctity Day on Oct. 1, he wore a bright colored suit, which made him stand out in a crowd of dark attire.

Fashion has also turned out to be an effective medium to convey political messages, as proven by prominent politicians vying for the third presidency, notably Amien Rais and Megawati Soekarnoputri.

When declaring the birth of the National Mandate Party (PAN), Amien Rais wore a white long-sleeved shirt, black pants and jacket and a tie. The only accessory he wore was a belt, which was purely functional.

Although this was obviously a bit unconventional, Amien made a "statement" with his attire at a time that the country was on the brink of bankruptcy. His clothes effectively conveyed his political message.

In other words, Amien stated (through his style) that PAN was aware of the hardships that citizens were going through.

When campaigning, Amien often dresses like a lecturer, which, by profession, he is. Long before he jumped onto the political stage, he was a teacher at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta.

His appearance is in line with the famous Javanese adage: A teacher should be worth trusting and following. In international culture, Amien's style reflects he is a hard worker, which is often exhibited by stock brokers on Wall Street or doctors.

Thus he managed to create a professional image, something which is rarely found in Indonesian society.

Meanwhile, Megawati aptly presents herself as a motherly figure -- something which her supporters adore. She opts for a modest style. Typical politicians like Madeleine Albright and Margaret Thatcher go around wearing neatly tailored suits with shoulder pads, which gives an executive and rather masculine impression.

Megawati prefers clothing made from soft materials or clothing with floral designs, clothing which does not intimidate. Her choice of design somewhat contrasts with the image of her Indonesian Democratic Party's colors, red and black.

In choosing styles, she never resorts to aggressive styles. On the contrary, what she wears generally generates a homey image. This "soft" approach has also proven effective.

Choosing appropriate clothing to present one's self is not a simple task for presidents and presidential candidates. Bill Clinton is noted as one of the few popular American presidents who could win people's hearts through fashion and without too much PR work.

One of his secret weapons is his tie collection. For example, when he was speaking about a legal tax issue, Clinton appeared wearing a tie bearing a cartoon of a baby with a pacifier. Clinton has been seen on other occasions wearing ties with cartoon characters, such as Mickey Mouse or the Ghost Busters, playfully hiding behind his suit jacket.

The effectiveness of Clinton's ties was obvious when he testified on his affair with Monica Lewinsky. The tie which he wore at the time was reportedly a gift from Lewinsky.

Recently this rumor was proven untrue, yet that particular tie has become recognizable worldwide and collectors have hunted for ties just like it. Presidential fashion is ultimately more than an eye pleaser.