There's more than meets the eye to presidential fashion
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.