- Kebaya
A "Kebaya" is a traditional blouse worn by women in
Indonesia ,Malaysia ,Brunei and Singapore, sometimes made from sheer material and usually worn with asarong ,batik , or other traditional knitted garment such as asongket with a colorful motif.History
Kebaya is originated from Arab region;cite book| title=Le carrefour javanais: Essai dhistoire globale (Civilisations et sociétés) | language=French |author=Denys Lombard| id=ISBN 2713209498| publisher=École des hautes études en sciences sociales |date=1990] the Arabic word of "Kaba" means clothing. The name of Kebaya as a particular clothing type was introduced by the Portuguese when they landed on
Southeast Asia . Kebaya is associated with a type ofblouse worn by Indonesian women in 15th or 16th century.The earliest form of Kebaya was first came from the north of the Indonesian archipelago. The clothing type began to spread to
Malacca , Java,Bali ,Sumatra ,Borneo andSulawesi . After hundred years of acculturation, the garments have become adjusted to local customs and culture.Prior 1600, kebaya on Java island were considered as a sacred clothing to be worn only by members of the Javanese monarchy. During Dutch colonization of the island, European women began wearing kebaya as formal dress. During this period, kebaya, that was originally made from mori fabric, were modified with
silk embroidered with colorful patterns.In
Malacca region, a different variety of kebaya is called "nyonya kebaya" wore by thePeranakan people. "Nyonya kebaya" dress consists of a kebaya completed with asarong and beaded shoes ("kasut manek"). The "nyonya kebaya" gains its popularity that the dress is wore also by non-Asian people.Apart from traditional kebaya, fashion designers are looking into ways of modifying the design and making kebaya a more fashionable outfit. Casual designed kebaya can even be worn with jeans or skirts. For weddings or formal events, many designers are exploring other types of fine fabrics like laces to create a bridal kebaya.
The kebaya silhoutte gives emphasis to a womanly figure and that is the beauty of this ethnic wear.
"Sarong kebaya", a version of kebaya has become a uniform for
Singapore Airlines ,Malaysia Airlines , andGaruda Indonesia flight attendants.ee also
*
Culture of Indonesia
*Culture of Singapore
*Culture of Malaysia References
External links
* [http://www.expat.or.id/info/traditionaltextiles.html Indonesian Textiles]
* [http://coombs.anu.edu.au/SpecialProj/ASAA/biennial-conference/2004/Cattoni-V-ASAA2004.pdf Reading The Kebaya]
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