An Elegant Traditional Woman Dress
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| Kebaya; collection of http://waroengbhatik.files.wordpress.com |
Kebaya nowadays recognized as one of traditional Malay ethnic clump women dress which is scattered almost entire of South East Asian region. Especially in Indonesia, Kebaya is treated between semi-formal to formal dress for women. During 33 years period of New Older Government (President Suharto regime, 1965-1998), all wife of government officer or women government officer always wearing Kebaya on every official ceremony, Kebaya applied as national identity of Indonesia.
Although Kebaya applied as national and widely also noted as Malay ethnic clump identity, but there is no certain confirmation about the time when Kebaya born nor the where is the origin.
According Wikipedia.org, Kebaya born on the court of the Javanese Majapahit Kingdom in 13-15 century. However, other source believes that Kebaya is Middle East origin, while also an opinion said that Kebaya could be come from China.
So far, a photo from year of 1857 which showing Javanese and Eurasian women on Kebaya is the only oldest visual documentation of Kebaya that found. Name of Kebaya derived from Arabic word kaba meaning “clothing” introduced to Indonesia via the Portuguese language. In the past when monarchy still exist as the role power in Java Island, Kebaya considered as sacred clothing to be worn only by royal family, aristocrats, and minor nobility. By the time then Kebaya become an every women clothes.
A timeless elegant women dress.
Kebaya in my opinion is the fittest dress for Malay women, it considering to body structure, body characteristic and the color of the skin. A good Kebaya always made in a high precision and really fit to the body of the wearer.
Kebaya dress consist of blouse as upper part, made of cotton, silk, lace, brocade, velvet or combination of them (especially for modern Kebaya), the blouse commonly semi-transparent (especially in Java and Bali) and worn over the torso or kemben (Javanese). While at down section of Kebaya can be a skirt or kain (an unstitched fabric wrap around three metres long), but in some region the down section of Kebaya can be also using Sarong.
Modern Kebaya exploring much more possibility without leaving the main pattern, designer used much more possible raw materials and additional accessories, some designers also offering trousers or pants to replace kain or sarong.
In the Malaysia region, there is a different variety of Kebaya called "Nyonya Kebaya" worn by those of Chinese ancestry: the Peranakan people.
On the Dutch colonization time, Kebaya also used by European women and considered this traditional dress as a formal and social dress at that time. One of the specific models used by Eurasians women which Kebaya commonly only made of white cotton trimmed with European handmade lace combined with black silk for evening wear, of course, that was only the last time.
Indonesian air carrier, Garuda Indonesia Airways applies at least one uniform model for their cabin crews based on the Kebaya pattern.
Now the most popular Kebaya designer of Indonesia is Anne Avanti, she lives in Semarang City, Central Java's capital.
