T

he kebaya is favored by many Indonesian women for any formal occasion for its timeless and figure-hugging factors. Raden Sirait, known as a kebaya designer, gives some hints on how to look great in this traditional attire.

• Petite VS grande

Raden suggests choosing a kebaya by body type to get a perfect look. Petite women suit waist or hip length kebaya, since they elongate the torso. In contrast, long kebaya make the body look shorter.

“You can, however, still go for a longer one, if you wear 15-centimeter high-heeled shoes,” says Raden.

If you have an XL-type body, you can opt for darker kebaya such as maroon, brown, dark blue, dark violet or black. Avoid bright hues like white or pink as such shades will create
a bigger effect.

If you have a model figure, at least 1.65-meter tall and proportional weight, any type of kebaya will do.

• Casual or formal?

Long known as a formal wear, now, kebaya can be worn for casual events. The key is on the styling.

“For a casual event, you can go for kebaya encim (classic Betawi-style kebaya), simple lace kebaya or one with less ornamentation. You can still wear decorated kebaya, but choose one which is not too glittery,” Raden says.

“For the bottom, you can pair it with either denim pants or skirts. You’d better avoid bottoms made of songket (woven cloth), for instance, because songket looks too flashy for casual occasions.”

Meantime, for formal events, you can use more exclusive fabrics for your kebaya.

• Take good care of kebaya

You might leave the washing to the people at the dry cleaning shop since you are afraid that you will ruin your kebaya if you wash it by yourself.

Good news is Raden suggests you do it yourself at home, instead of taking it to the dry cleaners.

“People sometimes are too scared to wash the fully decorated kebaya by themselves. It is pretty easy actually,” he says.
Here are the steps on washing your kebaya:

- Soak the kebaya in water with mild detergent for 5 to 10 minutes. Wash gently by hand.

- Rinse it and dry the kebaya. Never hang the kebaya because it might stretch the fabric, usually made of lace. Raden suggests putting your kebaya on a clean floor, instead of hanging it.

- Fold your kebaya and put it in a clean box in your closet.

— Triwik Kurniasari