Getting dressed in Indonesia

Men: in the house, men usually wear checker patterned sarongs. The sarongs are worn in public only before prayer on Fridays during mosque. For national occasions, the men wear batik shirts with trousers or teluk beskap, a combination of the Javanese jacket and sarong.

Women: Indonesian women wear the kebaya, a beautiful, figure-hugging embroidered blouse worn with a batik sarong that is usually dyed with flower motifs and in bright colors. Women will tie their hair into a bun and may even wear a hairpiece instead. Selendang are often worn over one shoulder. This cloth can be used as a head shawl or on less formal occasions, used to carry babies or objects. Their traditional dress consists of silk robes with metallic thread woven into the material.