Kebaya in Aotearoa - Kebaya Goes to UNESCO

Kebaya in Aotearoa - Kebaya Goes to UNESCO

One of my favorite Indonesian traditional attires is kebaya.

13 Indonesian ladies, posing with various kebaya and Indonesian traditional kain

In many occasions, be it special or something casual, I wear kebaya in different materials, forms, colors, and with different accessories. I wear it with kain or any Indonesian traditional fabrics like Batik, Tenun and Songket, or simply with trousers and skirts. 

I just love it and I feel special whenever I wear kebaya.

happily wearing my orange-and-purple kebaya with gold and purple Tapis Lampung

Kebaya is the top part which usually cut in feminine shape. In Indonesia, kebaya comes in various models, using different materials. Some of the common models we have in kebaya are Kebaya Kartini, Kebaya Encim, and Kebaya Kutubaru. We certainly have more but those three models are what I have in abundance. Kebaya is made from different materials or fabrics as well, namely the lace, silk, cotton, organdy, and more. It may be adorned with embroideries, beads, applications and more.  

As kebaya has been used by Indonesian women since ages ago in different stages and  celebrating particular events in lives , kebaya has been identified as one of the cultural identity for Indonesian women. That is why we are now campaigning for it to be recognized as one of UNESCO Intangible Heritage. And from Aotearoa, we are proud to wear our kebayas and showcase it to the world.

So in one windy afternoon, together with the female staff of the Embassy as well as the spouses of the staff and the Ambassador, we had a photo sessions in three different landmarks, namely our Embassy, the Beehive, and Wellington Cable Car. Here are some photos we took along the way and what a lovely day it was, despite the depressing weather. We wore colorful kebayas combined with Tapis lampung, Songket Bali, Batik, Tenun Ikat Maluku, Songket Palembang, and more. I have to admit all the ladies look fantastic and brilliant!

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do and cheers from Aotearoa!

Do you like wearing kebaya as well? When and where do you usually wear it too? What type of kebaya is your favorite? Share with me in the comment.

Merdeka - Photo Session a la HUT RI

Merdeka!

lady diplomats at my Mission

We had a lovely photo session at the office in order to welcome the 72nd Independence Day of Indonesia.

Dress code: Red and White and whatever suit them fine.

Those are the colors of our national flag, sang saka Merah Putih.
Merah or red, represents bravely we all need to fight for our independence and beyond.
Putih or white, represents the sacred feeling  of being one Nation, Indonesia.

my political division :p

I chose the red outer from Anniesa Hasibuan with its matching obi with gold jersey dress from H&M (go check it at www.h&m.com as I got it on sale).

And the necklace is also made in Indonesia.

the boys..with me Ambassadors

cheers...

serious style :)

                                          Anybody has done this special photo session as well?
                                          On the occasion of your country's independence day?
                                                                               Do you enjoy it?

WW: Indonesian Diplomatic Reception in NYC

Every year, we celebrate our national day or the Independence day on August 17.

Back home in Indonesia, we have so many events in commemorating this historical day.

Abroad, every Indonesian representatives all over the world celebrate this joyous day by convening a diplomatic reception, pesta rakyat or people's party, or Indonesian Night.

So is New York.

We usually have it in October where we have our Foreign Minister in town for the High Level Segment of the UN General Assembly week.

This year I helped the preparation of the Reception with my team.

It was fun indeed...as we always try to bring home to the reception. 

To show Indonesia to the world :)

The theme this year was Sumatera Night so I chose my purple-gold-red Tapis Lampung, traditional cloth from my beloved hometown, Lampung, in Sumatera Island, as the outfit that night.

proudly wearing purple-red-gold and orange Tapis Lampung and Kebaya :)

Getting ready for the reception :)

We have many Indonesian traditional food originated from Sumatera and many parts of Indonesia as well, like rendang and tekwan. 

some of the desserts as well as appetizers...Indonesian traditional finger food :)

I am glad the reception went smoothly and we have many Foreign Ministers, Ambassadors and diplomatic community joining our event :).

with my Foreign Minister, H.E. Retno L.P. Marsudi

Hope to see you all again next year :)

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