Preamble
For your interest, I have listed below, other posts on this blogspot that center on the use of Batik to create wearable art:
Nothing Is The Same I & II (Els van Baarle, The Netherlands)
Batik ArtCloth from South-East Asia
Batiks from Kintore
Batiks From Warlpiri
Historical Israeli Batik ArtWorks
A Brief History of Batik
A History of Javanese Batik - Hindu Influence
A History of Javanese Batik - Islamic Influence
Introduction
Traditional Javanese costume is still worn today. When garments, which are no longer worn, are mentioned in this post, specific note is made of this fact.
Traditional Batik Clothing [1]
The Sarong
The 'sarong' is the everyday dress for men and women. The ends of a length of cloth (110 x 220 cm) are sewn together. This skirt is pulled over the head and adjusted to the correct width with a pleat. The 'sabuk', a band wrapped several times around the waist, holds the sarong in place. A characteristic of the sarong is also the 'kapla' (i.e., edge). See the following three images.
This child is wearing a sarong on which half a kapala is visible.
The strip, originally woven, with a different pattern and is worn at the front or the side, is called kapala (head). This consists of two rows of tumpal motifs (triangles) with rows of seven small stars between them. The points of the triangles do not quite meet. At the upper and lower edges of the sarong there is a narrow decorative strip with kemadas (i.e., short cross stripes).
A part of the kapala strip can be seen on the sarong of this rongeng dancer from Batavia. Both boys are wearing batiked trousers.
Photographed around 1880.
The kain panjang
This loose cloth (110 x 250 cm) wrapped around the waist several times constitutes the festive costume for men and women alike. The end is folded into an uneven number of pleats in the front ('wiron'); these pleats open gracefully when walking. The body and waist are tied with a sash ('setagen'). The kain has an uneven pattern over its entire length. At the upper and lower edges a strip is often left white (see picture below).
A former administrator of Surakarta with his five sons. The men are all wearing very richly patterned kain panjangs.
The Dodot
This garment of state for princes, dancers at court and high dignitaries consists of two cotton lengths of equal breadth, sewn together lengthwise before being batiked. The total size is 220 x 350 to 450 cm. Often the dodot is decorated in the center with one color rhomboid, the 'tengahan' motif, and a fringe along one side edge. Today it is only worn in Central Java by noble bridal couples.
The edges of the tengahan motif, on official dress as well as on a breast cloth, are often decorated with cemukirans (diagonal pointed motifs).
The Kemben
This breast cloth (50 x 250 cm) is often the same patterning as the kain panjang and together it gives a sense of unity. The kemben is often decorated with the tengahan motif. The four edges are usually richly decorated. Only brides of noble birth wear this breast cloth today with a dodot (see the two photographs below).
While women used to leave their upper trunks uncovered, they would just pull the kain up over their breasts when visiting. Probably from this custom the breast cloth developed. This Javanese woman is wearing it above a woven sarong.
Part of a richly decorated breast cloth edge. The center piece of the cloth is decorated with plangi, a tie technique.
The Slendang
This article of women's clothing serves as a decorative or carry cloth. It probably had its origin from the breast cloth and has the same measurements and edge decoration. Originally the cloth was divided into a central and two sided areas. The latter were often decorated with 'tumpal' motifs.
The slendang used here as a baby-sling, contrary to the usual area division, has the same patterns of tambalan motifs over the entire length. The Javanese woman on this old photograph is also wearing a breastcloth and a woven sarong.
The Slendang Lokcan
This silk slendang was mainly worn by Chinese women on the north coast of Java. The lokcan (loktjan) has an even all-over pattern and rich edge decorations, often with pretty fringes. The word 'locan' can be traced to the Chinese word 'lo', meaning blue, and can (tjan), meaning silk.
The Iket
This square, men's headcloth (1 m2) was an important item of clothing, particularly in Central Java. From it one could tell the rank and position of the wearer. It is hardly worn today. The middle of this cloth, too, was decorated with a single color tengahan motif, to which sometimes the cemukiran (tjemukiran) motifs were added.
These Javanese card players are all wearing a head cloth for men, called iket. The single color tengahan motif above the temples can be seen on the man on the left and also on the man sitting in the middle. The draping and method of wearing the cloth use to vary in the various principalities and were greatly dependent on the influences of the current fashion. The men are also wearing kain panjang, recognizable by the narrow white lower edge.
Tambalan
The term tambalan refers to the pattern (see picture below) on this short jacket with long sleeves. It was worn by animist priests in the Tengger mountains in East Java. The patchwork pattern can be traced back to the early Buddhist priests who were required to clothe themselves with patched garments made from rags.
The jacket shown above, made of squares composed of triangles, used to be the correct clothing of priests from the Tengger mountains. These priests also wore batiked jackets in a pattern, derived from this patchwork. The batik patterning shown in the slendang two pictures above that is used as a baby-sling is also an example of this.
The two dancers in the middle of this wayang topeng scene (topeng = mask) are wearing batiked sheaths with parang rusak pattern of the nobles. The man standing back left is wearing a sheath with the same pattern, but enlarged, called parang barong.
Bandung, ca. 1890.
A central Javanese bridal couple, 1975. Men wear the dodot over tight trousers made of cinde cloth. The higher the status or class, the more these trousers are visible. The dodot trails a little at the back, falling over the dagger sheath and is lifted by several train carriers. The dagger (kris) is held in a wide belt called pangsit. The head is covered by a stiff Persian cap called kuluk. The upper trunk is uncovered. Women wear the dodot over the kain panjang, the upper trunk slightly bound with a breastcloth. The draping is carried out by selected servants and follows strictly in accordance with a prescribed ritual.
Reference:
[1] M. Spée, Traditional and Modern Batik, Kangaroo Press, Kenthurst (1982).
For your interest, I have listed below, other posts on this blogspot that center on the use of Batik to create wearable art:
Nothing Is The Same I & II (Els van Baarle, The Netherlands)
Batik ArtCloth from South-East Asia
Batiks from Kintore
Batiks From Warlpiri
Historical Israeli Batik ArtWorks
A Brief History of Batik
A History of Javanese Batik - Hindu Influence
A History of Javanese Batik - Islamic Influence
Introduction
Traditional Javanese costume is still worn today. When garments, which are no longer worn, are mentioned in this post, specific note is made of this fact.
Traditional Batik Clothing [1]
The Sarong
The 'sarong' is the everyday dress for men and women. The ends of a length of cloth (110 x 220 cm) are sewn together. This skirt is pulled over the head and adjusted to the correct width with a pleat. The 'sabuk', a band wrapped several times around the waist, holds the sarong in place. A characteristic of the sarong is also the 'kapla' (i.e., edge). See the following three images.
Photographed around 1880.
The kain panjang
This loose cloth (110 x 250 cm) wrapped around the waist several times constitutes the festive costume for men and women alike. The end is folded into an uneven number of pleats in the front ('wiron'); these pleats open gracefully when walking. The body and waist are tied with a sash ('setagen'). The kain has an uneven pattern over its entire length. At the upper and lower edges a strip is often left white (see picture below).
The Dodot
This garment of state for princes, dancers at court and high dignitaries consists of two cotton lengths of equal breadth, sewn together lengthwise before being batiked. The total size is 220 x 350 to 450 cm. Often the dodot is decorated in the center with one color rhomboid, the 'tengahan' motif, and a fringe along one side edge. Today it is only worn in Central Java by noble bridal couples.
The Kemben
This breast cloth (50 x 250 cm) is often the same patterning as the kain panjang and together it gives a sense of unity. The kemben is often decorated with the tengahan motif. The four edges are usually richly decorated. Only brides of noble birth wear this breast cloth today with a dodot (see the two photographs below).
The Slendang
This article of women's clothing serves as a decorative or carry cloth. It probably had its origin from the breast cloth and has the same measurements and edge decoration. Originally the cloth was divided into a central and two sided areas. The latter were often decorated with 'tumpal' motifs.
The Slendang Lokcan
This silk slendang was mainly worn by Chinese women on the north coast of Java. The lokcan (loktjan) has an even all-over pattern and rich edge decorations, often with pretty fringes. The word 'locan' can be traced to the Chinese word 'lo', meaning blue, and can (tjan), meaning silk.
The Iket
This square, men's headcloth (1 m2) was an important item of clothing, particularly in Central Java. From it one could tell the rank and position of the wearer. It is hardly worn today. The middle of this cloth, too, was decorated with a single color tengahan motif, to which sometimes the cemukiran (tjemukiran) motifs were added.
Tambalan
The term tambalan refers to the pattern (see picture below) on this short jacket with long sleeves. It was worn by animist priests in the Tengger mountains in East Java. The patchwork pattern can be traced back to the early Buddhist priests who were required to clothe themselves with patched garments made from rags.
Bandung, ca. 1890.
Reference:
[1] M. Spée, Traditional and Modern Batik, Kangaroo Press, Kenthurst (1982).
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