The earliest form of Kebaya thought was originates in the court of the fifteenth century Javanese Majapahit Kingdom, as a means to blend the existing female Kemban, upper body wrap of the noble women, to be more modest and acceptable. Throughout the last period of Majapahit kingdom, Islamic impact commenced to develop in seaside Javanese towns, thus there was a need to adapt the Javanese fashion to the newly adopted Islam religion. The customized blouse, often created from delicate sheer fabrics, were worn over kemban torso wrap to cover the back, shoulders and arms, in order for court women to appear more modest. Aceh, Riau and Johor Kingdoms and Northern Sumatra adopted the Javanese style kebaya as a means of social expression of status with the more alus or refined Javanese overlords.The name of Kebaya as a particular clothing type was mentioned by the Portuguese when they landed in Philippines. Kebaya is associated with a type of blouse worn by Indonesian women in 15th or 16th cent...
A kebaya is a traditional blouse-dress