The earliest form of Kebaya thought was originates in the court of the 15th century Javanese Majapahit Kingdom, as a means to blend the existing female Kemban, torso wrap of the aristocratic women, to be more modest and acceptable. During the last period of Majapahit kingdom, Islamic impact began to grow in seaside Javanese towns, thus there was a need to adapt the Javanese fashion to the newly followed Islam religion. The customized blouse, often produced from delicate sheer fabrics, were worn over kemban torso wrap to cover the back, shoulders and arms, in order for court females to appear more humble. 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 observed by the Portuguese when they landed in Philippines. Kebaya is associated with a type of shirt worn by Indonesian women in 15th or sixteenth century. Pr...
A kebaya is a traditional blouse-dress