Last October 2, Indonesia celebrated National Batik Day, and I knew I just had to write about it. I love batik! 😍💖 I can't get enough of them. I'd like to have all the styles that I want, hehe. So please allow me to share this fashionable and cultural passion with you. And I hope you'd read till the last, so I can show you my most favorite batik outfit. 😍
It all started with this maroon number that I bought from a local shop in Kerinci. I like how formal it looks, so I wore it to school during batik day (Tuesday). But I would alternate it with my other batik blouses, of course.
And it's made of cotton, perfect for the tropical climate. So when I went back to teaching in the Philippines, I still wore my batik. But of all my batik outfits, it is this maroon number that gets the most comments. It just looks dignified, don't you think? Thanks to my coteacher and friend @jongcl for snapping this awesome shot during oral defense season. I think I look every inch a research panelist here.
Each region in Indonesia has its own batik pattern, and the batik capital is Solo, a city in Central Java. Being a batik fan, I was so excited to have taken a trip there last 2017. I just had to have a souvenir shot with the women batik makers in one of the shops there.
Batik uses a wax-resist technique with a spouted tool that looks like a pen called canting (pronounced chan-ting). Batik makers draw the pattern with the wax first, then they let it dry. Afterward, they would soak the cloth in dye, and they do it one color at a time. I've also seen others applying the dye with a paintbrush, but I believe it only applies to more delicate and tiny forms and shapes. When each color has dried, they would wash the cloth. The result is a beautifully intricate pattern of forms and colors.
It is a visual feast---so interesting and beautiful. 😍 Just like this light blue number I have, which I bought from Batik Keris, one of the premium batik shops in Indonesia. There's a Batik Keris shop in every mall and major airport in the country. I think Rafa, my cat, loved my batik, but he didn't like the fact that we were about to go back to school in this photo. He hated school. 😁
I would often wear this during batik day (Tuesday) too, especially because the school-issued batik was also blue. It is so comfortable to wear. When I wear batik, I know I am already set for the day.
This is the school-issued uniform that we wore on our trip to Jakarta. I like how bright it is.
And this pink number was my staple in road trips. If you've read my Padang and Bukittinggi articles, you would have noticed this blouse too.
I always try to find a reason to buy batik. So when they said that the Christmas 2017 motif was red, I knew I had to head back to Batik Keris. And I got this asymmetrical number. It was also perfect as my Monday uniform (red day).
Red batik on a Monday calls for a red lippie, right?
For Christmas 2018, the motif was blue, and this is another one from Batik Keris. With those cigarette pants and nude pumps, I was ready to hit those high notes with the choir.
Of course, parent-teacher conferences call for a formal outfit. So I wore these on those occasions. I love matching my batik with plain black tops or pants, so the colors pop.
But it's not always sunshine and roses. On rainy days, I would pair the yellow-green square pants I bought from Taman Mini with my dark purple jacket. But still daring the mud with those white sneakers, eh?
Who doesn't love long skirts with pretty flowers? I got this from the hotel shop in Solo. It was quite cold in Lembang at this time, and the billowing fabric made it even colder. But as they say, the cold never bothered me anyway! ☃️
When I was scanning my photos, I saw this. I almost forgot! I only wore this rainbow-themed blouse for a short while because it soon got too tight for me. This was a Christmas gift from one of my students' parents.
This is the only batik vest I have, so it's quite special to me. More so because it is a gift from the school admin (during teachers' day, I recall). And it has pockets! Ladies love clothes with pockets, right?
I wore it to UC Pri's Intramural Concert in 2019. I know I have to work on my rock 'n roll face, hehe. I performed "Di Na Muli" (Sid and Aya OST) with my fellow research teachers, and we had a blast.
This batik scarf also has sentimental value. It's a gift for being one of the speakers in the first teachers' research conference of our school system.
Here I am trying to make batik. It was quite a challenge coloring within the lines because I was standing and the students were just holding the cloth for me. I wanna do it properly in the future.
If you've read this far, thank you so much! This is my most favorite batik outfit. And you guessed it right, it's also from Batik Keris. My co-teachers and I are all smiles here on graduation day 2019. I love this dress so much that I only wear it on graduation day and, of course, the school concert, the occasion for which I bought it.
I have given away some of the batiks in these photos although I still have most of them, just waiting for the right occasion to wear them. 🌺
Wanna get to know me more? Click here: Get to Know April: A Self-Intro Blog
Perhaps you'd also like to read more about my Indonesian experiences:
- What Have I Done? | The Coach Life | Happy World Teachers' Day
- Soto Betawi: The Search for the Ultimate Indonesian Food
- Selamat datang di Padang! (Welcome to Padang!) | Island Hopping in Sumatra
- An Ode to a Lost Love | Bukittinggi Memoirs
And please feel free to follow me to read more about my adventures and creative writing endeavors. Cheers! 🥂
