Balinese culture is very unique from the religion to the way of dressing, especially for women. Traditional Bali women’s dresses are very unique because they always wear them every day or during a religious ritual. Besides religious events, the dresses sometimes are also required when entering sacred places on the island including for tourists. Bali women’s dresses do not a simple dress, but it has deep philosophy behind every piece of clothes. Some people prefer to buy Bali women’s dresses to bring home. Before you get one, here are some elements of Bali women’s dresses that you need to know.
Kebaya
For Indonesian, kebaya is like a national shirt. Especially in Bali, kebaya is considered as a staple dress for women. Kebaya is usually worn for special events such as religious or national events. In Bali, kebaya is considered as traditional clothes. There are lots of types of kebaya but the most common is kebaya with a simple pattern and bright color. Besides the color and pattern, kebaya for the religious event should be clean, polite, and tidy. You can get Balinese kebaya in Bali Silk with various types and colors.
Kamen
Kamen is a kind of sarong that goes well with kebaya. Not only women, but men also wear kamen when they wear traditional clothes. However, kamen for women usually comes with various patterns and colors compared to kamen for men. Wearing kamen is not that difficult because it should cover one palm under the knee. Besides religious events, you may recognize that peoples should wear kamen when entering certain places including for tourists. You can get this kamen or sarong in Bali Silk to bring home as a gift or when visiting sacred places in Bali.
Selendang
Another element of Bali women’s dresses is selendang. Selendang or senteng is a piece of cloth that is draped around the shoulder. Around the waist, they usually use a kind of belt which called sabuk prada. This belt is important to hold the kamen tightly and more secure. Sometimes the sabuk prada comes with contrast color of the kebaya to make it more attractive.
All the elements in Bali women’s dresses are not only for aesthetic purposes only. It is not that difficult to find women in traditional Balinese clothes because they dress that way for in an everyday basis. If you are interested in Balinese traditional dresses, you can get one in Bali Silk that provides a wide option of Balinese clothes.
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