Fashion

From Kenya and Victoria
1. What type of clothes do wealthy people wear?
2. Do you know of any famous designers there?

ANSWER: I don't think the wealthy dress any differently in Indonesia than the ones in the U.S., they may just pay more for their clothes since they may be designer brands, expensive fabrics and well crafted. They may wear more jewelry than most consisting of precious stones and diamonds but I think most people display their wealth in the houses they live in and the cars that they drive. There is a neighborhood not too far away from where I am now called Pondok Indah, there are a lot of mansions here with manicured lawns, huge security gates and security guards. One house in particular stood out to me just from the presence of an ornamental gate and huge statues on the grounds, specifically, right in the front next to a fountain are 2 smaller statues of little white bald headed boys wearing jeans and t-shirts standing like rappers...very funny! I found out the house belongs to a very successful lawyer and he is considered eccentric. If I pass by it in the next few days I'll see if I can take a picture of it. Since labor is cheap here, anyone can hire a tailor to make them clothes, this comes in handy for expats who most of the time are bigger than the locals. Pretty much everyone dresses like the Western world with the exception of Muslim women who are required, when not at home, to cover their heads, arms and legs. Traditionally this is called a burka (see photo) and has to be loose fitting although the Muslim teenagers have modernized this look by wearing jeans with long sleeved shirts and their hijab (see photo) which is a scarf that covers their hair and neck. The difference between a hijab and a burka is that the burka looks like a sheet thrown on a person and covering even their face where the hijab only covers the hair and neck.

Of course a country with lots of tailors has lots of designers, whether they are famous or not depends on where you live. There are several Indonesian designers that are famous for their creations in Australia, China, S. America and the Middle East. Lets see if you recognize any of their names: Ramli, Ghea S. Panggabean, Carmanita and Susie Hediyonto. Ramli is one of the top designers catering mostly to Arabian women as well as designing blazers and trousers. However I don't think Macys has a department dedicated to him.