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Monday, May 21, 2012

CULTURE

Indonesia Travelogue: On the Hunt for Batiks

My brother got married in Jakarta a couple of weeks ago, which gave me the perfect excuse to head back to the city not only to attend his wedding but to catch up with my extended family, gorge on pisang goreng (which, when served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, is like the Indonesian equivalent of bananas foster), and perhaps most thrilling of all—shop for traditional batik textiles. 

The elaborately patterned cloths are still predominately (and painstakingly) made by hand using a combination of dye and wax, as they have been in Java for the last thousand-or-so years. There are countless prints to choose from in every color of the rainbow, and you can find batiks applied to items as diverse as throw pillows, sundresses, shawls, tablecloths, handbags and so on.

Alun Alun storefront, plus an array of batik clutches and pastel sarongs inside the store. 

Inspired by the beautiful handiwork and the breadth of exquisitely detailed options, I traversed the city between matrimonial events (no easy feat considering Jakarta’s maddening, ever-present traffic) on the hunt for batiks to take home. First stop: Alun Alun, a sprawling clothing and home accessories emporium dedicated to Indonesian handicrafts, located in one of Jakarta’s many towering indoor malls. There, nestled among lush silk sarongs in pretty pastels and beachy, perfect-for-the-tropics cotton bedspreads, I scored an envelope-style evening clutch in a graphic hot pink print for a mere $7 (another reason to plan a trip: the favorable dollar to rupia exchange rate).

Parang Kencana

Cross-town in Kemang, a neighborhood that’s home to much of the city’s ex-pat community, is the gorgeous, light-filled flagship for Jakarta-based label Parang Kencana. A few years ago, the company debuted a sister line called Liris, which blends old world fabrics with girly, modern silhouettes like ruffled empire waist shifts and puff-sleeved blouses. All items are handmade, and I stocked up on a range of breezy cotton dresses and tops to wear throughout the summer.

In the event you aren’t headed that far east anytime soon, fear not—there are tons of batik goods to be found on eBay and most cost about the same as you’d pay overseas. Here, a round-up of some of my favorites:

1. Set of Six Batik Napkins (buy it now price, $15)

2. Tribal Batik Duster (winning bid, $11.49)

3. New Indonesian Batik Maroon and Pink Smocked Dress (buy it now price, $48)

4. New Indonesian Madura Sleeveless Silk Dress (buy it now price, $48)

5. Javanese Batik Textile (buy it now price, $18)

6. New Batik Indonesian Floral Down Pillow (buy it now price, $125)

7. Indonesian Batik Wrap Skirt (buy it now price, $25)

8. Handmade Batik Trinket Box (buy it now price, $9.44)

9. New Handcrafted Indonesian Batik Picture Frame (buy it now price, $19.99)

10. Vintage Danar Hadi Batik Handbag (buy it now price, $8)

 

Emily Hsieh is a freelance writer and editor who has contributed to publications including Lucky, Allure, InStyle, and People.

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