Waist Cloth
| Type: | Clothing - Garment |
|---|---|
| Object Name: | Waist Cloth |
| Local Name: | kain pagi sore |
| Place Made: | Asia: South East Asia, Indonesia, Northern Java |
| Period: | Early 20th century |
| Date: | 1900 - 1929 |
| Dimensions: | L 254 cm x W 105 cm |
| Materials: | Cotton; plant dye |
| Techniques: | Batik; resist dyed; dyed; plain woven |
| ID Number: | T89.0143 |
| Credit: | Gift of Hunter Thompson |
Indonesians, especially the Javanese, are regarded as the world’s foremost practitioners of batik – a resist-patterning technique. Hot wax is painted or stamped on cloth, which is then dipped in vats of dye. The wax blocks the dye from the patterned areas, and subsequent applications create the multi-coloured cloth. In Java, a kain is generally considered more formal than a sarong. Both are worn as wrapped clothing. This kain features pagi soré (morning and evening) design, with two related yet distinct patterns on each half of the fabric. Depending on how it is draped around the waist and lower body, it can appear to be two different garments.
