Now, about that pantsuit…

by LYNN LEE

However, her [Michelle Obama] chartreuse pantsuit the next morning, when she visited the Indonesia’s famed Istiqlal Mosque, was a flop. It was unflattering and the pants were too long – in fact, they were dragging on the ground and she had to hold them up.

It was almost as if the First Lady, who had the right intentions of dressing modestly, was given the wrong advice by her aides. Some 90 per cent of Indonesia’s population are Muslim, but they are mostly moderate and would not bat an eyelid at form-fitting clothes in the big cities. Jakarta women especially are not afraid of showing skin – this is particularly obvious at dance clubs and wine lounges. At gala events, the traditional kebaya has been spotted both glammed-up and deconstructed, in an array of bright colours, embellished with bling, with see-through lace and thigh-high slits.

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