Obama opts for local garb in Indonesia

President Barack Obama nixed aloha shirts for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders group photo in Hawaii Sunday, but he couldn’t avoid local attire at another international gathering Friday.

Obama was among the leaders at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations who posed for a group photo in Javanese traditional garb — colorful ikat fabrics — provided by Indonesia, this year’s host country. This is the first year that the U.S. and Russia were invited to join the summit meeting held in Bali.

Obama came out in a long-sleeve green shirt with orange, blue and red trim in a traditional pattern.

Obama’s mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, did her University of Hawaii Ph.D. research on traditional crafts in Indonesia, including ikat fabrics. She also worked with women in Indonesia helping them set up small businesses involving traditional crafts like weaving and dying.

At the APEC meeting in Honolulu, Obama broke with the tradition of APEC leaders posing for photos in apparel from the host country.

Instead of aloha shirts, the 21 APEC leaders took to the photo platform in dark suits with individual tie selections, save for one: Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who wore a white blazer over a reddish blouse.