Pleated Dresses Behind Curtain in Yogyakarta Tailor Shop

Stark fluorescent light floods a late-night tailoring space in Yogyakarta, illuminating a row of pleated dresses suspended behind a heavy black curtain. The fabric folds create deep, rhythmic shadows against the white spill of the overhead bulb. To the right, cardboard shoe boxes stack unevenly against the wall, their flaps slightly worn. A wooden table in the foreground holds scattered white chalk dust and a pair of silver shears resting on a piece of patterned paper. The dry season air leaves the room clear and still. Quiet shadows pool in the corners where the walls meet the floor. one drop of chalk dust settles on the edge of the shears handle.