Baju Kebaya

Hi everyone!

How much do you know about Baju Kebaya?

Let me tell you some of the facts regarding baju kebaya!

Kebaya dress is traditional clothing worn by the women of Malaysia and Indonesia. Kebaya is believed to originate rather than the Arab countries. The Arabs brought baju kebaya (the Arabic "abaya") to the archipelago of hundreds of years ago. Then spread to Malacca, Java, Bali, Sumatra, and Sulawesi. After the entry into force of cultural assimilation which lasted for hundreds of years, the clothing is accepted by the local population.

A kebaya is usually worn with a sarong or batik kain panjang, or other traditional woven garment such as ikat, songket with a colorful motif. It is sometimes made from sheer material such as silk, thin cotton or semi-transparent nylon or polyester, adorned with brocade or floral pattern embroidery. 

Do you ever realise that the air stewardess of Malaysia Airline also wearing the baju kebaya costume？

Therefore, we can say that baju kebaya is still commonly wear by the Malaysians especially Malays in Malaysia during festivals.

Thanks for reading! :D

by Gan Ying Hui

Kurta & Kurti

              The kurta is the traditional indian attire for men on formal occasions. It is a long knee-length shirt that is typically made from cotton or linen cloth. Kurtas are not meant to be tucked into trousers as it falls to a point between the mid-thigh and the knees. 

When a kurta is worn by a woman, it is called a "kurti". When it is worn as a blouse these kurtis are usually much shorter than the kurta worn by men. It is normal for them to fall between the waist and the mid-thigh. 

Kurta and Kurti are made from a variety of fabrics. Cotton is the main material for most kurtas, with silk as an alternative for formal kurtas. Wool is often used to make heavier kurtas. 

Women usually wear a kurti with a fitted churidaar or salwar for a traditional look or with jeans for an indo-western look. For men, they usually wear a kurta with pajama for a classic look. 

For women, they will usually wear a silk kurti with heavy embroidery for a wedding occasion or party occasion. On the other hand, cotton or khadi are usually worn for office or day to day wear. 

                                  

By,

Wong Zhi Ann 

Traditional costume of Penampang Kadazan

Generally, the trimmings and embroidery on the Kadazan costume are simple and dignified in comparison with other etnic groups. The men's jacket and trousers bear some Chinese influence. There are three different styles of blouses for the women. One is a blouse with short sleeves worn by young ladies. Another is a blouse with 3/4 sleeves worn  by middle-aged ladies for daily or casual use. The third one is worn by elderly women and female ritual specialists/priestesses during ceremonies. 

Sinuangga

Blouse with short sleeves and U-neck worn by younger women. Sober embroidery along the opening for head and arms, and along the seams at the sides and along the middle of the back: red, yellow and cream cotton yarn. 

Sinompukung

Blouse with 3/4 sleeves. No embroidery. Usually worn over the sinuangga like a jacket. Nowadays, the sinompukung is often embroidered and worn by older women as a blouse instead of as a jacket as in the olden days. 

For accessory, they have the silver dollar belt known as himpogot. A maximum of three are used depensing on personal wealth, one around the waist and the other two above and below the tangkong. 

By,

Loke Elaine

Traditional costume of Iban

Iban traditional costume is known as ngepan Iban.This is the complete set of it. Usually the girl wearing ngepan is ready to ngajat, for her wedding or gawai celebration itself.

Marik empang made up of beads and threads. 

The set of bracelets and silver belts are known as tumpa. The tumpa is orginally made of silver and it is very difficult to find the original ones nowadays. 

This is known as the sugu tinggi. It is also made of silver.

Bracelets or otherwise known as tumpa. Tumpa is actually pronounced as tumpo.

Handmade selamai. 

By,
Lim Shi Zhen

Baju Kurung

The baju kurung is a traditional Malay costume which loosely translated as "enclosed dress". The early baju kurung was longer and looser, unsuited to the figure of Malay women. It was popularised in the late 19th century by Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor.

Although baju kurung is the name for the attire for both male and female, in Malaysia, the female dress is referred to as baju kurung, while the male dress is referred to as baju melayu.

Two versions of the costumes are popular. One is the baju kurung teluk belanga and the other is the baju kurung cekak musang. The main difference between this two fashion styles is the cutting style at the neck, where the teluk belanga style has no collar and the neckline is stitched in the style known as tulang belut ("eel's spines or bones"). The baju kurung teluk belanga originated, as its name implies, from Teluk Belanga, in the island of Singapore, which was previously the capital of the state of Johor. On the other hand the cekak musang style has a standing collar with holes for five buttons including two buttons for the collar.

Baju kurung teluk belanga

Baju kurung cekak musang

Baju kurung for men

The cekak musang shirt also normally has three pockets – two at the bottom, and one at the upper left breast. The teluk belanga shirt normally has only two pockets both at the bottom. The baju melayu is a loosely fitting shirt with long sleeves, worn with long pants with a sampin which is wrapped around the middle of the body from the stomach to the knee and sometimes lower. This sampin is usually a three-quarter length or full sarong-style cloth made of kain songket, tenun pahang diraja or other woven materials with traditional patterns.

Baju kurung for women

A baju kurung is a loose-fitting full length dress, consisting of a skirt and a blouse. The skirt is made from a long cloth with foldings on one side; the blouse is collarless, has long sleeves, and extends to between the hips and knees. It is sometimes made of silk, imported from Japan, South Korea, Turkey or India, or from the Malaysian states of Terengganu or Kelantan. The modern baju kurung commonly uses lively colors and geometric patterns.

Traditionalists prefer fabric from peninsular Malaysia's eastern states of Terengganu and Kelantan, where the culture of batik and other hand-designed fabrics is still strong.

A woman will often wear a baju kurung with a headscarf (a tudung) in the more conservative states in northern Malaysia.

By,
Chow Zhilin

SARI

WHAT IS A SARI?

A sari is an Indian female garment that is typically wrapped around the waist, with one end draped over the shoulder^.

Sari-clad woman in Mysore balancing a basket of chikku on her head

 

 

 FACTS ABOUT SARI

The sari has a long history in India. The first depictions of sari like costumes can be seen in sculptures dating back to 100 b.c. The variety of colors, patterns, weaves and draping styles make the sari one of the world's most fascinating costumes. Hundreds of regional weaving centers are still engaged in traditional handloom production. Today in India six and a half milion people are engaged in the production of handloom sarees.

 

 The sari is an unstitched length of cloth measuring 42 - 49" wide and 5.5 to 9 yards in length. Ornamental borders and a matching end piece, called the pallu or anchal surround the field of the sari, which can also be either richly ornamented or plain.

Saris often come with a matching piece of cloth for the choli, or tight fitting cropped blouse, either woven on the end or the beggining of the sari, or on a separate piece altogether. Some ultra transparent sarees come with a piece of denser cloth dyed or embellished to match. This piece is usually about 3/4 to 1 meter long. The borders are used for the sleeves and back hem of the choli.

 

 

 

HOW YOU WEAR YOUR SARI IS UP TO YOU!

 

The sari doesn't have to be worn with a choli or a petticoat. A tight fitting top of any kind can be worn under the sari, and it's possible to drape the sari by first drawing the top border around your waist and tying a knot to form the waistband. There really are no limits with this simple, yet infinitely adaptible garb. The sari can be draped in hundreds of different ways - as many as your imagination can manifest.

 

 

 

 

 

BY,

DENISE OOI XUE WUEN 

:) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Qipao and Changshan

CHEONGSAM

When the Manchus ruled China during the Qing Dynasty, certain social strata emerged. Among them were the Banners, mostly Manchus, who as a group were called Banner People. Cheongsam was derived from the garment of banner people and it was the basal garment for the Manchus in Northeast China.

Cheongsam is a tight-fitting one-piece Chinese dress for women. It is known in Mandarin Chinese as the qípáo 旗袍 and is also known in English as a Mandarin gown.

The original qípáo was wide and loose covering most of the woman's body, revealing only the head, hands, and the tips of the toes. The baggy nature of the clothing conceals the figure of the wearer of any age.

The modernised qípáo was created in the 1920s in Shanghai and made fashionable by socialites and upper class women as it accentuates the figures of women. As Western fashions changed, the basic qípáo design changed too, introducing high-necked sleeveless dresses, bell-like sleeves, floral painting dress, art painting dress and mini qípáo dress.

Qípáo features strong national flavour and embodies the beauty of Chinese traditional costume. It has also become a symbol of the oriental traditional costume.

CHANGSHAN

Changshan, a traditional Chinese dress, is the male equivalent of the women's cheongsam and are traditionally worn in pictures, weddings, and other more formal historically Chinese events. It is a loose fitting long shirt or gown that buttons across the chest and down the side with traditional Chinese frog buttons. Changshan features a Mandarin Collar with an inner detachable collar. There are side slits on either side. Changshan may be worn full length, calf length or knee length.

Changshan are not often worn today except during traditional Chinese celebrations. A black Changshan, along with a round black hat, was, and sometimes still is, the burial attire for Chinese men.

By Jer Ying.