global challenge: traditional garb from your country of origin

since bella has gotten the ball rolling with istanbul street style, i thought i'd start the thread for traditional wear! hopefully lots of you will want to share

okay, malaysia is home to many different ethnicities and cultures, including chinese and indians, but the majority of the population is malay (i am malay, with a teensy bit of chinese mixed in). there are many variations of our traditional costume, but the two principal ones are "baju kurung" and "baju kebaya."

baju kurung is looser in fit and is therefore a more multipurpose outfit -- you could wear it to family occasions where you need to be able to sit on the floor, or roll up your sleeves to help in the kitchen, or you would wear it to the mosque for any social activities. which is not to say it isn't worn on more formal occasions like weddings - it's just more convenient for a wider range of activities. it all depends on the fabric and the adornments -- beading, embroidery, what have you.

baju kebaya, because it is tighter and more restrictive, is generally reserved for occasions when you need proper finery, like weddings or eid. they are also usually fancier, with beadings and fine cloth.

gosh, i'm having so much trouble describing these -- perhaps a photo would be better!

this is me in a baju kebaya i wore as my sister's maid of honor ("pengapit" as we call it) -- note the sheer fanciness, i've never worn this particular kebaya again! it's far too ornate for most occasions i attend:
http://i220.photobucket.com/al.....ion038.jpg

this group picture will better show the differences. three kebayas, and a baju kurung on the far right. you'll also see the difference between this kebaya and the one i wore before -- a little less fancy here:
http://i220.photobucket.com/al.....C_3539.jpg

phew, long explanations! now show me yours?

16 years ago

Anonymous

Hanna, this is so interesting and the clothes are beautiful. The baju kebaya you are wearing in the first photo is just gorgeous! You need to find occasions to wear it more, although it doesn't look like it'd work as smart casual with a denim jacket :o) Thank you for sharing.

bella

(website)

Veteran

Thank you for the write-up Hanna! I always admired the traditional malay outfits, now I know their names and differences. You look great in both outfits. Like Joy, I wish you could wear them more often.

Sarah

Lovely, hanna! I love traditional clothing. I grew up very close to both Filipino and Vietnamese cultures, and was often given traditional clothing as gifts growing up. I loved it. Unfortunately I no longer have any of the clothing (but my mom does, hmmm) or I'd share photos.

Sihaya

Hanna - these are gorgeous. The one you say is too dressy - I'd still encourage you to wear - you look so great in it and the color is just perfect for you. Thank you so much for sharing.

Patience

Just gorgeous. Hanna, that first one is especially killer. I also wish you could wear it more. Thank you for sharing.

Angie

Fashion Stylist

Stunning! LOVE it. Yours is loveliest! My late Mum had a few kebayas (she was half Indonesian). So beautiful :0)

Thankyou for sharing these beautiful photos with us. The fabric is so gorgeous.
Did you are someone close to you make the pieces for you?
Does baju mean dress?

hanna

Active Member

wow, what positive responses! i'm glad, because i love my culture and i absolutely love being in kurungs and kebayas :). i jump at the chance to wear them -- usually weddings, religious events, or eid.

i have quiet a number of both kebayas and kurungs because, just as you do during chinese new year or any number of celebrations, new clothes are a big deal for eid :). san, these pieces can be bought off the rack, but many of my special occasion kebayas are tailor-made -- fit is so very important in a kebaya! since i am not home, my mother often just chooses material for the top and bottom, either at a local store or on her travels in thailand or vietnam - and has her tailor make it in my measurements (it helps not to have grown or shrunk too much!) and has it mailed here for eid. although, in the second photo, the sarong was tailor-made and my mom bought the top to match at a department store.

angie, i didn't know your mother was half-indonesian! do you speak any bahasa indonesia or own any kebayas?

oops, forgot to add - baju does mean dress, or actually 'clothes' in general

Maya

How lovely Hanna! I find that all over Asia, no matter how different the cultures are, one thing they all seem to have in common is GORGEOUS textiles!

I always get grilled for saying this, but I absolutely hate wearing saris. If I need to get decked out in Indian clothes, I much prefer these:

http://blog.handmadeinindia.or.....alwar.html

I do not have any at the moment. The last time I went to India was when I was 17 and don't go shopping here for Indian clothing. I prefer the ones that look like tunics and leggings or skinnies to the ones that have the harem-like pants.

I often mix it up a bit when the occasion is right: wear an Indian tunic with jeans or something like that. I wonder if any of your native garb could be incorporated that way so you could get more use out of it.

Kristen

Oh, those are just gorgeous, Hanna! The one from your sister's wedding is a stunnign color on you. I think you should wear it more often, for sure.

Kari

Hanna, you look absolutely beautiful. Thanks for the explanation & demo of the differences between baju kurung and baju kebaya. The kebaya you wore at the wedding is amazing and such a lovely fabric! (We haven't really seen you in pink very often either, have we?)

Debora

Hanna, you are stunning! Thanks so much for the explanation of Malaysian style. I feel like I've learned something new this morning! This is so interesting. Thanks for sharing!

Vani

hanna, you look amazing in the first baju kebaya. That pink is wonderful on you. I really, really like the second kebaya too, so chic. The whole process of getting traditional wear in Malaysia sounds so similar to how it is done in India. When I was younger, most of our clothes were sewn from scratch from fabric that was bought separately. Would be so much fun picking out the patterns, necklines etc. Nowadays, everybody buys a LOT of ready to wear clothing at the newly established mall stores

Eva

Hanna, you look beautiful. The baju kebaya is lovely. I enjoyed learning about the differences.

thanks, everyone! the kebaya is actually red - my sister-in-law doesn't have a very good camera, LOL.

maya, i totally understand, although coming from a country with such a large indian population, i have always wanted to try a sari! heehee. i also actually own one or two sets of of salwar kameez, and a couple of just the tops -- they are so light and comfy and breezy! i like incorporating the other malaysian cultures into my kebayas as well -- there are a couple i've had tailored with mandarin collars and traditional chinese toggle buttons in the front for a hybrid look (to go with MY hybrid looks, hehe).

anybody else have any traditional looks to share?

I know it's hard to believe, Hanna when you see very Nordic – looking me. I guess I ended up with an Asian-ish body type, though. My brother ended up with a Dutch body type. Interesting how that works out.

I make lots of Indonesian food and know the Bahasa words for them. I can count to 10 and know the odd phrase but that’s it. My late Mum was fluent and lived in Jakarta for the first 19 years of her life. The Dutch colonized Indonesia so there are lots of Indonesian people living in the Netherlands and lots of mixed marriages (of which my parents were one). In fact Indonesian food has become the national food of the Netherlands! Much like Indian food has become the national food of the UK. A small world!

I have a few of Mama’s batik kebayas. I treasure them. Where your kebayas as often as you can, hanna!

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