Transcript Malay Clothing and Costume

Appreciation To Malay Culture
• Modest clothing for women is a head covering
called a 'hijab'.
• Clothing should not attract attention or be
worn to show off.
• Clothing must cover the entire body; only the
hands and face may remain visible.
• The material must not be so thin that one can
see through it.
• Clothing must hang loose so that the shape of
the body is not shown off.
• The woman's clothing must not resemble the
man's clothing, nor should the man's
clothing resemble the woman's.
• Women shouldn't artificially lengthen their
hair with wigs or weaves, nor have tattoos.
• A Muslim should not wear clothing to look like
a non-Muslim.
• Men's robes or shirts should extend down from
halfway below the shin but over the ankles, but
not so long as to trail behind on the ground.
While praying in a mosque, clothing should
be plain and not be distracting.
• A man's hair might be criticized if it was
shoulder-length or longer.
• Baju Kurung:The
Malay traditional
costume for women
is called the baju
kurung. It comprises
a loose tunic, the
baju, worn over a
long skirt or the
sarung.
The revival can be credited to Vicki Dutton who was a top Malay model (in Singapore), a dress designer
and beautician. While still in convent school in Kedah, Vicki had the ingenious idea of stitching up the
Malay Sarong and putting a zip in it. The design of the kebaya Vicky probably took from
the Indonesian baju Bandung. This has been described as a "baju with a sort of
frontal covering which comes to a few inches above the waist, added to the
kebaya".
But wheras the women from Sumatrahad worn their baju Bandung with an eightinch wide and ten-foot long sash tightly wound round the waist, Vicky, by putting
in zip and modern style waistband, had dispensed with both Indonesian sash and
Peranakan silver belt.
THE ORIGIN OF THE SARONG
To the people of South East Asia, the sarong has been the main item of clothing,
both for men and women. Where as in the West, men wore trousers while women
wore skirts. In South East Asia, both men and women wore the sarong. Indeed, for
the islander male in the hot tropics, the sarongs has been up till today, the only
thing they wore! How or where did it all began?
According to Duarte Barbosa, a Portuguese writer, the Malay man of Malacca wore
only a sarong for everyday pursuits at the beginning of the 15th century. It was a
home spun garment- spun from banana or pineapple fibre and coloured with
vegetable dyes--reaching from the waist tot he calf or ankle, with its end unsewn.
It was a garment that had endless practical uses. Besides being worn as everyday
apparel, it could be pulled up to cover the whole of the body when retiring to bed,
or used as a bathing cloth (adult Malays do not bathe naked in rural areas). It was
also used as a cradle, a litter or a carrying bag. It also served as a shroud. Can
you think of any other garment that serves
WEARING THE SARONG
Traditionally the
Malay and the Baba men have worn it without a belt. They step into the
loose cloth which has been stitched down the length. Then they pulled the
voluminous garment up to their waist. The surplus material is usually
folded inwards, from each side of the stomach creating a single pleat down
the side of the body. The, the double folds of the extra width are rolled
neatly and tightly down to sit securely at the waist, forming a natural
waistband. Women fold their sarongs differently from men and they would
usually wear a silver-lined belt.
• Immortalised by
Singapore Airlines
stewardesses, the
sarong kebaya was
the rage of the
1960s. It
accentuates the
woman's figures
and assets.
• Among the
muslimat, another
mandatory piece of
clothing is the
scarf called either
the tudung or
selendang
•Jubah: Though
not really Malay in
origin, the jubah is
a loose robe that
hides the figure. .
• It is a loose shirt worn over a sarung or a
pair of trousers.
• The more elaborate ones will also don a
kain samping- a piece of brocade
(songket) tied around the waist, and
trousers to match the shirt.
• To complete their ensemble, a headdress
called a songkok is worn.
• This is normally made of velvet.
Headdresses are encouraged during
prayers, and the songkok has become an
indispensible part of the Malay man's
costume.