INTRODUCTION

Every races has their own traditional costumes  right? Same goes with Malay races. We have our own traditional costumes too. Want to know what is it? it is Baju Melayu for men and Baju Kurung for women.

         Baju Melayu  is literally translates as ‘Malay shirt’ which has two main parts. The first part is baju (long sleeves shirt). There are two types of baju which is the raise stiff collar known as cekak musang collar (literally fox’s lease) and the second is Teluk Belanga style which it does not has the raise stiff collar or placket. Instead, the opening is hemmed with stiffed stitching called tulang belut (literally eel/s spine) and ends with a small loop at the top of one side to fit a singular kancing (singular to the collars of Baju Kurung worn by women). The other part of Baju Melayu is the trousers which being made with the same type of fabric which is usually silk, cotton, or a mixture of polyester and cotton.

 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 folding on one side while, the blouse is collarless, has long sleeves, and extends to between the hips and knees. It is usually 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 expresses lively colors and geometric patterns.