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 eight-inch 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.

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

THE ORIGIN OF THE SARONG

                                             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.