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| It's fashionable for couples to wear matching sets of traditional costumes |
When Temenggong Abu Bakar Sri
Maharaja succeeded the throne, His Royal Highness was residing in Teluk
Belanga, Singapore and during his reign, the popularity of this style of
dressing flourished.
As it was widely
worn in Johor during his reign, in 1862 it was recognised as the baju kurung Teluk Belanga. In 1866 Temenggong Abu Bakar Sri Maharaja
took the title of Sultan Abu Bakar and developed Tanjung Puteri, the land now
known as Johor Bahru.
Generally, baju
kurung refers to the lady’s costume while baju Melayu refers to a men’s costume.
A simple interpretation of kurung means to ‘confine and encase’ the
body and with the introduction of Islam, the Malay concept of ‘kurung’ is
generally regarded as a loose-flowing, long and comfortable garment that modestly
covers the entire body.
Another special
feature of this traditionally hand-sewn garment is how its bodice and double
panels of seams are fastened together with pesak
or comfortable gussets in the underarms.
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| The round collar of the baju kurung Teluk Belanga |
The men
and lady’s versions of this traditional costume are distinguished by the number
of patch pockets – three pockets in the men’s costume but only one medium-size
breast pocket on the left in the lady’s costume.
The baju Melayu features one small breast patch pocket on
the left and two palm-size, right and left pockets on the front bottom edge of
the shirt. This top is worn with
trousers that are cut in a loose Chinese design.
The
typical feature of the baju kurung Teluk Belanga is its round collar that has a
slit, the length of the span between finger and thumb.
The edges of the collar are hemmed in tulang
belut (eel bones) stitches and fastened by a single stud. This costume so characterised the Malay
community in Johor that it soon became known as the baju Melayu Johor.
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| Models showing off various styles of the Johor Baju Kurung |
Even though
changing fashion and personal tastes have modified the outfit with new
features, the modern costumes still retains the unique characteristics of the
original baju kurung.
For instance, the
lady’s long skirt or kain made up of a 2-meter sarong is always fastened
on the left side, usually with 5 to 6 pleats in the ombak mengalun or
‘rolling waves’ style.
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| Models wearing the Baju Melayu in a distinctly Johor style |
In a uniquely
Johor style baju melayu, a calf-length kain
dagang or samping is worn over
the trousers but under the shirt in the baju melayu berkain dagang dalam
style.
Men may also wear the kain dagang
over the outer garment in an alternative baju melayu berkain dagang luar
style where the sarong is pleated at the front center and folded down twice
with a neat, flat waistband. This smart
ensemble is completed by a Johor-style 4-inch high songkok or velvet hat
and leather thong sandals or chapal.
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| The kain dagang was a versatile column of fabric worn in various ways |
In ancient
times, the lady’s kain dagang was a versatile column of fabric with multi uses. It may be used as a head covering to
protect against the elements, a receptacle to carry firewood or fruits and for
special occasions, it is an accessory to dress-up the ensemble.
By the 1950’s many ladies replaced the kain
dagang with other head-dresses.
In the
1940’s selendang or shawls became fashionable and were used as
head-coverings and accessories especially for attending weddings and public
events.
Ladies’ footwear
are slip-on sandals embroidered with gold threads called kasut seret or selipar
bertekat, that are teamed with anklets of solid silver or gold.
The wealthy may further accessorise with a
pair of matching bangles or gelang pintal and a long necklace but her
crowning glory is usually coiffeured into a knot or sanggul.
In those days, some
of the popular hairstyles were the sanggul lintang angin, a chignon
shaped in the number “8” that was so named because it allows good ventilation. Another elegant hairdo was the sanggul
manja, a knot that rested at the nape.
The “midday knot” or sanggul pukul 12 tengah-hari, made popular
by HRH Sultanah Aminah, was also known as siput Sultanah Aminah. Typical hair accessories to dress-up these
neat knots are cocok sanggul and fragrant flowers such as roses and
jasmine with a sprig of daun jermin.
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| A model wearing her hair designed with the sanggul lintang angin |
Another popular
style that evolved from the baju melayu Teluk Belanga is the baju Melayu Cekak
Musang, a style that features a polo neck created by a firm collar that
measures approximately 2.5cm high from the nape.
This attire, made popular during the reign of
Sultan Sir Ibrahim Ibni Sultan Abu Bakar, is still making a bold fashion statement today.
Now with the
passing of traditional tailors, the skill for sewing traditional costumes is an
art that is gradually disappearing.
There
was a time when sewing was among the most sought-after wifely qualities but
modern women seem to have lost the passion for sewing clothes.
In fact, many wearers of the traditional
costume today may not even be aware of the outfit’s interesting features and
their significant historical references.
As dressing up
in new clothes is part of the Hari Raya tradition, there is often a pre-Raya
rush to buy fabrics and have them tailored into several sets of baju kurung or
baju melayu.
Most tailors are deluged
with orders as many families now follow the trend in dressing in matching
traditional costumes for Raya. But those
who missed the tailoring dates won’t fret because they can shop for ready-made
costumes and be spoilt for choice as there are wide varieties to pick from that
are even modified with modern features for ease of wear.
The baju kurung Teluk Belanga continues to
be developed and is now worn in honour of the late sultan.
The
timeless elegance of Johor’s traditional baju kurung and baju Melayu reflects
the ethical and traditional values of the cultured and conservative Malay
community in Johor and are worn with pride not only at festive seasons but also
for weddings and formal events. In spite
of changing fashion trends, traditional costumes are certainly here to stay.
A version of this article was published in the August issue of The Iskandarian
Photo Credits: Models are from Yayasan Warisan Johor or the Johor Heritage Foundation.
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