Baju Melayu lelaki or also known as Baju Kurung laki by Singaporeans are generally used during Eid, wedding and other events such as kenduri tahlil and doa selamat.
Not many are familiar with the history of the Baju Melayu for men. Rather than ranting on about the history, here is a little summary as to how it came about.
The Baju Melayu came about around more than 700 years ago brought by the idea and decree from Sultan Muhammad Syah. Through the years, the style and pattern has evolved. Speaking of styles of baju melayu, two stands out and remains till today. The Cekak Musang and Teluk Belangah Johor.
The Teluk Belangah Johor is round necked with only 1 button. This button is often already attached to the baju melayu and it’s meaning means One God the Almighty Allah swt.
Then there is the Cekak Musang. For those of you who do not know, there are meanings towards having 7 buttons, 5 buttons and even 4 buttons. Originally (and most popular) is the 5 buttoned Cekak Musang which represents the 5 pillars of Rukun Islam. The 7 Buttoned Cekak Musang is very rare and not well known. It was said that it was used and made for nobility. Then there are 4 buttons which, like the 7 buttoned cekak musang, is also rare and not as familiar. The 4 buttons represents the four sides of Kaabah.
Hari Raya
One of the most interesting part of celebrating Hari Raya is choosing the outfit for the family. With the different choices and variations of colors, most of us will always anticipate the celebration with the opportunity to do the best dress with the rest of our family members. The choosing part of your Hari Raya outfit can be very overwhelming but yet, fun!
You can usually see a sea of colors during Raya Aidilfitri of families wearing the same color with the same design or different colors with same design to singles in beautifully clad attire. There will be people who wear simple designs or cuts of baju melayu while there will be others who will adorn bunches of jewelleries.
There are a number of families in Singapore and muslims all over the world who will go beyond to show their bond by wearing the exact same color and design of outfits. How about you? Ofcourse, there will be minor difference in style of attire for ladies, such as different hijabs, necklace, earrings, handbags and for men would be type of songkok, sampin, chapal, slippers or formal shoes. Doesn’t it feel great when a family looks as a unit? Especially when visiting relatives and they ask which ones are your siblings or spouses or kids. It is so easy to say “ oh! The person is wearing the same as me” and proceed to call the person-in-question’s name.
However, not everyone likes wearing the same design, so they choose to wear the same or similar color of a different design. There are also those who are perfectly fine wearing different colors and designs of outfits from the same family. Ofcourse, nothing is right or wrong here. It does not mean that if you do not wear sedondon, your family is not tight-nit. Every individual has different tastes and background that adds to their lifestyle.
Okay let’s be honest, sometimes choosing the same color could be very cliché and not so interesting. Some days you might want to look different and stand out from the rest of your family. You could still match by being experimental with your outfit by your accessories, colour contrast or tudung design/colour to show the slight hint of a match.
Wedding
During weddings some families would wear traditional clothes as a theme. Is it not beautiful to see the malay traditional attire worn by a group of family members during weddings and labelled "grooms side"/ " Brides side" as well as "groomsmen" and "bridesmaids"? We find that the bond of silaturrahim really warms the heart in those scenes.
There are families who would go the extra mile of effort to get outfits or of the same colors and design. The view of togetherness is just so sweet and heart warming. It makes the events even more enjoyable.
Key take away:
- How to mix and match?
- Trend color?
- Where can you get it?
How to mix and match?
Matching or contrasting sampin ( aka Sampings) with songkoks and chapals for boys to men. Wonderful designs of hijabs to non-hijabsters donning outfits from baju kurung pahang to abayas. As per the outfits below, one can wear a baju kurung laki wearing the samping across his chest with traditional chapal and songkok or one wears the baju melayu with samping wrapped around his waist matched with formal shoes.
The sampin worn does not necessarily need to be of the same or similar color to the baju melayu. It can also have a contrasting base color however, with a slight tint of the same to similar color tone as the baju melayu. Interesting right? Ofcourse, this will also depend on the taste and style of an individual. Some may prefer the simple classic tone and style while others will express their fashion tastes in their own unique way.
Depending on the occasion, one is able to change the look from semi-formal to formal look with just a change of a pair of shoes, adding a watch, a kerongsang or brooch on a songkok, and even a brooch on the chest pocket. One can have an informal look if one tucks out his baju and a more clean look if tucked in. The way a samping is being worn can change the look completely.
At weddings samping are worn with it being twisted into a flower at the end. Modern day such as ours, many pak andam are rushing for time, so they have manufactured or bought ready made samping with a flower twist that can be slipped on or pasted on.
Fun fact: when a samping is worn short above the knee symbolises that a man is single and ready to mingle. While if a sampin is worn long till below the knee, it symbolises that a man is married. So, ladies, check if your man wears it right ;)
Spotlight on emerald green as a trend color.
It is found that many people's go-to color is the wonderful shade of Emerald (next to black and navy). This particular shade will never go out of trend for many years and is an evergreen trend. From small accessories for men such as socks to a whole outfit.
Ofcourse, there are many shades of Emerald or similar to Emerald. Just like in Color palettes, there are tinge of different shades that could make the color slightly different, than of the normal shade of what we know, as Emerald.
"Unlike with slime green, you don’t need to be convinced to like dark green. There’s something reassuring about a jewel tone. It’s sophisticated but not boring — The Cut"
The color emerald can be matched with many colors such as the one above. A contrasting colored samping (aka sampin) with a tint of Green in them with cream base and printed pink, orange vines with yellow, brown, purple and tiffany blue florals matched with a slim fit cekak musang baju kurung laki in an adriatic teal shade of emerald green.
Even an emerald samping matched with another type of shade of green known as cyan or light tint green makes a wonderful set. The color pops with grandeur and elegance. An outfit matched with formal shoes and classic songkok can change the look of the outfit.
Where can you get it?
The above two particular designs can be found on our very own website by Khalifah by N. The samping however is of limited edition carried by the same brand. It is light-weight, made of soft cotton and printed. A cooling material which can be worn by ladies as a matching skirt as well. Furthermore, it is awesome for tropical Singapore and Malaysia.
How to shop confidently with Honé? We are a one stop solution for all your baju kurung needs on www.honelook.com