Traditional wear - Baju Melayu / Songkok

Getting to Wisma Yakin, in Masjid India I had to wend through the busy crowds. It was noon when I made a beeline there to seek out the tailors of the Baju Melayu, a traditional Malay outfit for men and the songkok, headdress for men too. Wisma Yakin, by repute, is the popular place to get these clothings, especially during the month of Ramadhan.

It was a pleasant visit as I strolled into the shops. The shopkeepers gladly satisfied my curiosity as I asked questions pertaining to the Baju Melayu and the songkok.

I popped into Omar Ali shop, a family run business since 1948. Today, the business is in the capable hands of Omar Ali's daughter. There, Encik Abdul Rahman was busy cutting material for a Baju Melayu outfit. I found out he started as an apprentice at Omar Ali but today after 20 years of loyal service, he's done well.In fact, he's now the chief cutter. He says he only takes clients' measurements and cuts the materials. The sewing is passed on to another person. At a leisurely pace, he completes 7 -8 orders per day. Come big occasions like Hari Raya or Awal Muharram, the orders rocket to over 1000 and more !! I commented that business is good and he smiled in agreement.

The Baju Melayu is a Malay shirt with long sleeves, a standing collar and a pair of matching trousers. The samping (skirt) of the kain songket is worn at the waist to complete the dressing.

I learned there are 3 types of collars : teluk belanga, cheong sam and cekak musang. 'It was our Tunku who popularised the 'cheong sam' collar which has 3 button holes,'said Encik Abdul Rahman. However, the cekak musang collar, with 5 button holes is the most popular. The teluk belanga is collarless and it does not need any buttons. Customers can choose from a big variety of buttons - plain gold stubs, gem -like stones of various colours too.

In the shop are samples of the Baju Melayu shirts which are paired with different colours of the kain songket. This is to help the customer make their choices.Indeed, when the men stride out in their outfits, they look handsomely dressed.

There is a wide range of kain songket ( brocaded cloth) to choose from for the samping(' skirt'). Encik Abdul Rahman showed me the richly woven kain songket and he picked the most expensive. It costs a bomb! Did I hear RM 9,000.00? Well, it's hand woven and the gold threads make the intricate design so dazzingly beautiful. Hence the price.

He assured me the artisans from Trengganu, on the East coast of Malaysia make the best kain songket. Other kain songket are imported from Pakistan and India. Prices of course vary according to the materials and the intricacy of pattern of the gold threads.

For the young ones, there is the smaller version of the Baju Melayu and samping though the latter is already stitched like a skirt to make wearing easier.

There's no lack of songkok in Wisma Yakin. Shelves and table tops are stacked with songkoks, the traditional male headress. Black is the colour of songkoks worn, be it for weddings or funerals. The adult songkok size starts at 21 inches and the largest size measures 23inches ,the increment is one quarter of an inch for another size. It is made of cotton, velvet and some sport a satin border or varied colours of the kain songket.

The songkok is equally an important part of the dressing up for the men. Encik Abdul Rahman says business is brisk during the different important religious dates in the calendar year.

Skt. Ali Omar Ynus
17 Wisma Yakin
Jalan Masjid India, 50100 Kuala Lumpur