Dress Your man!

Make a splash with big motifs

It was a hive of activity at the National Craft Day, Kraftangan, Jalan Conlay. Ladies were browsing and buying. I was just looking and hoping to find something I like, better still at a bargain .

Then, HE caught my eye - poor fella, he cut such a lonely figure. All dressed so handsomely but people just passed him by!

There and then I thought it'd be good to share some clothes that our men wear with my Readers. I do not have to go far especially for batik. Step into a wedding reception and you're likely to see guests smartly dressed in long sleeve batik shirts. Or even any informal occasion. The younger men have the more trendy wear which makes a fashion statement. Batik need not have the old tag of being unfashionable. Times have changed. There's plenty of choices in our shopping malls, high street shops, bazaars.

I can't say Malaysian men are 'boring' when it comes to batik wear. Our formal events state ' batik long sleeve/ suit' for the dress code. Many do strut out in batik. That's when colours lift their appearance. Did I read somewhere that certain days in the week, our civil officers are required to wear batik for a Malaysian - kind of identity ?

Recently, I took some visitors from India to the Kraftangan Centre. The designs and colours can appear rather bold to outsiders but choices are immense. Like any fashion, follow your style! Choose the colours that complement your skin tone. Our garment designers seem to favour leaves and flowers as motifs. Just keep some notes in your wallet, or the plastic, if preferred.

Afer paying close attention to these guys and what they wear, I think I should be in a better position to offer advice and dress MY man well. Go ahead, give YOUR man ideas and make him stand out in the crowd !

Crosses, squiggles etc all make a carefree look

Boldly accented shirt

Different shades complement to make you stand out in the crowd.

It's always summer here but autumnal tones are welcome

Our orchid makes a subtle impact

When the dress code says 'smart casual', I guess this will do fine!

Pink and wearable - at least it shows you're in the pink of health!

How's this for a tiffin lunch with the family?

Contemporary design and the favourite black too

Be brave! - orange is in !

Get ready to party! Beside every man, there is a lovely woman too:)

The Nyonya kebaya

Our artisans are the treasures of our Malaysian heritage. Seeing them at work, keeping the traditions alive, makes us proud of them. After all, one's heritage is too precious to be lost .

I chanced upon Kim, a Nyonya kebaya expert at work at the Kuala Lumpur Craft Complex, Jalan Conlay, Kuala Lumpur. The Centre is located in the 'golden triangle' of KL business district. It is one of my favourite places to visit when there are gifts to buy, especially for friends overseas

Kim was taking part in a bridal exhibition. I saw her engrossed at her sewing machine moving the hoop around to embroider some flowers. She hails from Penang and is keeping the tradition of embroidering the Nyonya kebaya alive.

She started as early as age 12 and the business still continues there. 'Dedication is part of the discipline in this job. Of course, loving the craft too'. I couldn't agree more with her. Seeing the wonderful, intricate art before me.

I couldn't take my eyes off the lovely blouses. The colours were so stunning and the work so intricate that mastery of one's art says it all. Mind you, the price tag is hefty but think of the hours spent. Beauty has a price !

The Nyonya kebaya is a glamorous, eye-catching , translucent, figure - hugging embroidered blouse. It is worn with a batik sarong by Peranakan ladies. You can even wear it for formal occasions . The Nyonya kebaya lady completes the look with the cucuk sanggul (hair pin), the kerosang (3 pin brooches) to fasten the kebaya, the silver belt and the beaded shoes.

cucuk sanggul

kerongsang

silver belt

Beaded shoes
(photo credits: cucuk sanggul , kerosang, silver belt , beaded shoe to 'The nyonya kebaya' book by Datin Seri Endon Mahmood)

Exquisite kebaya on a model.

The usual floral motifs are on the collar edges, lapik( 2 triangular front panels that fall over the hips of the wearer) and back. Flowers such as daisies, tulips, roses, chrysanthemums, jasmines and orchids are common motifs besides animal designs like phoenixes and dragons.

Kim is a master embroiderer herself , an art which she has at the tip of her fingers to sew the intricate patterns I saw on the models and hanging on the rack. An apprentice can learn how to sew within 2-3 years but mastery of the skill takes a lifetime!

For some, the Nyonya kebaya form their owner's precious heritage, so they are kept within the family and not loaned to others.

The fabric for the Nyonya kebaya is voile, sheer light weight material which comes in an astounding array of colours. Nowadays, the cost is kept down by using organdie/organza or sheer polyester. High quality cotton , silk threads from Japan, France and Germany are used .

When the patterns are sewn, it is truly a harmony of riotious colours. Colour is very important in determining occasions. The wearer can never fail to get a string of compliments as the Nyonya kebaya accentuates a woman's feminity :)

The finer the cut-work , the more expensive the Nyonya kebaya. Thread scissors do the cut -work process whereby a piece of material is cut out of the fabric after the material has been embrioidered thus creating 'holes'. This helps to emphasize design and translucency of cloth.

I had to go through piles of photos taken years back when I took part ( small !) in a musical play , 'Reunion', staged at the Petaling Jaya Civic Centre in 1994. Those were the heady days when anything was possible!! Here I am with my friends, part of the Peranakan clan.

Me as Jee Chim ( Second Aunt)
Chan Nyim as Mak (Mother)
Wilson as one of the teenage sons of the various members of the Khoo family

A very brief background of the Nyonyas. It is always in the same breath one hears Babas (men) and Nyonyas (women) , when there is mention of this special group of people known as Peranakans.

'Peranakan Cina (Peranakan is a Malay term meaning that a person is native by birth, usually of mixed blood)are a sub- ethnic group of the Chinese community whose culture and lifestyle is a fusion of Chinese and Malay influences.'

Many traders came from China to Malacca, one of the 3 Straits Settlements, former British trading posts. It's hard to know for sure how the Chinese adopted the ways of the Malays to give us a heritage culture of which we know as Baba Nyonya. In the mid 19th till early 20th century ,the Babas and Nyonyas enjoyed the high life and dressing well was required to maintain the status in society . To this day, the culture of the Babas and Nyonyas is very much alive in Malacca, Penang and Singapore.


Reference: the nyonya kebaya
Showcase of nyonya kebayas from the collection
of Datin Seri Endon Mahmood

Kim fashion and trading
Nyonya Kebaya Embroidery
170 -4-77 Gurney Plaza
Penang, Malaysia
Tel: 012 490 5900

Kuala Lumpur Craft Complex
Sect. 63 , Jalan Conlay ,50450 Kuala Lumpur

tel: + 6 03 2162 7459
http://www.kraftangan.gov.my

Undye-ing love for Batik

It was one of those days when anything fancy takes flight. I decided to stroll at the Artists' Colony, Jalan Conlay, KL. There one can meet many artists, have a friendly chat, admire their works and do it all so leisurely from one hut to another. I met Jon Bagul in one of the huts he shares with a fellow batik artist. Jon Bagul is a batik tulis (hand drawn)artist and he hails from Kota Belud, Sabah.

I think I woke him from his reverie as I popped my head towards the table where he was seated. In between puffs of his cigarette, he welcomed me. Jon was in his element. Guess I was the first visitor in the mid morning. He introduced himself as John Travolta's kin when I asked him his name. Really, he is Abdul Latif Magit. With pride he said he could dance the floor just like the real John!

For all his cheekiness, he's a soft-spoken guy. Proudly he showed me his album of photos. Since 2002, Jon Bagul's second home is where all the dyes, brushes, cantings and wax reside. The artist spends the entire week , all for the love of batik and to make a living.

My eyes caught the big piece of batik tulis stretched across the metal frame. It's a special order by a Swedish lady. 'She wants it like this piece here,' he said pointing to a 5 feet x 4 feet piece framed. Lovely piece! - of heliconias which are one of my favourite flowers too. When done, it will grace her living room thousands of miles away from Malaysia.

I think batik needs only little introduction to my readers. Although its origins is in the Malay Archipelago, batik is found in many countries the world over. In Malaysia, demand for batik tulis is more than batik chap. In recent years, Malaysian batik has garnered international attention. The late Datin Seri Endon Mahmood's vision to put Malaysia on the world map has seen success.

So, what is batik? It is a wax-resisting dyeing technique used on textile. The cloth is usually cotton but it can be silk. The pattern is left unwaxed. When the cloth is put into the dye, the waxed parts aren't dyed and are left uncoloured. The wax is removed by washing in water. The process is repeated for different dyes till the final result is achieved.

With a canting in his hand, Jon guided the nifty tool and drew the lines and curves. The hot, melted wax flowed fluidly from the small copper cup at the other end of the canting. Believe me, you need steady hands and concentration to achieve that. I've tried before and they were broken lines like sleepers on a railway track! Not forgetting the blobs of wax dripped here and there for the unintentional design!!

As it is hand drawn, no two pieces are the same. One must be prepared to pay the price for this laborious fine art.


Batik is fashion everywhere - be it on the beach as pareos, bikinis or for the high fashion, in homes to adorn - curtains, pillows, deco pieces. As far as your imagination stretches, you can wear batik!

I asked Jon why he was in Kuala Lumpur. 'This is the big city. There's no money in a small place.' And he appears to have made the right move. For how long can one subsist on the love of one's passion without being able to 'cari makan' ( make a living)? He even tried to market his art on his website. Visitors gave him encouraging comments but the 'Wows' weren't good enough without the purchases. So he decided to change strategy. Now he runs a one man business among the other artists in the colony. Tourists and locals pop in and they recognise his talent and orders are made.

It's been 15 years since he started batik painting. Now he is a happier man and I can sense you cannot tear the man from his art. His undye-ing love for batik flourishes daily . I wished him well. Will definitely bump into him again.

Jon Bagul/ Abdul Latif Magit
Kompleks Kraf Kuala Lumpur
Section 63, Jalan Conlay
50450 Kuala Lumpur