Get To Know Types Of Baju Raya For Those Still Figuring Out What To Wear This Eid (Part 1: Men’s Edition)

Subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest stories and updates.

---

Eid is just two weeks away and some of us still do not have our own Baju Raya clothing yet.

If you still haven’t got your baju raya yet, here are a few types of standard clothing types for men to help you make your choice.

Just to be clear, this article just mentions the type of clothes. There are a lot of other factors influencing a great outfit, including the fabric, type of stitches, and patterns. Those, are topics for another day.

Hang on to your seats because there’ll be a lot of interesting choices and Malay tailoring terms that’ll get you polishing your fashion sense.

Here we go.

Men

Baju Melayu Teluk Belanga

Baju Melayu Teluk Belanga is synonymous with Johor as it is also called Baju Melayu Johor. Hailing from Teluk Belanga, a place in Singapore, it reigned in popularity in the Johor Sultanate once upon a time.

This outfit can be worn by both men and women, with men’s hemlines at hip length and women’s hemlines at knee length. Men’s design has three pockets (one at the top, two at the bottom) in front while women’s don’t. The most prominent feature of this shirt is the neckline.

The Teluk Belanga shirt is an open collarless neckline, usually equipped with one button and embroidered with stitches at the neckline such as tulang belut, mata lalat, karipap, and insang pari to give it a finely exquisite touch.

Besides that, men also don this outfit with a samping (sarong of rough fabric worn from the waist to the knees) using a Berdagang Dalam (the sarong is tied under the shirt) style.

Baju Melayu Cekak Musang

Although it also originated from Johor, Baju Melayu Cekak Musang is very popular around the northern and middle parts of Malaysia.

The name actually describes the type of standing collar with multiple buttons (from three buttons to four buttons, they all have different meanings traditionally) along the top chest.

This type of baju melayu is usually accompanied by a samping dressed in a Berdagang Luar (the sarong is tied outside of the shirt) style. Depending on which boutique or tailor you have, this shirt can also have three pockets or just one at the top left of the shirt.

Did you know there are various ways to tie up a Samping with various meanings? Check them out here.

Baju Melayu Moden (Slim Fit)

Now that times are changing, fashion is also changing.

Usually, traditional Baju Melayu (both types) have an extra cloth called Pesak & Kekek sewn on under the armpits for a looser and more flexible movement for the wearer. But modern ones usually omit these features, making it a fitter, smaller and sleeker look.

Although this is just a personal preference, most modern baju melayu doesn’t have pockets. But it still depends on which boutique or tailor you go to.

Kurta

With Persian and Indian roots, this tunic is becoming an evergreen fashion attire for events and ceremonies in many parts of the world, including Southeast Asia.

A traditional kurta has a long knee-length hemline (slit on the sides) with a collarless neckline. They can have pockets too, on both sides of the kurta. However, Malaysians always find a way to improve the design and make it modern, a.k.a. slim fit.

Nowadays, the kurta in Malaysia has various necklines, from Teluk Belanga and Cekak Musang to combining both of them. Usually, a kurta here only refers to the shirt and baju melayu comes in a set with the same coloured shirt and trousers. They may have pockets according to the designer but they would most probably be located at the top left of the shirt.

Now those are some of the choices of Baju Raya for men. Wanna know some of the choices for women? Stay tuned for Part 2 where we’ll analyse the difference between Baju Kurung, Kebaya and more.

---

Share your thoughts with us on TRP’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.