The Kebaya

I am a self-confessed embroidery lover. But not all kinds of embroidery though, just the pretty and intricate ones. Usually floral motifs. I don't know where or how my obsession began so maybe it is because of this. For the longest time now, I've always have a thing for the kebaya. Traditional costume for the women of Malay Archipelago, the origins of kebaya can be traced back to the early Arabian and Portuguese merchants who frequented the Far Eastern entreports. In the past, the kebaya was worn only by aristocrats and the style eventually trickled down to the commoners who simplified the style with lesser embellishment, lower-quality materials and plainer colours. The kebaya, a tight fitting tunic blouse made of sheer fabrics like voile, georgette, organza (did I mention this is another soft spot of mine??) or cotton gauze has an open front fastened with kerongsang and fold back (shawl) collar. The Straits Chinese or Peranakan adopted the kebaya as their costume since the late 15th century and still remains iconic in their customs today.

Kebaya is a tight fitting tunic blouse
with long sleeves and embroidery

Kebaya is usually made of sheer fabrics

Kebaya has open front and with fold
back collar. Some are also collarless
but with embroidery on the edges

Kebaya is worn with sarong

The open front is fastened with kerongsang

Embroidery is featured all along the edges of the
collar, hem and sleeve hem

2 common varieties of kebaya - kebaya pandek
and kebaya labuh

The kebaya is still iconic today, especially  for
the Peranakan community

Different styles of the kebaya

All images sourced from Google Images