I never had a “pret a porter” Baju Kurung
Telok Belanga or Baju Kurung Chekak Musang. Most, if not all, my Baju Kurung,
even those for school, were tailor made. The in-seams are hand-sewn. Only the
hems are machined together. The sarong? I was taught by my mother to tie my own
sarong, even the sarong I wore to school.
I can sew my own Baju Kurung but I would let
my mother finished up the neckline. I hadn’t mastered the tulang belut
technique. I tried learning from my grandmother and my mother but they gave up
on me. They find it difficult to teach a left hander how to do the tulang
belut.
As time evolves, so have the Baju Kurung
Telok Belanga and Baju Kurung Chekak Musang.
Today, both baju styles come in a variety
of interesting - and colourful - designs, including batik, and other materials.
The baju on the rack in departmental stores and boutiques are mostly without
the pesak (gusset or insert, as in the seam of a garment, for added strength) and
kekek (godet, a triangular piece of fabric usually set into the hem of a
garment to add fullness), making them a little close fitting.
And the Baju Kurung Chekak Musang has since
become more modern, spotting a Mandarin collar and three buttons, instead of five.
The myriad of colours and patterns and
different styling and cutting have in fact taken the elegance out of these
traditional clothes.
Most Johoreans I know still go for the
original Baju Kurung Teluk Belanga and Baju Kurung Cekak Musang designs, which
date back to the 1800s. And yes, both originate from Johor.
The Baju Kurung Telok Belanga made its
first appearance during the rule of Almarhum Sultan Abu Bakar in the 1860s. It was called Baju Kurung Telok Belanga
because the Sultan was then residing in Telok Belanga in Singapore. The Baju
Kurung Chekak Musang was introduced during the administration of his son,
Almarhum Sultan Ibrahim ibni Sultan Abu Bakar (1895-1959).
The main difference between the two styles
is that the Baju Kurung Chekak Musang has a collar, while both have the unique
features of the pesak and kekek. As a result, both baju types are loose cut.
And, the Baju Kurung Telok Belanga has only
one button (a kancing) and the Baju Kurung Chekak Musang originally five
(buttons).
In the old days, the former was long,
ending slightly below the knee. Its neckline was round (still is), with a slit
in the middle and sewn neatly using stitches called Jahitan Mata Kia or Tulang
Peranggi. It had no pockets.
Later, during the administration of
Almarhum Sultan Ibrahim, the then Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Jaafar Muhammad
tweaked the design a little.
The Baju Kurung Telok Belanga's length became
shorter, ending mid-way between the waist and the knee. He also introduced
three pockets for the baju, one on the left side of the chest and two at the
bottom.
And Johor Malays then did not have the wide
choice of fabrics currently available, and they wore mainly Baju Kurung Telok
Belanga of striped silk. The Baju Kurung and samping are paired with loose-cut
Seluar Acheh or Seluar Panjut; trousers fastened with a belt.
Men from Johor would have their samping
under their baju. This is called dagang dalam. In Johor of old, commoners wore
the samping dagang dalam while the bangsawan (aristocrats) wore theirs on the
outside, or dagang luar.
To complete the look, the wearer dons a
songkok or tengkolok, especially if one is a bridegroom or a guest at an official
function. Some people try to match the colour of the songkok and samping with
that of the baju. Some do not even wear a songkok.
It pains me as a Johorean to see the
changes these new designers make to the Baju Kurung Telok Belanga or Baju
Kurung Chekak Musang. The Baju Kurung is a symbol of Malay cultural heritage.
These fashion designers should just leave the traditional clothes well alone.
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| The traditional Baju Kurung Chekak Musang vs The Baju Melayu Hipster  |
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