OCT 11 – We’ve got a good thing going here in multicultural Malaysia as far as playing dress-up goes. A close friend’s wedding is around the corner and so the question of what to wear has come up.
The girls want to “go Indian”, meaning draping ourselves in six yards of gorgeous silk saree fabric, adorning our ears with colourful and elaborate chandelier earrings and our wrists with colourful bangles.
The Indian among us will be wearing a cheongsam. My Chinese husband will wear a kurta and so will my toddler. The bride and groom will be in traditional Malay wedding attire.
What we’ll have at the end of the day is a riot of colours that will work beautifully to enliven the party.
Now if I were to attend a wedding in Hong Kong, I would likely have two choices: wear a cheongsam or play safe and wear generic western clothing.
Since I will likely look like a sack of potatoes in a cheongsam, generic it will be. Sure I could add a pop of colour with elaborate accessories but there’s so much more fun in going the whole nine yards (or six with the saree).
This is what I love about being a Malaysian. We have such a rich treasure trove of costumes to borrow from our friends and neighbours.
Growing up, my sisters and I would ring our neighbour Aunty Rani or pop over to our Uncle Chelvam’s house to have our sarees tied whenever we had an Indian wedding to attend. We would borrow jewellery from our childhood friend Manveet.
If there was a Malay wedding or formal occasion, friends from school or work would be our sources. Chinese weddings – well, we have a huge extended family to source from. Plus there is plenty of fun hitting the shops with a gaggle of girls looking for the perfect outfit.
It doesn’t always have to be about special occasions. At my previous work place, we would declare an unofficial Punjabi suit day, which would add a bit of excitement to an otherwise mundane day. It was also a good excuse to wear loose, comfortable clothing and still look presentable for work.
Comfort and style are certainly the selling points of wearing traditional wear. You can’t go wrong wearing a baju kurung or Punjabi suit to cover say the Sultan’s birthday celebrations at the palace. Try getting past security in a mid-thigh skirt or sports jacket and jeans.
Right now, with 17 hours to tomorrow’s wedding banquet, I am going through my mother’s collection of cheongsam and my sister’s Punjabi suits. Or for the sake of practicality – I imagine it will be highly challenging running after my son in a saree – I might just throw a black dress together with Indian jewellery and a red brocade clutch.
I would like to see more clothes and jewellery inspired by the many ethnic groups in our country. It would be interesting to have a hobo bag embellished with the silver coins worn on the belt of Kadazandusun women or vests inspired by the Iban warrior’s costume.
It is not an original thought but fashion truly can educate and unite different cultures.
I once tried, rather ignorantly, to buy a set of exquisite red and ivory-coloured bangles only to be refused by the shop owner who then explained that they are worn exclusively by the bride at Sikh weddings. That was an interesting nugget of information.
We have a friend visiting from Wuhan, China, and she has her heart set on owning a kebaya after seeing it on the airline crew.
If a first-timer to our country can see the beauty in a dress so different from her culture, surely we should be proud of it too. After all, who better to show off our heritage to the world than ourselves, decked from head to toe in what’s truly Malaysia.
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No way! ..Did I hear the angry shouts from some religious heads in Malaysia?