Before I get down to my outfit biznizz, I'll explain a bit about the Malay culture here in Malaysia ('Malay' is a race, which I am), since a huge majority of you guys who sweetly take the time to visit Affordorable are from outside of Malaysia.
PS: Hearts to you and you and YOU <3
It is customary for Malays in Malaysia to have two weddings: the first one is done, after the solemnization (which could be on the same day or not), by the bride and her family, followed by the wedding on the groom's side, which are either held on weekends or on holidays and one week apart most of the times; both are usually done at a venue in their respective's hometown. It's also normal nowadays for a married couple to combine the weddings if they're from the same vicinity (plus you obvs save loadsa money that way!).
Weddings are always an exciting event in any family, because it's one of those moments when all family members gathered - plus I personally see them as an opportunity to get dressed up, and for me to go a little bit fancier when it comes to makeup. Like, if I have smokey eyes on at 12pm, no one should complain, because weddings are fancy and it's allowed.
Mid last month (can you guys believe it's November already???), one of my closest cousins got married, and I decided to actually buy some lace and satin to be made into a shorter-top version of the baju kurung moden (I talked about this subject a little bit in last year's Eid outfit post!). I've always LOVED visiting the lace section in fabric/textile shops, which are filled with the most beautiful materials, but a little reminder: most of the laces are pretty expensive!
I went with a light purple satin fabric and purple-and-gold lace, similar hue to my little sister's outfit, who was my cousin's maid of honour (we Malays call MoH "pengapit" here in Malaysia).
Malay men usually wear the traditional baju melayu in weddings, usually made of the same kind of satin fabric in ladies' traditional wears, paired with black songkok on the head and samping songket tied around the waist (you can see Shah modelling it below!); it's normal for couples amongst the guests in Malay weddings to be all matchy-matchy, so this time Shah bought the exact same purple satin fabric as mine for his outfit.
Unfortunately I don't have a single photo in my iPhone of the bride and the groom, but my cousin Ilya looked gorgeous in her kebaya songket - another traditonal outfit - that night!
Wearing: BCBG glitter clutch (from Ragtag Omotesando, Tokyo) | Zara olive heels (which aren't visible because my skirt was super long!) | Bow & Engel square scarf
By the way, THANK YOU for taking the time to read this post all the way through! I realised not everyone would like the "educational" part of some of my posts, but I do know that some of you enjoy reading and learning about the local culture here! Did you like the lace you see here?
To see more of my twists on the traditional Malay outfits, you can check out these posts:
- Red + Black: Wrap & Songket
- Eid Mubarak: A Green, Gold & Black Raya
- Yellow Not Mellow
- Modern-Traditional (posted wayyy back in 2014, but this is the most accurate version of baju kurung moden!)
Since I've already shown you my outfit from the bride's wedding, I'll be updating this space with my outfit from the groom's side soon! (And I'll try to find a nice photo of the bride and groom too, promise!)
I hope you guys are having a lovely start to November XO
I hope you guys are having a lovely start to November XO
*Photos by @hazriaris - huge thanks to my brother who had his trusty camera with him on this night!
Oh my goodness Liyana, what a beautiful couple you and Shah make in all of your wedding guest finery!
ReplyDeleteIt is very clear that the traditions surrounding the Malaysian, Muslim wedding require much care and attention to detail but the result is definitely worth it.
Looking back over all of the Eid celebrations and other ceremonial occasions that you included in the links it seems that you have special dresses,tops and skirts as well as scarves made for all of these events. It must be such a creative adventure to pick and choose all of the gorgeous fabrics!! I'm also assuming that you use the same seamstress most or all of the time??
It really looks like all of these beautiful ensembles are one of a kind. I really can't decide which one I like best!! Maybe the skirt with the tiny floral print on a gold background...?
I enjoyed reading about the wedding traditions and look forward to more pictures and stories about this special event.
Yes, it's actually pretty common for the ladies to make a whole day out of finding the perfect head-to-toe ensemble for Eid, and some do so for events such as weddings, too. I usually go with my sisters and mom, just so that we could help each other look for matching scarves and shoes and such; it's fun, but can get a tiny bit stressful too, to be honest, but you just have got to try to make the best out of things.
DeleteFor the past few years, I've been buying mostly ready-made tops and skirts, but I do make an exception once in a while, like this outfit, and yes, I do have one seamstress that I always go to but I don't mind using the services of other seamstresses or tailor if I know she or he is good.
I love the process of choosing the materials and fabrics and thinking what design to turn them into, but it's actually pricier to do so. My shopping motto has always been "less is more": the less I pay for one thing, the more things I can get!
Thank you for reading and commenting, Judy! XO
PS: I do like that gold skirt too!
I loved the educational part of your post Liyana.... really interesting, thank you!
ReplyDeleteAs for this outfit....WOW!
So very beautiful.
The way you have folded your scarf is a work of art too!
XXX
Samantha
Thank you Samantha! I'm really glad you found it interesting. Tying this scarf was a tad tricky because I used a square scarf, unlike the long one that I usually wear, but I think the end result was worth it!
ReplyDelete