THE BAJU KURUNG; Basics V.S. Pop

While working on my research, I stumbled upon this cute illustration which perfectly highlights the changes the baju kurung has undergone through time.

The Basic

So back in the 70s and 90s, baju kurung only had one common design as shown below. There's no fancy collar or fabric and the length of the blouse was knee-length long. It was simple and very modest. I would say the most popular fabric used then was songket and satin and although it remains as an all time favourite till today, new fabrics are being experimented to make the traditional garment. Since it's simple and rather plain, typically this classic design is known as the basic.

Also if you're wondering why is the right-most dress so different than the others its because that's a Kebaya. It's also a well known traditional garment worn during festivities such as Eid but it does not share the same category as a baju kurung. So we'll leave that out and look at it another time.

The Pop

As time passed by, our grandmothers and mothers are introduced to new things and new cultures which then breeds the inspiration to improvise the designs of the garment. They were more adventurous at playing with new colours, new fabrics and new patterns on the dresses. Thus, today we see the use of two fabrics in one outfit such as lace and chiffon or even borrowing the design of the cheongsam collar and infusing it into the modern baju kurung as seen in the first outfit. Since we are constantly improving and creating better and beautiful modern designs, there's so much more styles to choose from now.

As of today, I think I have at least 10 baju kurung each with its own unique sophistication yet I don't think I'll ever have plenty. I mean just like our normal clothes, one can also never have enough baju kurung!