Baju Melayu

Originally, the term "baju kurung" was used to refer to both the men's and women's outfits.[2] However, in Malaysia, the men's outfit was renamed "Baju Melayu" as it was chosen to be the national costume of the Malays. The older definition is still maintained in Singapore.

A Sumatran variant type of Baju Melayu worn by royal princes from Deli, Langkat and Serdang Kingdom of North Sumatra, Indonesia

A black Baju Melayu with a black Kain Samping embroidered with gold thread is considered a form of formal dress, and is the official attire required during official national events, especially highly formal ones like the official celebration of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's birthday. Malaysian ambassadors presenting their credentials to foreign heads of state are also required to wear the black Baju Melayu. The white Baju Melayu is worn by Malaysian royalty when mourning the passing away of a member of the royal family.

The Baju Melayu is commonly worn in Brunei, Malaysia, southern Thailand and Singapore by Malay men, although its use in Singapore & Thailand is usually restricted to Fridays at mosques, and the Eid ul-Fitr (Malay: Hari Raya) holiday. Bruneian and Malaysian men usually wear the shirt for general religious occasions, such as visiting the mosque or for a religious gathering. In Brunei, it is commonly worn at formal events, such as festivals and weddings. Some companies allow their male workers to wear Baju Melayu on Fridays, whereas others have it as a policy. On the whole Singaporeans frequently refer to it as a Baju Kurung, although this term in Malaysia usually refers only to the corresponding outfit for women.

In Indonesia, both the Baju Melayu in both collar styles (and other Malay clothes such as Baju Kurung) is popular in provinces with large Malay populations such as Riau, the Riau Islands, West Kalimantan and a few other provinces mainly in Sumatera and other places where the presence of ethnic Malays are dominant. Recently, the Baju Melayu has become more popular and is not only worn at traditional events, but also in formal occasions. Government officials in Riau and other places wear them proudly during official events (even national events). It is also worn as a uniform in Silat, a traditional Malay martial arts. The Betawi version of Baju Melayu is called Baju Demang, because Betawi are also part of the big Malay tradition, its customs and attire is similar to the Malay. Other local indigenous Malay ethnics in Indonesia also have their own style of Baju Melayu probably which have the same similarities such as the usage of the Songkok as the headdress for men and kain samping.

The female version of the baju melayu is called the baju kurung.

The baju is traditionally worn by men with trousers called the seluar. The seluar are traditionally wide at the top, fastened with a running string called tali, and closer at the legs where it extends to below the knees. The styles of seluar include the Achenese seluar, seluar gadah which reaches to the ankles and seluar pende which terminates about the middle of the thighs. The seluar panjang are long and are sometimes buttoned at the feet.[4]

• Baju Kurung