Nyonya Kebaya: A Century of Straits Chinese Costume

Sheer, romantic. alluring, yet sedate, the Nonya Kebaya has become a recognizable and enduring Malaysian fashion icon. Originally a long, straight, arab inspired top of plain cotton, it was adopted by the Nonyas, the womenfolk of the early Peranakan community, a subgroup of Chinese, who gradually transformed it into a shapely, embroidered, translucent clouse, fastened with a set of chained brooches and worn with a matching hand drawn batik sarong and beaded slippers. The Nonyas knack from combining the best of Chinese, Malay and European cultures contributed to rich Peranakan hereitage. Fllowing an introduction to the history of the Nonyas and the kebaya, readers are treated to a feast of delicate embroidered kebaya from the collection of Datin Seri Endon Mahmmod, colourfull natik Sarongs,colourful batik sarong. deaded slippers and jewwerly. The processes of making a kebaya, the wealth of embroidery motifs employed, and the ways in which the timless beauty of the kebeya is being nrought into the future are also described.