Baju Melayu

Baju Melayu

Tani Yutaka, the Malayan-Japanese secret agent, photographed in Baju Melayu
Type	Traditional dress
Place of origin	Malaysia
Manufacturer	Malays

Baju Melayu (Jawi: باجو ملايو‎) is a traditional Malay costume for men, originated from the court of Malacca Sultanate and is traditionally worn by men in Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, parts of Indonesia (especially Sumatra and Kalimantan), southern Philippines, and southern Thailand.^[1][2] In its formal form, Baju Melayu is the national dress of Malaysia^[3] and Brunei,^[4] typically worn during official events and functions.

A basic combination of Baju Melayu attire comes in two main parts. The first being the baju (long-sleeved shirt) itself which has either raised stiff collar known as the cekak musang collar (literally fox's leash) or the round neckline with a short slit opening down the front, known as the teluk belanga collar. The second part is the trousers called celana or seluar.^[5] The two parts are made out of the same type of fabric which is usually cotton, or a mixture of polyester and cotton. In a formal attire, a skirt-type adornment is added, which is either the samping, made out of songket, tenun cloth or the sarong, made out of cotton or a polyester mix. Jet-black or dark-colored headgear called the songkok to be worn to complete the formal attire. For a ceremonial attire or known in Malay as sepersalinan, commonly worn during cultural functions, the songkok headgear typically replaced with the tengkolok.^[6] The normal baju can sometimes be substituted with a combination of tekua^[7] (a type of short sleeves jacket). In a more elaborate dress, baju sikap or baju layang (a type of coat)^[8][9] and pending (ornamental belt buckle) are worn.^[10] Optional accessories include a kris tucked into the samping folded at the waist,^[11] and a traditional capal (sandal).^[12]