Fitting finale

What say you on the issue below?

Mayfair has a final fling with the baju kurung this Raya season.

DECONSTRUCTING the baju kurung is an interesting idea. Designer Leung Thong Ping says she does this on a regular basis each day as she’s exercising on the treadmill, packing her lunch or doing other routine stuff!

All this goes on in her head as she weighs the myriad possibilities to innovate the traditional garment, which she views as an indispensable part of a woman’s wardrobe.

Versatile garment: Mayfair Designs’ Hari Raya collection includes this vintage handpainted silk caftan over a slinky jersey convertible sarung.

“Ever since I found my focus in making hybrids of Asian wear, I’ve not stopped reworking the baju. It takes two minutes to put on, and I can go seamlessly from day into night without having to change,” she quips.

Leung, of Mayfair Designs, heralds the distinctive identity that goes with the garb as it shows “we have a lot of pride in our multicultural heritage.”

This will be her “last fling” with the baju kurung as she will be calling it a day after 25 years. She will still be coming up with one last Chinese New Year collection next year.

Slinky sarung as a dress under vintagestyle voile baju panjang

“I’ll be chasing 65 and it isn’t one bit too soon. Mayfair is for sale mid-2010 to anyone with some passion and commitment: the infrastructure’s all there, the hard work’s been done. Anyone with half a brain can see that the baju is the way to go,” she says.

So, what has she done with the baju so far?

“I’d like to think I’ve broadened its appeal, not just to young, affluent, progressive Malays but also to the Chinese from the global diaspora and Caucasians as well. No, you don’t have to wear it as one billowing floral set nor do you have to sweep the floor with the sarung hem. Yes, you can rejig the proportions, mix the fabrics, rejuvenate the sarung, use monochromes and pit fashion against an old hat! The results have been so refreshing.”

Over the years, Leung has spawned her own signature looks. This includes the “baju wrap”, a knee-length top inspired by the baju panjang that can be worn three ways – over a sarung, over pants and over a tube dress; the updated baju kurung, which is more of a relaxed pure cotton caftan-inspired top, and the keyhole sarung, a pull-on sarung fashioned from stretch knits which can double as a dress.

Her fashion mantra is relax the look, keep it chic and relate it to trends.

“I try different configurations, experiment with fabrics. I wanted to break the rigid baju mindset. I dreamt of creating a shop of desirable separates with a life of their own, but which can be put together to evoke a baju.”

The typical Mayfair customer, she says, values quality fabrics, good workmanship, and designs that aren’t dated.

For this Raya collection, Leung puts together Mayfair’s signature tops and bottoms to best effect. The colours are bright and festive like the season, and the styles suitable even for office or informal outings. The conventional lines of the baju kurung are still visible but reinvented to accommodate the lifestyle of the modern Malaysian woman. No longer solely a Malay entity, the baju has clearly become a versatile garment for all to enjoy.