usually my mum would buy a set for the whole family. but starting last year, since my older bro is married and im already working, we just consult our mum on whats the color of the family for Raya this year and we'll get the clothes ourself.

I like some of the ready made ones at Sogo. the fitting is not as horrible as some of the others, and looks good for my slim figure.

Media stunt and friendly sarcasm aside, the modern society would not mind people of a difference race / religion wearing their traditional costumes (if all the guidelines in wearing them are adhered to) but rather in the spirit of racial intergration, would welcome it as well.

I hope you are not thinking too critically about the matter as it might not bode well with you when you are actually wearing the baju melayu on that day as you will probably feel uncomfortable, worrying about what others think. I say, do not think too much and just go for it, carrying the baju melayu with pride and confidence. People will actually commend you for going the extra mile in celebrating with them.

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Added on June 22, 2010, 2:53 pmIf there is such request, here is a proper rundown on the possible scenario:

Louis Vuitton will get their mat salleh tailors take your measurements and get you to choose your fabric from their fabric swatch. If there is no suitable fabric, they might probably source for baju melayu fabrics in Kamdar (haha).
They will then pass the fabric and your measurements to an outsourced professional Malay tailor skilled in making baju melayu and have the garment tailored via MTM.
Once the garment is finished, they will call you in for a few fitting sessions and have their in-house tailors make adjustments to the garment according to your fit.
When final alterations are completed, Louis Vuitton's precious labels will be sewn on and you will be charged an arm and a leg for the garment.

It will only be your 'best' baju melayu as far as brand is concerned but you can pay a skilled baju melayu tailor the same amount of money and get one which is far more better as most of the money will actually be wisely spent on accurate pattern drafting (and measurement calculation), hand-stitching workmanship and luxurious fabric instead of on LV's label and customer service.

If Louis Vuitton actually has the best in-house baju melayu tailor in the whole world, now that is a different matter.

This post has been edited by Fusion[eX]: Jun 22 2010, 03:10 PM

They really do that procedure?? Meaning what good are they...maybe not good in traditional outfit.

You have it easy, as you grow up wearing this every raya. But its different for me. I't like tasting cili padi for the first time. I've tastes regular chili but now upgraded a little. Its like you worn such things before, now you upgrade to more stronger stuff. Ready made are not available yet. I think only next month will be available everywhere.

Hahaha FusionEx was being cynical la. But the best tailors of baju melayu is still unknown right? Maybe during my exploration can unearth who is the best? But i will be getting only one. I could just rate customer service and pricing. Not a good way to get it done because in some forums its always some small home made baju melayu the best. Like home made food. I do not know if you have seen people wearing baju melayu with brands splattered all over his body. 5 years ago i saw some teenager with Cerutti 1881 prints that look like lining material near my neighbourhood. Bronze color and fabric looks thick and shiny. Not satin shiny, but a nice polished sheen. I thought that look good, until i came across a chocolate wrapper that has the same color hue and its brand Van Houten printed diagonally like that! I proceded to laugh my heart out. No way i want to be seen like that. And now LV print for Baju Melayu? I might as well be wearing a bag over my head. I'm not that brand concious fortunately.

perhaps u can try the tailor who did it for the King? no idea who the tailor is though.

A bag over your head? The ladies have 'designer' tudung over theirs!

Hey just because i have a michelin style body, does not mean i must have the kings tailor make one for me. My body is my palace!

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Added on June 22, 2010, 5:32 pmOh yeah!!! This one i saw a lot of time before. Damn crazy man. I mean patterns and prints ok la. But brand names?!?!?

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Added on June 23, 2010, 3:49 pmOk

This post has been edited by netmatrix: Jun 23 2010, 03:49 PM

Alright!!!! Just came back from Jln Masjid India. i really spend time walking the area today.

First vist Wisma Yakin tailors again. They didn't have the fabric color i want. BMO Traditional, Omar ali and the likes in Wisma Yakin didn't have the color i want. Charges remain the same, RM70-RM120. Exit and go further.

I spend some amount of time at fabric stores in front of Jln TAR. First went to silk Euro Moda, then Street, and then Gulatis. All 3 didn't have the color i want. It is ash or dark grey or some shade of grey satin. I think this color would hide my spare tires very well. All 3 of these shops didn't have the dark shade that i want. They all had similar light grey or silvery grey. The fabric weight, sheen, strength is ok though. But before going, i asked these stores of their in house tailoring charges for Baju Melayu. RM200-RM250!!! No good as i want to keep the price of these 2 main pieces low.

So i skipped through the other fabric shops like Harrisons and Nagoya. And went straight to Pertama. Ask around the tailors inside there, (i think i went to all!) fabric swatch don't have the color. Though they all do charge above RM100 for to tailor them. Campbell is also the same story. I skipped Semua House though, because the main tailor shop Hugo Clothier has limited choices. So walked back along Jln TAR and remembered BAK Tailoring. Went there greeted by an old man. I ask him of the charges first, he quoted RM120. Defnitely the same as what i read already in many forums about this company charges. Good.

So he directed me to this lady behind the table. I ask for fabric swatch, and she gave me some 6 booklets of the fabrics at hand. Hmmm..... not that great. They don't have the grey i was looking for too. And she told me this year, she already has the most booking for grey color. I'm not the first. (Surprisingly idid not know this is the seasons hot color!). I'm a little dissapointed here. But she handed me a lifeline.

"Ni kasi tip sikit. Kalau nak kain lagi bagus, cari kat Harrisons. Kain dia quality baik. Ataupun cari kat jakel."

Holy cow! i never expected that coming from a tailor shop!!! So i waved goodbye and headed to Jakel. There i flagged a sales girl and ask for fabric for Baju Melayu. she shows me some range, cheap from RM7.90 till RM15 per meter. Still no sign of the elusive dark grey shade satin. And she promptly guided me to second floor to look for more. There similar color like the rest of the other fabric shops.... Damn!!! I was already giving up and land to second placed choice of dark blue or light grey.

And then at the lowest rack, a somewhat black fabric catches my eye. It doesn't seem black. Its probably like the color i want!!!! I dragged the bale out, it looks like black. But its kind of weird black. Why it is somewhat brown? Then i dragged a pure black bale and compare under light. Its brown!! Its not really choclate brown. Its more like bronze with copper and it will look almost black under artificial light. This is the one!!! Even though its not dark grey, this is the one i want. RM27 per meter and i need five. And some funny moments for me. The sales girl ask me if i want to get matching set of fabric for baju kurung..... even ask me to buy up till RM200 so i could get some italian chiffon material. Erm.... and i was asked the question. Getting married? No really i expected this question. But the unexpected question is, "Are you Sabahan?" hahahaha How many Chinese people u know go shops for fabrics to make traditional Malay costume? No really!!! But all in good heart.

Now got back to BAK Tailoring and got measured. To the shocked/ amused face of the tailor. She didn't think i would come back. Well like i said some post ago, i can only rate customer service and price. Not workmanship as it is unknown territory for me. So i got measured there and then. While measuring, the tailor and the girl ask questions. Whats its for? Getting married? This time i laugh a little. (Wrong signal buddy!!!) And the girl kept saying,"Nak kahwin yeeee?" I said no la. Its for myself. And she asked the occasion? I do not know how to tell her. So its just another smile. (Wrong signal again!!!)

After finishing the measurement, she ask for name. Erm.... i dunno why she spelled my name with LL on the collection sheet. So i paid RM100 as deposit. (Not necessary, but i wanted to pay). Another family waiting inside for fitting is somewhat amused a fluent Malay speaking chinese guy in the shop.

Oh yeah i saw the RM15000 songket for the first time. i can't see the special feature about it. Yes there are multitude of colors and the very fine yarns seem to float like coarse home made art. But yet the fabric is smooth and soft. I think that is the primary feature. Other than the gold threads used. Some of the few hundred buck songket seems to look better to me than the RM15000 one. But i probably don't know how to appreciate it, other than the documentary of how it is made.

So now the collection is early August. And hope everything works out fine. By August, i think i can start shopping for the buttons, songkok and sampin and capal. Seems to go smoothly as planned last month.

So the amount now is

Fabric - RM135
Tailoring - RM120

I'll keep you guys posted on the details.

This post has been edited by netmatrix2: Jul 4 2010, 11:43 PM

It's surprisingly easy to lose fat. You just need to know how.

Yes, you are right. I did loose some weight. But i would like to do it slowly rather than going gung ho and loose so much at one time like a diet rabid squirrel. i would like to loose a lot of weight fast. But my job and the eating times are tough to adjust. But i have been watching what i eat more carefully now.

oh yeah, of all the excitement, i only took pictures of 1 fabric store. Damn!!!

This post has been edited by netmatrix2: Jul 4 2010, 11:58 PM

wow......good readng...as it has beens years.....i keep buying the ready made...baju melayu.....

I know you are doing it wrong simply by the language you use. You do not want to lose weight. You only want to lose the fat. And it is formulaic and easy. No hours on the threadmill or such nonsense.

Everyday, millions of weightlifters do what they call a "cut". "Cutting". As opposed to "bulking".

It's crazy: All them of them go from 20+% fat to single digit fat within months, then gain fat again as they bulk, then lose the fat again. What do they keep? Muscle. However, nobody in the general population knows about this. They go on threadmills and such and buy stupid supplements from the stall in front of the Carrefour checkout counter. Stupid OSIM stuff. How stupid.

Go read it up man. It's a very simple formula. Everybody who goes to the gym does it. Go read the Bodybuilding section at LYN. It's the easiest thing in the world. It's building muscle that is difficult.

1. Eat a tiny caloric deficit. About 300 kcal less per day.
2. Consume 1.8g/kg (of bodyweight) of protein per day.
3. Do something that raises the base metabolic rate. Some people lift weights a certain way for this. Other do HIIT, which is short, fun and painless.

Do it until one morning you wake up and see all your abs. All 6 of them.

Actually i ride my bike at least for 1 hour after i come home from work almost 3 times a week. This has been going on for few months now. I don't really care about going technical, building this and that. But i do feel the changes already. Pants already looser. I can pace pedal non stop for longer duration. (Important!) And i don't feel lethargic that much anymore. I'm mainly loosing weight so i can cycle longer and longer. i love my biking time.

But whatever the case, i'm not going the supplement or gym way. I'm doing it how i feel comfortable with. So far it is paying its rewards. I don't think i can ever look like a supermodel. But at least i know where i stand. That is not suicidal. i was 80kg 7 years ago. Bloated to 120kg. Then down a little to 117kg. Then the last i weight myself was in some supermarket. 90kg according to the scale. I tried 2 scales and the same result. So somewhere i'm doing it right. Once i reach 80, i'll start skateboarding again.

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Added on July 5, 2010, 12:36 amWell maybe i would prompt you to get one made again. hahaha. But really whatever works don't change it. If i could i wanted an off the rack on. Easy. But many fit here and not there or vice versa. So have to be tailor made.

This post has been edited by netmatrix2: Jul 5 2010, 12:44 AM

Wait. You are 90 kg and you think you are getting results?

It is exactly steady-state aerobic activity that most people do to lose "weight" -- with lackluster results that have no relation to the time expenditure.

I've pointed out to you a far superior method -- it requires no supplements, and takes 20 mins 3X a week with only a pair of jogging shoes, or swimming trunks, or a skipping rope. But above all, it is about the formula. Recall the 3 points above. Deadly effective and far easier than cycling an hour 3X a week.

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Added on July 5, 2010, 9:01 amOn second thought I would discourage you from sprinting or rope skipping at your present weight. They would destroy your knees and your backbone. Swimming HIIT-style is great.

This post has been edited by kotmj: Jul 5 2010, 09:01 AM

I can't swim for all i know. I could only wade i kiddies pool. Rope skipping? I gotta find where i stashed that. Of course i worry about my knee. That is another primary reason why i have to loose weight. At times when i walk, there are some instances of buckling under my weight issues. But what i have done for my health the last few months have gotten the results. Lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, higher stamina and lesser of all the 7 sins.

Here are some pictures of the color i want. This one is off the rack ones. I got it cheap on clearance. Nice color. Some sort of blueish grey.



This picture shoes more blueish tone. Its shiny under bright light. Else its somewhat classy gloss. The camera angle is low, hence shows my Michelin endorsed beer gut. My camera macro ain't good. This is almost the actual color with no flash.



Here is the purchase slip of the fabric and the tailoring slip.



I'm trying to show the color here. Its fairly accurate. Brown to almost black.

Ok that all for now. I cannot sleep. Football!!!

This post has been edited by netmatrix: Jul 9 2010, 01:52 AM

This is the fabric that is available in all of Jln TAR shops. The light grey silver colored satin. The weight is different though.





The pic above are from Euro Moda. I was waiting for them to search for the color i want. So i had few minutes to kill. Although these Baju melayu looked good. Well they only looked good. I'm sure they won't fit me. And the price isn't something i would pay for. Some looks like they are tailored for customers and looks like uncollected goods. Maybe the owners that got them made, didn't collect them? The prices start from RM399 up north RM6xx. You would not want to go this route. Get it tailored because its cheaper and you can have more choice of color and design.

This post has been edited by netmatrix2: Jul 9 2010, 01:53 AM

i was wondering has TS finished this project? how was it?

Tan Sri, is that you?

respect to TS
btw, my baju melayu is red in color this year
the color of passion some people say