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

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

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

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.

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 haven't even taken my pictures yet. But i got a lot of pictures. Here is the hoddie jubah u were talking about.



There isn't any hoodie baju melayu. Confirmed as i visited almost almost every stall. Already got a nice sampin today. In fact 2!!! I bought the ones on offer from those sampin stalls that sells 2 for RM100. I'm giving the extra one to my friend. I did not buy BAK one as it cost RM250. Yes it is nice, but its just out of allocated budget.

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Added on August 23, 2010, 12:03 am

Already got a nice sampin today. In fact 2!!! I bought the ones on offer from those sampin stalls that sells 2 for RM100. I visited almost every sampin stall today. I'm giving the extra sampin to my friend. I did not buy BAK one as it cost RM250 after discount. Yes it is nice, but its just out of allocated budget as stated earlier. And i not know how to judge how good a songket cloth is.

I only learned about tight weave, the amount of gold thread used, complexity of design and strength of the yard used when making the cloth. The last part only known by the maker. Complexity is the duration of the finished product. Thats all i know. Also heard about bunga tabur design, bunga this and that. But i do not know how to differenciate it. All this learned from talking to the sellers and watching some songket makers video.

See la this week can make time for pix or not.





This post has been edited by netmatrix2: Aug 23 2010, 12:03 AM

Yeah correct. The super duper handmade ones are usually flower patterns. The ones showed to me by BAK also is flower flower one. The machine mades ones are usually pixalated flower and check. What i failed to mention earlier is the handmade one has almost a 3D look to it. And its a weird color swathe like something reflected by fish scales. I hardly see any pin striped or striped one. Most are checks. Even the flower ones are not that many.

Hahaha! See??!!! If one generation buy an expensive one, can inherit it to another generation. Like me, i want to inherit to who? The only thing i could do is donate or give it to people.

I have a full length Indian Kurta also like that. The sleeves are just ngam ngam. There can be movement 360. But very very hard to fold. In fact most Indian Kurta are like that. The only clothes with big sleeves in my wardrobe is an overcoat, baju melayu & chinese samfu.

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Added on August 23, 2010, 8:05 pmYa ka? Damn cool. At least you guys have something historical to look at every time u look inside your wardrobe. The only histoical artifact i have is dust and mould.

This post has been edited by netmatrix2: Aug 23 2010, 08:05 PM

This section is the journey. Its packed even last week.

After the covered bazaar, its the open area or Jln Masjid India. Damn a lot of people.


This is BAK's shop during ramadan. The open space in front is covered and they put more stuff outside for people to see. The picture seems to show that the shop is not packed. But believe me, its packed. I could not even test my purchase! They employed some more part time staff. The girl that served me knew my name 1 month later. hahaha. Visual clue = Chinese.


Some stalls have interesting interpretation of the Baju melayu. Like this checked number. There is this local artist wearing it in the photo.


This one is also interesting. It has gradual stripes in the front.


This stall is the only stall that sells pin stripe shirt material baju melayu. Very interesting. They are also the only stall to sell some variety of jubah with interesting motif and patterns. But the stall was busy and i do not want to disturb them.


Almost all stalls look like this. I like colorful things. I wish i had every color there is. But i'll stick to my brown one for now.


This one is inside Textile Museum near Merdeka Square. I have a lot of shots. But since we are at the topic of baju melayu, i decided to show this. People last time really are much more endowed than today aren't they?

Who is Tan Sri?

Hahaha! That was NOT the first thing that came to my mind!!

And finally here are the other stuff bought around Jln Masjid India & Jln TAR area too.

A songkok tinggi from one of the stalls in jln TAR bazaar. It cost RM33. Before that another stall tried to fish me for RM60. If you want to buy, buy from the lady that sells only songkok and nothing else. She says trend is 5 inches. I saw some stall fellas wearing higher than that. Its for my hat collection BTW.


This one if from BMO Traditional. A shop in Wisma Yakin. Offered at RM23. The velvet is more smoother and seems more tough wearing than the usual one. The sweatband is made of hard plastic. But surprisingly it is pretty comfortable. This is the one used for my photos earlier.

This are the button sets sold in Mydin. They are a bargain at RM15 for a set of 3. An almost similar ones selling at some stalls cost RM10-25 each pack. Each pack means only 1 set with only 5 buttons. So now u know why i say its a great find. Its actually clearance stock. The metal used is very good. It sounds like metal coins banging on each other. The ITALY word printed at the bottom is pretty tacky and somewhat downgrades a 5 star i want to give it. And if you look at the size of flower ones, they are huge and you need big button holes to accommodate them. Else Wear them from the bottom to front like i did.


And lastly the Capal a traditional slippers to go with the outfit. I wear 44, but for this i got 46. Most shops charge RM45 for something like this. Some shops go up to RM150. There are difference to why those cost so much. Some has patterns on the band. And the higher heeled ones are more expensive. The one i have is a mix of leather footbed, PU sole and PU band. At RM35 i could not complain as it is probably the cheapest there. There was this store that sells very fancy beaded look ones. I did not ask the price. And also there is a store that sells a very attractive dark brown and black. But the shopkeeper isn't around when i was browsing there. Did not see the price too.

Good question. I'm almost certain that it CAN be used as shirt buttons. But you need to have a shirt that is made with 2 buttonholes on both sides of the placket. Here is a sample of tuxedo buttons. See the similarities? If i were to dig more back into history, i'm sure the baju melayu buttons are somewhat an offspring of western wear. The original Teluk Belanga collar with brooch seems to be the original deal.



The guy that almost always be seen with such look is Rais Yatim. He almost always wear a band collared shirt with stud type baju melayu buttons. I think he has a lot of them cheap stud type buttons. Those type can be bought less than RM30 for a 100 sets. Its actually similar to Tuxedo buttons. I mean the real tuxedo shirt uses either pearl or black enamel studs, but you could use gold colored ones. The bigger sized ones like the one i bought can be used as cufflinks if you want to. But the fit would be very tight.

Today i want to Gardens to check out again the Granoff linen Baju Melayu. There are some interesting things their design. The collars are high. Its about half inch higher than the normal one. It looks almost like a Chinese cheongsam collar but with 2 buttons. The collar is lined with another fabric presumingly cotton of another color. Few weeks back i saw a purple one. Today i saw a blue one. The cut seems traditional like mine. It cost........ well you have to enquire it. Now i'm very sure Wardrobe one will cost more than this. I'l check out Wardrobe one and report. I just want to check out the workmanship.

Also nearby ISETAN they have 2 window display with almost same idea as the Wardrobe one. The pockets are not patch type. And there are shoulder pads! The fabric is somewhat a mix of satin or polyester and rayon or such. Its available in 4 colors including black. Its price is RM 249 each set. And the biggest shock to me was.... its made by GMV, a local company thats more associated with The Store, Bintang, UO stores and such. Really unexpected.

Came back from Jln TAR yesterday. Hmm.... nothing much to be seen. Prices seem lower this year compared to last year.


This is those Indonesian type design. not very popular with locals though. The younger set will definitely avoid this like a plague.


This year its the twin button design. Hmmm..... not that nice la. I mean chinese frog buttons meets plastic.


Almost all stalls have this twin button design. This stall has prints on the front. Priced in the upper range.


Another stall with the same design like the stall earlier. Maybe the stocks came from same supplier. Or they have few branches there.


Sampin stalls like this isn't as many as last time. And the stocks seem to be from last year. If u really want to buy from this stalls, wait till last 2 days of raya even after midnight. U can see them slashing the price by 50%. I'm not kidding it happened last year.


This is one of 2 jubah stalls there. Looks nice just like the one P Ramlee wore in Ali Baba!


This one also showed up last year. But i did not see anyone wore such design last year. In fact a lot of the stuff i saw this year are from last year. So wearing last years clothes isn't that bad after all right?


Kotmj's favourite leisure fabric. Priced much lower than last year. Though linen is very logical choice climate wise, but no one seems to invest in one. Not even me when i had mine done.


The only stall selling capal. I mean there are other stalls, but the rest of them are like plain jane. The heels this year is different. In fact it looked too girly. U have to see it yourself.