Nyonya Kebaya - Sexy but not revealing - Review

SISTERS Nadya Supian, 33, and Suraya Supian, 23, consider the kebaya a staple part of their Hari Raya wardrobe.
For the photo shoot, Suraya and Nadya chose the nyonya kebaya in their collection.

"I feel special wearing a kebaya. When I was in university, I wore the kebaya with pants so that I could walk around easily," says Suraya, who is a project executive with a quantity surveying consultancy.

"I love the kebaya because it's sexy without revealing too much."
Nadya, a lecturer, is attracted to the timelessness of the kebaya.

"I caught the trend of wearing the kebaya with pants some years ago. The mix of colours on the embroidered kebaya is funky and no matter what your size is, you can flatter your figure just by adjusting the position and number of brooches on the kebaya.

"It can be sensual in many ways such as wearing it with a tank top that reveals the navel or cleavage. I buy my kebayas at small kiosks
because boutiques tend to overcharge," says Nadya.

Legal assistant Khalisa Badrul Amini, 24, first tried the kebaya at the age of 16.

"It was a turning point because my sense of fashion was 'girly' prior to that. It was also the time when I became more comfortable in my own skin even though the kebaya is a body-hugging outfit."

Remembering her first time in the kebaya, she also felt beautiful.
"It is because I usually admired the kebaya when it's worn by other people and thought how beautiful it is.

"I don't wear it to the office because I have just started working. I may consider wearing the kebaya with pants because I find that it's
comfortable," she says.

Like the others, finance executive Amy Zurina Mohd Aii, 24, loves the curves accentuated by the kebaya.

"I started wearing it at age 14. I felt so matured then," she says, adding that she perceived the kebaya as an attire "for older women" at the time.

"I wouldn't mind wearing the kebaya with pants, though my mum thinks the combination is a bit off. I can't buy them off the rack. I need to tailor them because I'm thin and it's difficult to find a ready-made kebaya in my size," she says.