Chinese Peranakan Dress

The Chinese Peranakans are the decendants of Chinese who went to live in SE Asia in about the 15th century and intermarried with local women. They have a culture evolved from a mix of Chinese, Malay, Indonesian and European cultures. 

This was sketched on location at the Melbourne Peranakan Association Australia Inc. Annual Dinner and Dance. The men nowadays wear batik patterned shirts with western trousers and the ladies wear colourful sarongs with heavily embroidered blouses. 

Only the men stand still! 

I didn't get a chance to sketch the women but here is a photo of some beautiful sarongs and blouses (called a kebaya). My grandmother only ever wore an embroidered white kebaya but the modern kebayas are very colourful. They are said to have originated from blouses worn by Dutch women living in Indonesia. The lady on the extreme right wears the traditional beaded shoe.

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