bread+butter empire: vintage

I really just wanted to tell you I've got the above thingy I really want to complete. But I realized I can't without explaining a bit on the Peranakan culture. I am half-Nonya from my mother's side and I love the rich and colourful peranakan culture. The above pictures are my miserably neglected Kasut Manek.

read the complete Wiki article

Peranakan and Baba-Nyonya (Chinese: 峇峇娘惹; pinyin: Bābā Niángrě; Hokkien: Bā-bā Niû-liá) are terms used for the descendants of late 15th and 16th-century Chinese immigrants to the Nusantara region during the Colonial era. This community in Melaka, address themselves as Nyonya for the ladies and Baba for the gentlemen.

It applies especially to the ethnic Chinese populations of the British Straits Settlements of Malaya and the Dutch-controlled island of Java and other locations, who have adopted partially or in full Nusantara customs to be somewhat assimilated into the local communities. They are the elites of Singapore, more loyal to the British than to China.

Most have lived for generations along the straits of Malacca.They almost always have the ability to speak two or more languages. In later generations, some lost the ability to speak Chinese as they became assimilated to the Malay Peninsula's culture and started to speak Malay fluently as a first or second language.

read the complete Wiki article

Peranakan beaded slippers, also known as kasot manek,literally meaning shoe beads, is a type of shoe that dates back to the early twentieth century. It refers to beaded slippers worn by a nyonya to complete her Sarong Kebaya outfit, together with chained brooches (kerosang) and a silver belt (tali pendeng).

The slippers are made of Peranakan cut beads (manek potong), which are treasured as these beads are no longer available. Vintage kasot manek are intricate and finely stitched, a testimony to the fine workmanship of yesteryears. The intricacy and fine workmanship of a pair of beaded slipper is also a hallmark of highly accomplished Peranakan women, also known as nyonyas, whose skills in embroidery and beadwork are highly valued.

Obviously my handiwork is like s#$% and I'm actually using a 'cheat' version to sew the beads. The original method of doing it would be PAINSTAKINGLY laborious and blinding. There are no grids to guide your beading and you literally free-hand count out and stitch each 1 mm bead according to the elaborate patterns. My aunt still uses the old method - RESPECT.

Now if I were back in the old days and my handiwork were shown to my prospective mother-in-laws (as they would have in those days), the grand old dames would probably have choked at the abomination of my skills and I would be left an old maid on the shelve. Ha ha ha ha.

So there it is, my project kasut manek. I selected a design of floating lotus on water... Not too fancy and complicated for a novice. I hope to take photos to capture its development and hopefully it'll motivate me to not take 10 000 years to complete it.

And just to give you a bit of an idea of nonya fashion and other beautifully stitched kasut manek...