What to wear in Malaysia ? ?
 

We are coming to Malaysia in February and wonder about what clothes to bring. We'll be staying in upscale hotels but would prefer to dress casually. Are shorts, tee shirts and sandals ok for men in good hotels ? Restaurants ? What should women wear ?

In KL you will be most comfortable in long, light pants (for men) and long light pants or long dresses for women. Sandals are fine. Save shorts for resort areas.

Well that's an interesting reply and not quite what I expected. I've spent time in Hong Kong and shorts didn't seem too out of place except perhaps for dinner. In fact I've worn jeans in very good hotels and not felt out of place. Hmmmm.....

Would agree that Malaysia is fairly casual. I would have thought smartish jeans would be fine. I've dined at Lafite at the Shangri La (probably KL's most upmarket restaurant in one of its fancier hotels) and smart-casual was the norm - not many suits and ties, but people were dressed up

Out at the resorts it is very casual and shorts are fine 24-7 at most resorts. Most resorts have 1 swanky restaurant and you may be expected to dress up in that 1, but resort coffee shops will be casual.

I was more referring to the length of pants - smart jeans would be fine (except for the best restaurnats) except mostly they are too hot for KL. I think a man or woman would feel out of place at a nice restaurant in KL or Hong Kong in shorts (I would).

Let me try this again. I think the phrase I used "long dresses" miscommunicated what I meant. When I recommend long dresses for city wear in KL, I'm referring to light, flowing cotton dresses or skirts (usually batik) that one can buy cheaply in much of SE Asia. These have the advantage of being cool and comfortable as well as being modest. I say long only to distinguish them from very short dresses which are seen as gauche or insensitive in this more conservative culture. I did NOT mean by long dresses that one should dress formally.

kathie i hesitate to add in my 3 cents worth after the last fiasco about shorts, etc... BUT...

westerners will feel completely comfortable, socially, if they wear casual clothing, but not shorts or T shirts on most occasions...this will allow you to enter near to the best of restaurants and hotels for meals, visit religious houses, museums, etc, etc and not have to think about what you are wearing....
shorts and t's are great for around the hotel or for the beach and even in resort towns but i find them out of place in the cities and non-resort towns....this is not to say that you cannot wear them and that you won't see people wearing them everywhere....i just find it inappropriate and uncomfortable...

speaking of comfort....natural fibres are the rule in these humid and hot climates: cottons, linen and the like and loose fitting....

sandles are fine....i often wear socks with them if i consider that the areas are dusty and dirty---i do this for health reasons... i will say that mostly i wear a leather walking shoe, however....many locals wear scluffs...

for women, my wife wears skirts (this can include skorts and capris) or slacks mostly and sandles, plus a pair of flats for nitetime....she often has a scarf in her purse to throw over her shoulders for more modesty in religious places and for some a/c....she also only brings natural fibers including her bras and panties...she also likes mens boxers to help prevent chaffing from the heat on her legs....sorry to get so personal...she usually tries to take blouces with a small cap sleeve....we both take a couple of long sleeve cotton shirts to protect us from the sun during some outings...on boats for instance...

we never take sneakers---too damn hot...!!

hope our experiences help