Fashion has a way of coming full circle. At COS’s New York Fashion Week show last weekend held at the Greenpoint Terminal Warehouse in Brooklyn, the brand unveiled its Fall/Winter 2025 collection with all the precision and polish we’ve come to expect: clean lines and quiet luxury.
But amidst its sophisticated lineup, there was a piece that stood out. One that would make Malaysians do a double take and say: “Eh, wait a minute that looks familiar.”
COS called it a draped checked midi skirt. But we called it what it really looked like: the kain pelikat, a checkered sarong that’s been every Malay uncle’s uniform for generations, whether for Friday prayers, or just for hanging out at home.
Of course, fashion influencers at the fashion week picked it up. One was spotted pairing the skirt with a plaid shirt, giving it a street-style spin.
The skirt retails at $169 on its website, however a quick check shows the skirt isn’t listed on COS’s Malaysian site.
TikTok users also posted photos of themselves wearing the skirt and the comments section didn’t hold back.
“Girl, are you serving Jumaat (Friday) prayer?” one asked. “What are you doing in my dad’s pyjamas?” another user asked.
A third posted side-by-side images of Indonesian uncles sporting the sarongs, captioned: “We’ve been doing this since forever.”
But that’s the magic (and also mischief) of fashion: pluck something ordinary, strip it of context and suddenly it’s runway gold.
It’s not the first time luxury or high-street labels have drawn inspiration from everyday garments.
Balenciaga’s infamous IKEA-inspired tote and luxury “rubber slides” are part of a long tradition of turning the familiar into the aspirational.
Of course COS wasn’t mocking. Their version was intentional and styled with the sort of insouciant cool only Brooklyn warehouses seem to bestow.
But the resemblance was undeniable and hilariously relatable. It’s proof that the next “must-have piece” may already be folded in your laundry basket.