The styles of Nyonya kebaya can be classified into three main periods, each style has a design that is connected with the fashion and technology trends at that moment. The three styles of Nyonya kebaya are "kebaya renda", "kebaya biku" and "kebaya sulam". "Kebaya renda", the earliest Nyonya kebaya uses lace, "kebaya biku", an improved version of "kebaya renda" uses embroidery only at the hem of the dress while the "kebaya sulam" is the quintessential Nyonya kebaya that we know today. Among popular embroidery motifs for "kebaya sulam" include flowers, butterflies, phoenixes, dragons and insects. The sarong on the other hand often uses hand-drawn batik cloths from Java.