You are here: Home> Members > Pinay Nngayon > Binokot Files >

>>>>>>>>>>>>>Column by Charity Beyer Bagatsing> October 2004 > Filipina Fashion Crazes

SPECIAL COLUMN

about binokot files

The Binokot Files

Filipina Fashion Crazes

"They do not however on this account go naked, they

wear well made collarless robes which reach the ankles
and are of cotton bordered with colors. When they are
mourning, these robes are white. They take off this
robes in their houses, and in places where garments
are unnecessary. But everywhere and always they are
very attentive to cover their persons with great care and
modesty. Wherein they are superior to other nations,
especially to the Chinese." --- Father Chirino - Relacion
de las Islas Filipinas 1602

I would like to point out a significant fact that a majority

of Filipino's, as recorded from 15th century manuscripts,
have always worn decent clothing even when their
brothers and sisters from other tribal groups proudly Manila mestizas of the
bared their assets. One of the earliest records of 1870's
Click for detail
Philippine fashions comes from the 16th century
manuscript known as the Boxer Codex. 15th-century
Filipinos were described to wear stylish and lavishly beaded clothing from only
the best and most expensive materials available at that time.

In 1591, the Chinese merchants sold over 200,000 robes of cotton and silk up
and down the islands. This shopping spree caused such an alarm to the Spanish
regime because chiefs and slaves wore the same extravagant silk and lavishly
beaded outfits, making it impossible to judge their rank from their dress. Another
concern was the exorbitant amount of money Filipinos spent on their clothes,
which the colonizers maintained should go to the Spanish treasury instead of the
pockets of the Chinese traders. His majesty the King of Spain, issued an
ordinance forbidding the Filipinos from purchasing garments sold by the Chinese
and decreed they should cultivate, weave and manufacture their own clothing.

The early 16th and 17th century costumes were chiefly an interesting mixture of
Mohammedan and Chinese with native elements. The pre-Spanish costumes
styles gradually died out in the Filipino towns before the end of the 17th
century-although they persisted in the barrios and among the country people
until much later dates. The clothing restrictions imposed by Spain, brought about
the use of the starched pina and the finer forms of sinamay and jusi. The addition
of embroidery and appliqués as forms of ornament on clothing, brought a
delicate perfection to later productions that is unsurpassed in quality to this
present day.

For this article I will focus on the

changes of Filipina fashion,
"… Why is it that these women particularly the Tagalog region. The
(Filipinas), who never use garments of the 16th century Filipina
lady consist of a skirt and a camisa.
corsets have such good figures
The skirt was made from either silk,
and no deformities? " cotton or abaca, while the camisa was
M. Le Gentil--- source made from pineapple fiber and woven
into the famous pina cloth. Both
separate pieces were heavily
embroidered.

During the 17th century the Filipino-Spanish mestisa used the dress similar to the
European ladies. Consisting of a short skirt, blouse, a hat with the addition of an
apron or tapi s and a panuelo or baksa. This style however was not very popular
and was only shortlived.

The baro for the men and panuelo and saya for the women became dominant
during the early 18th century. The sarong or tapis was worn on top of the new
saya - an interesting assertion of native pride. The short wide skirt was
introduced. The sleeves of the camisa became longer and narrower, and were
heavily gathered and pleated at the place where they were joined to the body of
the camisa.

The panuelo or kadenga was very small - it served like a loose collar around the
neck. Many believe this was a native touch deviating from the fancy neck ruffles
used by European nobles. Years later, the skirt became wider, but our venerable
grandmothers decided to put a lining made of coarse fiber cloth at the bottom of
the skirt to make it very stiff. Embroidery was still very much in vogue.

Sometime during the early 18th century. An aristocratic lady wore a house dress
using a skirt made of heavy lustrous silk of wide stripes and gray colors and
topped with a pina camisa. It was an instant favorite with other ladies such as the
capitana or wives of the cabeza de barangay or teniente del barrio but for special
occasions the addition of a soft beautiful large handkerchief with gorgeous
designs was draped over the neck and secured by a brooch. Last but not least,
some trendsetting ladies not wanting to be outdone by their European
counterparts added a wide train at the back of their skirts which was bursting
bright with tropical reds, blues, greens, yellows and browns. This later paved the
way the ever popular Maria Clara Era.

Maria Clara was the demure heroine of Jose Rizal's "Noli Me Tangere" she
captured the beauty, embodiment and charm of Filipinas during that time period.

The Maria Clara style is as follows: The skirt is made of liberty silk and the design
was made by the wearer. The camisa was embroidered with intricate patterns
and designs; it had wide sleeves and the folded panuelo worn close around the
neck was a must. The bottom of the skirt was lined with black ribbon or ruffles of
the same material as the skirt. In the beginning, this style involved a long train
which made walking was difficult and so the train was shortened. Then came the
"La Paloma" style, patterned after the shape of a dove's tail. After the La Paloma,
the famous De cola was born and the train once again became longer.

The long trained skirt was again short lived and the style shifted back to a
shortened skirt. The waist was thickly gathered and the skirt was very wide and
hung evenly on all sides. This style is known as the La Maskota or the Balintawak
costume.

The costume then transitioned into the La Campana - known for its short train
and short skirt. This style was supplanted by a more artistic one called the De
Abanico or fan skirt. This style features an ingenious insert of a different material
shaped like a fan at the bottom part of the skirt.

At the time the La Campana and, De Abanico was in vogue. The material of the
camisa was changed from the durable but heavy pina cloth to the more flimsy
and airy jusi cloth. The most elaborate camisa blouse was heavily embroidered
with point or stuffed needlework. Patterns were usually a big bunch of fruits,
flowers, butterflies or monograms and arranged on the front part of the sleeve.
This was very popular among the rich ladies who can afford to purchase the silk
and materials needed for the work.

During the early 1900's came the Serpentina. The skirt was narrowed at the top
but generously wide at the bottom, which was lined with stiff cloth made of abaca
fiber. The novelty of this style was the bottom part was separate from the top. The
beauty of this style was its circular wide bottom ondulated in every step made by
the wearer. The serpentina's camisa was made of sinamay. This style also
opened the door for the now popular terno – meaning the skirt and the camisa
match together either in color, design, material or embroidery. The panuelos at
this time were unusually big while the sleeves was made to stand stiff with an
ingenious crease at the upper part.

The Capa de Napoleon, was the next favorite trend. Its greatest innovation was
the use of Iloilo rengue cloth woven from a mixture of jusi and pina fibers. The
reintroduction of this cloth marked the arrival of the sinamay cloth. This material
absorbed starch quite readily and made the camisa's stand up nice and smooth.
Sometime during 1913, the whims of fashion dictated the wearing of the wide
sash or paja around the waist. The sash was either of black silk cloth or any other
color to match the dress worn. Shortly after World War 1, a new style indicative of
the era was marked with the Zeppelin style skirt. The long train made it necessary
for the women to sling their trains over their arms, but it was too cumbersome and
this style was short lived.

The arrival of the Americans marked another change to the Filipino fashion
industry. The sewing machine was introduced and the endless possibilities of
new stitches and use of different colored threads came into full swing at a much
faster pace. Although it could never replace the old style workmanship
predominant years ago it opened another doorway to the ever changing Filipino
fashion.

In the roaring twenties, technology became an integral part of Philippine society

and gave birth to a new breed of Filipina's- the working woman. They needed a
dress that was feminine but without the frills of a bygone era. At the same token
they wanted to express their individuality as a nation. They designed a dress
appropriate for their home and work duties. A simple dress emerged- it was a
short slip worn in place of a camisa which reaches down a little bit below the
waist. The skirt was plain and simple. Later on it evolved again into a one piece
garment that is worn by most women from Luzon to Mindanao. It is a dress whose
length varies from below the knee or reaching past down the ankles. The
material is made of cotton and comes in an array of colors and patterns and is
known as the duster or kimono.

In a nutshell this is the history of the Filipina fashion. They consciously resisted
the clothing sanctions imposed by their colonizers in the 15th century and wisely
handled a crisis meant to repress their resources, identity and creativity. They
turned a situation meant to belittle and demoralize them into an opportunity that
fans the flames of national pride and identity which burns brighter and stronger
after each generation.

Source: The Beyer Ethnographic Series.

Pictures: The Philippine Saga – by Dr. Henry Otley Beyer &Jaime De Veyra
Binokot Files ©2004. Charity Beyer-Bagatsing. All rights reserved.

To read about the Binokot Files Column and the author and for more
articles click here>>

This column specifically created for www.newfilipina.com,

BagongPinay @1998
Have something to add to this article? Have you got your own tips or experiences to share?
Then join the MagsalitaKa forum and express yourself! Click here.

_______________________

| Home | Site Map | Contact Us |

All rights reserved. ©1998 NewFilipina ©1998 BagongPinay.