TheMaría Clara gown, historically known as thetraje de mestiza during theSpanish colonial era,[1][2] is a type of traditional dress worn bywomen in the Philippines. It is anaristocratic version of thebaro't saya. It takes its name fromMaría Clara, themestiza protagonist of the novelNoli Me Tángere, penned in 1887 by Filipino nationalistJosé Rizal. It is traditionally made out ofpiña, the same material used for thebarong tagalog.[3]
A unifiedgown version of the dress with butterfly sleeves popularized in the first half of the 20th century byPhilippine National Artist Ramon Valera is known as theterno,[4] which also has a shorter casual andcocktail dress version known as thebalintawak.[5] The masculine equivalent ofbaro't saya is thebarong tagalog.[6]
These traditional women's dresses in thePhilippines are collectively known asFilipiniana dress. Along with the barong tagalog, they are also collectively known as "Filipiniana attire".[7][8]
Like thebaro't saya, the Maria Clara gown traditionally consists of four parts: a blouse (baro orcamisa), a long skirt (saya), akerchief worn over the shoulders (pañuelo,fichu, oralampay), and a short rectangular cloth worn over the skirt (thetapis orpatadyong).[9]
Thecamisa is a collarlessblouse whose hem is at the waist and is made from flimsy, translucent fabrics such as pineapple fiber andjusi. The sleeves of thecamisa are similar to the so-called "angel wings", or shaped likebells. The correct term for the sleeves of the camisa during the mid to late 1800s is a "pagoda" – derived from early Western silhouettes of the Victorian period.[10]
Thepañuelo is a piece of starched square cloth (either opaque or made from the same material as of thecamisa) folded several times and placed over the shoulders. The purpose of thepañuelo has been related to modesty, used to cover the nape and the upper body due to thecamisa's low neckline as well as its sheer translucency; and also doubles as an accent piece because of embellishments added to it, usually embroideries and the pin securing it in place.[citation needed]
Thesaya is a skirt shaped like a "cupola",[11] the length begins from the waist reaching the floor. These are usually comprised either of single or double sheets, called "panels" ordos paños (Spanish for "two cloths"); some examples are made out of sevengores orsiete cuchillos (Spanish for "seven knives").[citation needed]
Thetapis is a knee-length over-skirt that hugs the hips.Tapis designs may be plain, and is usually made ofopaque fabrics such asmuslin and themadras cloth, and also is used for the purposes of modesty as it keeps the lower body from showing due to the thinness of thesaya.[3] It is derived from the identically-namedtapis, the original indigenous wraparound skirt of women in the Philippines, which is a rectangle of brightly-colored cloth woven fromabaca fibers.[12]
Some ladies belonging to the higher classes (often of themestiza caste) consider thetapis a lowly piece of clothing. It resembled thedalantal (apron) worn by the lower classes. The upper-class women of the 1880s to the 1890s wore an elaborate[10] version of the tapis that was tied around the waist with two strings. This was also referred to as a "dalantal" (apron).[13]
The word "terno" in Spanish refers to a matching set of clothes made of the same fabric. In the Philippines, "terno" refers to a woman's ensemble that consists of matching colors/patterns.[14] In the early 1900s, the traje de mestiza's components started to match in terms of color and patterns.[15] Some trajes in the 1910s were entirely made of the same material[citation needed] (such as "nipis" – a Filipino term meaning "fine" or "thin"[16]). By the 1920s the term referred to a dress consisting of a matching "camisa" with butterfly sleeves, a heavily starched "pañuelo" (fichu), a "saya" (skirt) which normally came with a "cola" (train), and a "sobrefalda" (overskirt).[15]
By the late 1940s, the terno's meaning and silhouette evolved into any Western dress with butterfly sleeves attached to it.[14]
Occasionally the "terno" would be referred to as a "mestiza dress" by women who lived in the first half of the 20th century.[15]
During July 8, 2008,State of the Nation Address of Philippine presidentGloria Macapagal Arroyo, she wore a "modernized María Clara gown". The adaptation donned by the president came was fuchsia-pink, designed by JC Buendia. Created in three weeks, the fabric used for the presidential gown was a blend of pineapple fibers and silk and was developed by the Philippine Research Institute, an agency of theDepartment of Science and Technology of the Philippines. The six-yard fabric costing₱ 3,000 were produced in theprovince ofMisamis Oriental, processed inManila, and woven in the province ofAklan. The cloth was then colored with a dye from thesabang, a native plant.[17]
According to thePhilippine Daily Inquirer, this is the first time inPhilippine history that the media office of theMalacañang Palace revealed details about a Filipino president's evening outfit that would be worn for a State of the Nation Address. However, the president herself talked about the attire she wore in June 2008 during the 50th anniversary of the Department of Science and Technology. The aforementioned outfit was an old-rose-colored dress from pineapple fibers and dyed with materials originating fromcoconut husks.[17]
Contemporarily there are many designers who incorporate filipiniana dresses into their creations, adding a modern twist to them. They are often tailored to match new aesthetic standards and practical needs of everyday people.[18] Although its style has changed, the image of the classicfilipina can still be seen.
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