It is only fitting that the elegant and modest Filipina back in the day wore a beautiful dress like the Filipiniana. In this article, Tatler delves deeper into its history
The Maria Clara gown, terno, or Filipiniana attire played a big role in the county's culture. In many history books and museum archives, it can be seen that the dress gave many Filipino women a sense of identity.
The Filipiniana is a traditional dress that can be identified by its puffy butterfly sleeves, plain blouse (baro or camisa), long skirt (saya), and a pañuelo (a square of cloth used as a head covering or worn as a scarf around the neck) worn over the shoulders.
For starters, a baro or camisa is a collarless blouse made of flimsy and translucent fabrics; saya, on the other hand, is a long skirt that begins from the waist reaching the floor and is typically comprised of double sheets called dos paños (two cloths); meanwhile, the pañuelo is a cloth used to cover the nape and upper body to show modesty.
Read more: Filipiniana: 7 Stunning Dresses Worn By Celebrities—Jess Wilson, Pia Wurtzbach, And More
Where did it come from?
The Filipino's fascination with terno stemmed from the influence of the Spanish colonial period; an era that highlighted Christian ethics which demanded women be modest at all times. The baro, for example, is a design that was heavily inspired by the costume of the Blessed Virgin's statues.
Since the baro was made of fine materials, women were also subjected to wear the pañuelo to serve as a veil or cover their breasts. When the Spaniards took rule of the country, their mission was to spread Christianity; hence transforming women's clothing into something more conservative. Back then, showing certain parts of the body like one's ankle, foot, back, or leg was a great taboo.
The Filipiniana costume gradually spread across the Philippines before the end of the 17th century. The clothing restrictions imposed by the Spaniards brought about the use of starched pina and finer forms of sinamay and jusi (silk).
Changes
The sought-after terno had seen changes in the 17th century. During this era, Filipino-Spanish mestizas (Filipinos with at least some Chinese ancestry descended from the Spanish colonial era) incorporated dresses similar to the European ladies. This consists of a short skirt, blouse, a hat with the addition of an apron or tapis, and a pañuelo. This style, however, did not become popular and was only short-lived.
The pañuelo and saya for women became dominant during the early 18th century. The sarong or tapis worn on top of the new saya (a shorter but wider) declared native pride. The sleeves of the camisa also became longer and narrower and were heavily gathered and pleated in place where they were joined by the body of the camisa.
Meanwhile, the new pañuelo was very small and almost served as a loose collar. Many historians believed that this was a "native touch" as it deviates from the big and fancy neck ruffles used by European nobles.
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