Barong Tagalog and Maria Clara

CEBU, Philippines - While the fashion dictates of international pop-culture trends have spurred significant amount of interest among fashionably-sensitive Cebuanos, the influx of these foreign imports has not caused a dent in the local psyche's standards in traditional Filipino formal wear - particularly the "Barong Tagalog" and the "Maria Clara" gown.

If you thought that the Barong Tagalog and Maria Clara gown are nothing more than formal items worn during weddings and cultural festivals, their "stories" would say that there's more to them than what's popularly assumed.

The Barong Tagalog.

 The name Barong Tagalog stems from the Filipino word "baro," which translates to the generic "outfit," "upper outfit" or "dress."

As a staple men's formal wear in the Philippines, the story of the Barong Tagalog is mixed with historical and anecdotal accounts - making it more than just an example of traditional Filipino clothing, but one that's also infused with the Philippines' rich cultural legacy.

Historians note that the term was used to collectively describe what Filipinos of the Tagalog regions wore during the Spanish era. In time, the term is said to have evolved to only denote a type of shirt, as other clothes of the time eventually got their own names - for example, the "baro't saya."

There's one popular legend associated with the garb that indicates that it was a type of baro imposed on the Tagalogs by the Spaniards - as a means of identifying them from the ruling class, since it was worn untucked (shirt tail hanging, not tucked-in).

A version of this legend adds that the transparent material used for the garb functioned as a deterrent for its wearers to conceal weapons. But as popular as this legend is, it has been pegged by experts of the field as just legend, for the lack of proof that such a mandate was actually in effect at the time.

The Maria Clara gown.

As a traditional Filipino clothing for women, the Maria Clara gown owes its name from one of the characters of Jose Rizal's "Noli Me Tangere" - a mestiza named Maria Clara.

How this naming came to be is linked with the traits of the Maria Clara character - who was pictured by Rizal as a delicate, feminine woman who had her own sense of identity.

Characterized by historians as a variation of the "baro't saya" - a type of traditional Filipino clothing for women whose name loosely translates to "upper outfit and skirt" - it is typically mistaken for the "terno," which is actually an updated variation of the Maria Clara gown.

Traditionally, a Maria Clara gown consists of four pieces; a collarless chemise called the "camisa", a floor length skirt called the "saya," a neck accent piece or covering which can also function as a veil, called the "pañuelo," and a knee-length over-skirt called the "tapis."

The "terno" - its updated variation - is generally designed as a single-piece gown that does away with the design aspects of the "pañuelo," and is typically designed and cut to be more streamlined than the traditional Maria Clara gown. (FREEMAN)