Balintawak (dress)

The María Clara gown, historically known as the ''traje de mestiza'' during the Spanish colonial era, is a type of traditional dress worn by women in the Philippines. It is an aristocratic version of the '' baro't saya''. It takes its name from María Clara, the mestiza protagonist of the novel '' Noli Me Tángere'', penned in 1887 by Filipino nationalist José Rizal. It is traditionally made out of piña, the same material used for the '' barong tagalog''.Moreno, Jose "Pitoy"
– Maria Clara
Philippine Costume, koleksyon.com, archived from the original on July 13, 2011.

A unified gown version of the dress with butterfly sleeves popularized in the first half of the 20th century by Philippine National Artist Ramon Valera is known as the ''terno'', which also has a shorter casual and cocktail dress version known as the ''balintawak''. The masculine equivalent of ''baro't saya'' is the '' barong tagalog''.

These traditional women's dresses in the Philippines are collectively known as Filipiniana dress. Along with the ''barong tagalog'', they are also collectively known as " Filipiniana attire".

Traditional components

Like the '' baro't saya'', the Maria Clara gown traditionally consists of four parts: a blouse (''baro'' or ''camisa''), a long skirt (''saya''), a kerchief worn over the shoulders ('' pañuelo'', ''fichu'', or ''alampay''), and a short rectangular cloth worn over the skirt (the '' tapis'' or ''patadyong'').

The ''camisa'' is a collarless blouse whose hem is at the waist and is made from flimsy, translucent fabrics such as pineapple fiber and ''jusi''. The sleeves of the ''camisa'' are similar to the so-called "angel wings", or shaped like bells. 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.Fashionable Filipinas: An Evolution of the Philippine National Dress in Photographs 1860–1890

The ''pañuelo'' is a piece of starched square cloth (either opaque or made from the same material as of the ''camisa'') folded several times and placed over the shoulders. The purpose of the ''pañuelo'' has been related to modesty, used to cover the nape and the upper body due to the ''camisas 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.

The ''saya'' is a skirt shaped like a "cupola", the length begins from the waist reaching the floor. These are usually comprised either of single or double sheets, called "panels" or ''dos paños'' ( Spanish for "two cloths"); some examples are made out of seven gores or ''siete cuchillos'' (Spanish for "seven knives").

The ''tapis'' is a knee-length over-skirt that hugs the hips. ''Tapis'' designs may be plain, and is usually made of opaque fabrics such as ''muslin'' and the ''madras'' cloth, and also is used for the purposes of modesty as it keeps the lower body from showing due to the thinness of the ''saya''.

Some ladies belonging to the higher classes (often of the ''mestiza'' caste) consider the ''tapis'' a lowly piece of clothing. It resembled the ''dalantal'' (apron) worn by the lower classes. The upper-class women of the 1880s to the 1890s wore an elaborate version of the tapis that was tied around the waist with two strings. This was also referred to as a "dalantal" (apron).Patterns for the Filipino Dress: From the Traje de Mestiza to the Terno

Modernization

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.Patterns for the Filipino Dress by Salvador Bernal & Georgina Encanto In the early 1900s, the traje de mestiza's components started to match in terms of color and patterns.Fashionable Filipinas: An Evolution of the Philippine National Dress in Photographs 1860–1890 by Gino Gonzales & Mark Lewis Higgins Some trajes in the 1910s were entirely made of the same material (such as "nipis" – a Filipino term meaning "fine" or "thin"Fashionable Fabrics: The Mestiza Dress from the Nineteenth Century to the 1940s by Sandra Castro). 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).

By the late 1940s, the terno's meaning and silhouette evolved into any Western dress with butterfly sleeves attached to it.

Occasionally the "terno" would be referred to as a "mestiza dress" by women who lived in the first half of the 20th century.

During July 8, 2008, State of the Nation Address of Philippine president Gloria 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 the Department of Science and Technology of the Philippines. The six-yard fabric costing ₱ 3,000 were produced in the province of Misamis Oriental, processed in Manila, and woven in the province of Aklan. The cloth was then colored with a dye from the ''sabang'', a native plant.

According to the ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'', this is the first time in Philippine history that the media office of the Malacañang 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 from coconut husks.Avendaño, Christine
‘Modernized’ Maria Clara gown for Arroyo
, ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'', July 28, 2008.

Now there are a lot of designers who are incorporatin
filipiniana dresses
into their creations, adding a modern twist to them. They tailored it to be able to match up to today's ever-changing standards and the needs of everyday people.The Modernization of the Filipiniana Gown
Retrieved January 26, 2019 Although its style has changed, the image of the classic filipina can still be seen.

Gallery

File:Butterfly Gown.jpg, Woman in ''terno'' with stiffened "butterfly" sleeves
File:Imelda Marcos as the young Rose of Tacloban 1953.jpg, A young Imelda Marcos wearing ''terno'' type of Maria Clara.
File:Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach waves to the Malacanang Press.jpg, Pia Wurtzbach at the Malacañang Palace wearning ''terno''.
File:Kerchief (Pañuelo) MET 115249a.jpg, Early 19th century ''pañuelo'' in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
File:Pinayavatar.jpg, '' Mestiza de sangley'' woman in ''traje de mestiza'' with an '' abaniko'' fan
File:Filipina mestizas, early 1800s.jpg, Filipina '' mestizas'' from the early 1800s with '' pañuelos'' over '' baro't saya'', by Paul de la Gironiere
File:La Mestisa by Justiniano Asuncion.jpg, ''"La Mestisa"'' (A Filipina Mestiza) by Justiniano Asuncion
File:La Mestisa Española by Justiniano Asuncion.jpg, ''"La Mestisa Española"'' (A Spanish Mestiza Filipina) by Justiniano Asuncion
File:India de Manila by José Honorato Lozano.jpg, ''"India de Manila"'' (Native Filipina of Manila) by José Honorato Lozano
File:India A Caballo by José Honorato Lozano.jpg, ''India A Caballo'' (Native Filipina On A Horse) by José Honorato Lozano
File:Meztizo Spanish Woman.png, A gown worn by a Meztiza

See also

*Fashion and clothing in the Philippines
* Barong Tagalog

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maria Clara gown
National symbols of the Philippines
Philippine clothing
History of Asian clothing
Kerchiefs
Women in the Philippines