The dresses featured in this exhibition track an evolution of traditional Filipino dresses. The traditional Filipino dresses that are commonly seen as icons of fashion in the Philippines began among some ethnolinguistic communities in the pre-colonial period as a simple outfit consisting of a blouse and a skirt. During Spanish colonization beginning in 1565, the Catholic church ushered in a stricter adherence to a Spanish ethics of modesty in dress. The earliest of this style of the dress can be seen in the baro’t saya. The name comes from the two main components of the ensemble; the baro (blouse) and saya (skirt), a longer form of the indigenous skirt. This was paired with an alampay, a square kerchief, and tapis, or an overskirt, worn over the baro and saya due to the sheerness of the material with which they were made. These combined were the essentials that evolved throughout the centuries of Filipino dress.

The next dress style to evolve from the baro’t saya in the nineteenth century was the Maria Clara. The name comes from one of the central characters in the 1887 novel Noli Me Tangere by José Rizal. The style is known for its metiza qualities, which mix indigenous and Spanish fashion sensibilities. The baro’s bell-shaped sleeves are noticeably longer, and the saya now reaches to the floor. The alampay becomes the Spanish-influenced panuelo and is worn over the shoulder and clasped by a fashionable brooch. After the Maria Clara, the next the traje de mestiza and the terno are the ones that are commonly seen in the Watsonville is in the Heart family collections.

The traje de mestiza is seen only within studio photographs in our collection. Many of these photographs were sent from the Philippines. This dress was heavily influenced by the age of 1920s Hollywood glitz and glamor. The baro and saya are slimmed and styled with embroidery and beadwork to make them flashier. The bell-shaped sleeves are turned into the iconic butterfly style by being shortened and raised to rest above the shoulders. The panuelos and tapis are adorned with more intricate embroidery and flashier styles. The saya is also commonly worn with a tail, often fully referred to as saya de cola. These dresses will commonly be accompanied by accessories such as pearl necklaces, crowns, and feathered fans. This can be seen in Studio Photocard of Celedonia Pagdilao in the Millares Family Collection. Celedonia wears all the well known elements of the traje de mestiza dress and is adorned with trendy accessories.

The last dress is considered a national treasure of the Philippines: the terno. These dresses appear in our collection both physically and in a number of photographs of community events. The terno is a simpler dress in contrast to the traje de mestiza. The two-part ensemble that distinguished the baro’t saya look transformed into a seamless one-piece. The butterfly sleeves are even more upright and “clipped” while the accessories like the panuelo are completely removed from this look. The tails slowly are phased out, yet the intricate beadwork and embroidery remain. This dress is associated with sophistication and is often worn by Filipinas in politics. Black and White Terno, in the Irao-de los Reyes and Ibao Family Collection, captures the iconicity of this apparel. The terno’s color was the trend among the Filipinas in Watsonville and white embroidery enhances the elegance of the dress.

Traditional Filipino dresses reflect the history of colonial influence and the resilience of indigenous stylistic elements and materials. Gendered Spanish expectations of modesty transformed such elements and materials, and these, too, underwent transformation with the aesthetics of American glamor. Later in this exhibition,we will explore the meaningful associations made with the terno and how those symbolize the Filipinas of Watsonville.