Philippine Traditional

Costumes
Bahag
• Pre-Colonial Period. Early
Filipinos used bark or plain-
woven fabric as material
forbahag. The bahag was
wrapped around the waistline.
Ifugao

• The Ifugao, immortalized by

their magnificent rice terraces;
inhabit the rugged terrain of the
extensive Cordillera Mountain
Ranges of Central Luzon Ifugaos
have wovenon looms and carved
works of art from blocks of
woods. The rice terraces is a
symbol of their industry that will
live through the ages.
Kalinga
• The Kalinga are called the “peacocks
of the north” because of their
attention to appearance and
dressing. Kalinga is a landlocked
province of northern Cordillera,
Philippines. “Kalinga” means enemy,
a name that the bordering
inhabitants called this tribe because
of their headhunting attacks. The
name stuck and became accepted by
the natives themselves.
Gaddang o Gadang
• The Gaddang are an indigenous
people from the area of Solano, in
the province of Nueva Vizcaya, in the
region of Cagayan Valley also known
as region II, in the Philippine Islands.
The Gaddang tribe was first
discovered by the Spaniards in the
early 1600s. An early Spanish report
written in 1581 identified them as
one of ten tribes in the mountains of
Northern Luzon.
Bontoc
• They are the people who live in the
mountainous areas of Benguet,
Ifugao, Mountain Province and
Kalinga- Apayao. The tribe’s
traditional clothing leaves males and
females bare above the waist. But
because of modern influence,
younger members of the tribe wear
trousers, shirts, dresses and shoes
that lowland Filipinos usually wear
samal
Ibaloi
• The Ibaloi are the highlanders of
Benguet and the city of Baguio.
The Ibalois are collectively
known as“Igorot”. They
traditionally live by cultivating
rice and agriculture.
Barong Tagalog Costume
• The Barong Tagalog, this is the official
national costume of Filipino men, originated
from the northern part of the Philippines, and
is originally made of jusi or pineapple cloth
called “pina” (woven from pineapple leaves).
It is worn over a Chinese collarless shirt called
camisa de Chino. It exhibits the loose, long
lines of its Chinese sources, the airy tropical
appearance of Indo-Malay costume, the
elongated effect of Hindu dressing, and the
ornamental restraint of European men’s
clothing. Today, barong tagalong can come
from different materials and different colors.
It is usually used for formal occasion and
meetings.
Maria Clara Costume
• The Maria Clara, this dress was named
after a mestiza heroine of one of the
novels of the Philippine National hero Dr.
Jose Rizal. Its origin was the national
costume of Filipino women which is barot
(shirt) saya (skirt). The Maria Clara gown
features a floor-length paneled skirt of
silk or satin and it consists of four
separate pieces: the collarless waist-
length, bell sleeved camisa; the bubble-
shaped, floor-length saya; the stiff, neck-
covering pañuelo; and the hip-hugging,
knee length tapis, or overskirt.
Camisa Chino
• The camisa de chino is a
collarless garment with long
cuffless sleeves, worn first by
Indios who had to labor under
tropical heat. The shirt cut vokes
its Chinese origins.
Baro’t Saya
• Circa 17th Century
• The baro, a collarless blouse,
was influenced by the costume
of statues by the Blessed Virgin
brought by Spanish missionaries.
The saya was adapted from the
basic lines of European skirt
styles during the 1600s.
Balintawak
• The Balintawak consisted of a
skirt, butterfly sleeves and a low-
cut bodice. Filipinas wore the
ensemble during visits to the
countryside, particularly
Antipolo, Rizal, a popular
summer destination for Manila
residents.
Terno
• Early 20th Century
• The Filipino “terno” evolved
from the baro’t saya and the
Maria Clara, and pertains to the
matching of blouse and skirt,
forming a one-piece creation
made of a homogeneous
material throughout.
Kimona
• The Kimona, this dress originated
from the Visayas, can be worn for
everyday activities as casual dress or
for formal occasion. Its origin was
the barot (shirt) saya (skirt), the
national costume for Filipino women
during the early years. A casual
kimona dress is always worn with
matching West Visayan wrap around
called "patadyong" as a skirt.
Muslim Costume
• This attire is worn by the
Muslims who live in the
southern part of the Philippines.
It features long skirts for the
women, frequently woven with
metallic threads, and shorter,
wrap-around skirts for the men.
The women also frequently have
overskirts and scarves draped
from the shoulder.
Batik
• design is also common with
these costumes. It shows the
mix of Arab, Malaysian and
Chinese. Elaborate umbrella
makes a nice fashion statement,
usually used by a Muslim
princess.
Malong
• the malong is traditionally used
as a garment by numerous tribes
in the Southern Philippines and
the Sulu Archipelago. Its origin is
from the ethnical group of
Maranao, Maguindanao and
T‟boli located in Mindanao.
• The malong can also function
• as a skirt for both men and
women, a dress, a blanket, a
bedsheet, a hammock, a prayer
mat, and other purposes.
Blaan
• The Blaan are one of the indigenous
peoples of Southern Mindanao in The
Philippines. They are famous for their
brass works, beadwork and tnalak weave.
The people of these tribes wear colorful
embroidered native costumes and
beadwork accessories. The women of
these tribes, particularly, wear heavy
brass belts with brass tassels ending in
tiny brass bells that herald their approach
even when they are a long way off.
Bagobo
• The Bagobo are proud people
with proto-Malayan features.
They have ornate traditions in
weaponry and other metal arts.
They are noted for their skill in
producing brass articles through
the ancient lost-wax process.
These people also weave abaca
cloths of earth tones and make
baskets that are trimmed with
beads, fibers and horses hair.
Tboli
• The Tboli distinguish themselves
from other Tribal Groups by their
colorful clothes, bracelets and
earrings, this tribe is famous for
their complicated beadwork,
wonderful woven fabrics and
beautiful brass ornaments.
Mandaya
• The Mandayas are a group of
non-Christian tribe, non-Islamic
people living in Eastern
Mindanao, Philippines. They
hand down from generation to
generation the art of weaving
cloth from the fibers of abaca
plant, colored with root and
mud dyes with intricate figures
and patterns depicting the
folklore and religion of the tribe.
Maranaw
• Typical Muslim Maranaw costumes
(bottom-left photo). The attire of
Maranaw prince and princess.
“Maranaw” means „people of the
lake‟, referring to lands surrounding
• Lake Lanao. Descending from
Muslim Malays, the royal families
within this tribe are a mix of Arab,
Malaysian and Chinese ancestry.
They are famous for their artwork,
sophisticated weaving, wood and
metal craft, and their epic literature
Yakan
• Basilan is home to the Yakan
Tribes, also known as one of the
finest weavers in Philippines.
They are known to weave the
most intricate designs in their
clothes, purses and other
accessories.
Samal
• The Samal are the poorest and
least independent of the major
Muslim groups. They serve as
the "loyal commoners" in the
hierarchy of Muslim minorities.
Their lives are literally over the
sea, where the villages stand on
stilts above the coastal waters.
Aetas
• The Philippines‟ aboriginal
inhabitants called the Aetas
provided the pattern for these
rough cotton costumes. The
Aetas or Negritos are nomads,
scattered among the isolated
mountainous parts of central
Luzon. They are thought to be
the earliest inhabitants of the
Philippines.
Pulangiyen
• Living in the Pulangi River
headwaters in the southern part
of Bukidnon, the Pulangiyen is
one of the many indigenous
natives of the province.
Matigsalug
• The Matigsalug are the Bukidnon
groups who are found in the Tigwa-
Salug Valley in San Fernando,
Bukidnon. “Matigsalug” is a term,
which means “people along the
River Salug”. Their men wear short
tight-fitting pants that are of knee
length and are hem and turbans for
the head decorated with beads and
fringed with goat’s/horse’s hair.