Fashion In The Philippines

By the turn of the century, the city of Manila had an interesting mix of people. Aside from the native Filipinos, the Chinese, and the Spaniards, a foreign community of Englishmen, Americans, and other nationalities were also present in Manila. This mix of races had developed lifestyles that diverged, touched, often differed, yet sometimes borrowed and adapted one from the other. An example is the lifestyle of Spaniards, which showed indolence and ease.

Women were dressed in elegant gowns, which were mostly in European style, by the turn of the century. At present, one can see the evident change in the clothing of the women. The drastic change in clothing is because Filipino women are exposed to the different styles of the fashion trend of the moment. One obvious change in the clothing of women is the used of elegant gowns. Unlike before, today, women wear casual clothes whenever they went out. Elegant gowns are only used for formal events. Also, before, the legs of women were always hidden behind a long dress or a gown. Nowadays, however, dresses and skirts have been shorter. Furthermore, the blouses have no more sleeves and some is even backless. But the Barong Tagalog and the Filipiñiana terno, which symbolize the Filipino tradition in culture, remain constant throughout the years. Some alterations and addition to the traditional dress have been made, but the concept and materials still remain the same. At around five in the afternoon during the turn of the century,