The Barong Tagalog (or simply Barong) is an embroidered formal shirt from thePhilippines. It is very lightweight and worn untucked (similar to a coat/dress shirt), over an undershirt. In lowland Christian Filipino culture it is common formal attire especially in weddings, and is mostly worn by men. The term "Barong Tagalog" literally means "aTagalog dress" in the Tagalog language; the word "Tagalog" refers to the ethnic group's traditional homeland in central and southern Luzon, and not their language.
The Barong was popularised as formal wear by President Ramón Magsaysay, who wore it to most private and state functions, including his own Inauguration.
Types of cloth used[edit]
The finest Barongs are made from a variety of indigenous fabrics. They have a sheer appearance and the best are custom embroidered in delicate folk patterns :
Piña fabric is hand-loomed from pineapple leaf fibers. Traditional piña weavers in the country, however, are dwindling, making the delicate piña cloth expensive and highly prized. They are used only for very formal events.
Jusi fabric is mechanically woven and was once made from abacá or banana silk.
Banana fabric is another sheer fabric used in formal occasions. It comes from the Visayan island of Negros. Hand-woven from banana fibre, the embroidery on this type is usually of a geometric design.
The term Barong Tagalog is almost exclusively used to refer to the formal version of the barong; however, less formal versions also exist.
- Polo barong refers to a short-sleeved version of the barong, often made with linen, ramie or cotton. This is the least formal version of the barong and is frequently used as men's office wear (akin to the Western suit and tie).
- Gusót-Mayaman (literally, "rich wrinkle") and Linen barong are any barong not made of piña, jusi, or similarly delicate fabrics. These are generally considered less formal than the barong Tagalog, and is also are reserved for everyday office wear.
- Shirt-jack barong are cut in shirt-jack style usually made of polyester-cotton, linen-cotton and the typical gusót-mayaman fabrics. Popularised by politicians wearing it during campaigns or field assignments, this style gives the wearer a look between casual and dressed-up. This type is however considered inappropriate for very formal occasions such as weddings.
Barong are commonly embroidered along the front in a u-shape, with small spots placed everywhere else. This is usually produced by any of the following methods:
- Hand embroidery
- Machine embroidery
- Computerised embroidery
- Hand painting
- Pinpricks (alforza)
- Lace-inserts/appliqué
- Calado ("pierced", a type of drawn thread embroidery.[6])
Even before the Spanish Era, the Tagalog people already wore a garment that can be seen as the forerunner of the Barong Tagalog. This dress reached slightly below the waist, was generally colourless, and had an opening in the front.[1]
A legend persists that the Spanish colonisers forced native Filipinos wear their barong with the shirt tails hanging out to distinguish them from the ruling class; its translucent fabric allegedly showed that wearer was not concealing a weapon underneath.[2] Supposedly, native Filipinos were also prohibited from tucking in their shirts, which served to designate their low rank as well as to distinguish them from the people of mixed descent, the mestizaje, and the colony-born pure Castillians or insulares. This is only a legend, as Filipinos already wore untucked shirts in the pre-Hispanic times, something common in tropical climates where temperatures and humidity are high.
Moreover, sociologists have argued against this theory by pointing out that tucked-o style was very common in pre-colonial South- and Southeast Asiancountries, and that the use of thin, translucent fabric developed naturally given the heat and humidity of the Philippines. Historians have likewise noted the absence of citations to any specific law in which that bans the tucking in their shirts. They also note that natives in the Spanish Era wore their shirts tucked at times. A common example cited in support of this argument is Dr.José Rizal and his contemporaries, who were photographed in Western clothing with their shirts tucked—although the era of the barong predated Rizal's time.
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