They make the barong less stuffy, more fun
The barong Tagalog as we know it has been undergoing changes that make this traditionally staid piece of men’s formal wear less stuffy, more fun. Embroidered patterns—often subtle, grid-like or tone-on-tone—are common, but some designers are known to color outside the lines, so to speak. They use bright embroidery thread in contrasting colors to bring to life doodles or fantastical designs.
A tiger outlined in thread crouches in the underbrush on one shoulder of a barong, while the Grim Reaper holds his scythe on the back of a short-sleeved and cropped version, both by Bree Esplanada, a Cebu-based designer and TernoCon alumnus.
Jor-el Espina, who recently opened his own space at One Corporate Plaza in Makati, has been designing for two decades now and said he is focused on creating “beautiful contemporary Filipiniana garments.” He collaborated with Viktor Manila for Presente by ArteFino a few weeks ago, where he fused barong fabric on denim to come up with a boxy jacket with dropped shoulders paired with a pleated denim skirt for men.
Another designer who has reimagined the barong as a varsity-style jacket is Happy Andrada. For her fashion show held recently, she came up with oversized barong jackets priced from P9,000 to P12,000. The one worn by her husband Tanguy was made of silk cocoon from Lumban in Laguna and featured hand-embroidered details.
Another oversized, varsity-inspired jacket displayed embroidered Filipino icons like Rizal, anahaw fronds, tarsiers, tricycles, jeepneys, and kalesas. The sleeves and lapels were cut from inabel fabric from Ilocos.
Conversation pieces
They join several other designers who have turned the barong into eye-catching conversation pieces. Cebu designer Edwin Ao embroiders multicolored doodles on short-sleeved barong, as does Daryl Maat, who “draws” airplanes and five-pointed stars on barong that look like sheets of lined notepad.
Gabbie Sarenas’ barong are more subtle. Her “Raul” barong has custom embroidery like sprigs of flowers or delicate sampaguita in a subdued and more deliberate pattern.
Kelvin Morales sells barong on his website (kelvinmoralesph.com) that feature fevered renditions of a Poblacion, Makati, night crawl or “the techno scenes of La Union” that span the entire shirt front, spilling over to the sleeves.
RJ Santos of Randolf Clothing is another designer pushing the envelope when it comes to what a barong should look like. On his website (randolfclothing.com), his barong are embellished with organza cutouts of pool floaters and nontraditional embroidered patterns like sailor tattoos, an anatomically-correct human heart or Roy Liechtenstein-inspired images.
Santos uses jusi fabric for his barong that are priced from P13,000 to around P20,000, while Morales uses silk cocoon for his that come in a relaxed fit and range in price from P16,000 to around P30,000 each.
Veteran designer Barge Ramos, who has been closely associated with the barong Tagalog for decades, told Lifestyle that the proportions for the barong should always be maintained. “The collar frames the face, so it has to be crisp and sewn well. Front buttons should sit well with no creases on the front bar. It’s important to give the barong Tagalog that finish of elegance,” he said in an email interview.
After mastering how to make this quintessential men’s wardrobe piece, Ramos has since experimented by pairing traditional weaves like piña and jusi with inabel fabric or large graphic prints. Still, he’s left with a nagging question after he finishes a particular barong design: “Does it still look like a barong Tagalog?”
Ramos, the author of the book “Pinoy Dressing, Weaving Culture into Fashion” went on to answer his own question: “Innovating with prints, doodles, embroidery and so on, reflects the designer’s taste and artistry. As couturier Roy Gonzales once said, ideas are like water from the faucet. You should know when to stop and turn off the faucet when it’s enough.”
