Bagong Barong

A quip between me and another Filipino the other day spurred me to redesign the traditional Filipino barong tagalog, a sheer, oversized man's shirt usually made of pineapple or banana fibers, for women. There have been many versions of the barong throughout the years but I could never recall people wearing it as a casual dress statement. Back in the 90s, I used to wear the linen and ramie versions favored by teachers and office workers as casual wear with chinos and sandals here in New York, a subversion that might be seen as sartorial heresy back in Manila (somewhat akin to wearing a tux jacket with jeans). But Filipino women rarely used it instead preferring the rather overt statement of the terno, with its almost costumey butterfly sleeves. So I thought it might be fun to redesign the barong as a flirty woman's top. These are a few initial ideas.