Филиппинская вышитая формальная рубашка Баронг Тагалог

Filipino embroidered long sleeved formal shirt

The barong tagalog, more commonly known simply as barong (and occasionally baro), is an embroidered long sleeved formal shirt for men and a national dress of the Philippines. Barong tagalog combines elements from both the precolonial native Filipino and colonial Spanish clothing styles. It is traditionally made with sheer textiles (nipis) woven from piña or abacá; although in modern times, cheaper materials like organza silk, ramie or polyester are also used. It is a common formal or semi formal attire in Filipino culture, and is worn untucked over an undershirt with belted trousers and dress shoes. Baro't saya is the feminine equivalent of barong tagalog, with the Maria Clara gown being the formal variant of the latter. Barong tagalog was also known as camisa fuera ("outer shirt") in Philippine Spanish.

The term "barong tagalog" is usually shortened in modern Filipino to "barong"; however, it is grammatically incorrect, as barong is not a word that can stand alone. It contains the enclitic suffix ng, which indicates that it is modified by or modifies the next word. The root word of barong is the Tagalog word baro, meaning "outfit" or "clothing". The term is usually not capitalized. Though "barong tagalog" literally translates to "Tagalog outfit", the "tagalog" in the name does not mean that it was a form of dress exclusive to the Tagalog people, as opposed to other Philippine ethnic groups. Barong tagalog (and baro't saya) were worn universally among Christianized lowlanders throughout the Philippines in the Spanish colonial period. Rather, the name was coined to distinguish the dress as native (hence "tagalog", i. e. Indio), as opposed to the styles of dress of Europeans and other foreign cultures. Barong tagalog can vary considerably in terms of design and material used, but they share common characteristics of having long sleeves, embroidery, being buttoned (halfway or straight down the chest), and the absence of pockets. They are also worn loosely and have slits on both sides. Historically, the material used for barong tagalog depended on the social class of the wearer and the formality of the occasion. Barong tagalog made of fine, sheer material like nipis were worn largely by the upper classes or were used for festive occasions; while barong tagalog made of cheaper opaque materials like cotton or sinamay were used by lower classes or for daily wear. The quality of the material and the intricacy of the embroidery were often signs of the status and wealth of the wearer. However, the direct female counterpart of the barong tagalog is the baro't saya (or more formal versions of it like the traje de mestiza and the terno), and both share the same precolonial origins.

The barong tagalog originated from the Tagalog baro (literally "shirt" or "clothing", also known as barú or bayú in other Philippine languages), a simple collar less shirt or jacket with close fitting long sleeves worn by both men and women in most ethnic groups in the pre colonial Philippines. These were made from rough linen like cloth woven from native abacá fiber, or from imported fabrics woven from silk, cotton, and kapok, among others. This type of shirt was known by the Spanish as the canga or chamerreta. Among Tagalog men, they were commonly paired with a rectangle of richly decorated cloth known as the salaual or salawal worn knee length and drawn up in the middle (like an Indian dhoti or Thai and Cambodian sompot chong kben); while in women they were paired with a wraparound skirt known as the tapis. The design of the original baro was influenced by trade and contact with neighboring regions, the most notable influence being the South Asian kurta.

Early records of clothing in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era from the 16th to the 18th centuries were limited, thus the exact evolution of the precolonial baro to the modern barong tagalog can not be established with precision. Based on illustrations and written accounts, however, baro were still largely only worn by commoners during this period. They were mostly identical to precolonial baro and were made from opaque linen like abacá textiles, and thus lacked the collars, buttons, and embroidery of later baro styles. The couturier Jose "Pitoy" Moreno has hypothesized that this transitional style of shirt was the camisa de chino of later centuries, which makes it a precursor to the barong tagalog. Depictions of members of the principalia upper classes (including natives and mestizos) in the 18th century showed that they invariably wore European style clothing.

The popularity of barong tagalog further waned during the American colonial period. It was replaced by suits (known as Americana in the Philippines) and tuxedos in most formal functions. In contrast, women persisted in wearing the native terno (a modernized and unified version of the baro't saya), which was then associated with suffragists. Barro cerrada remained popular as informal leisure clothing, however. Following Marcos' decree, barong tagalog became widely mandated as office wear for both employees of the government and private companies, as well as school uniforms. In the 1970s to the 1980s, companies like the Philippine Airlines, Ayala Corporation, and the Allied Bank were prescribing barong tagalog as their uniforms. Various semi formal and informal versions of the barong tagalog developed during this period, including the short sleeved polo barong and the linen barong. While the barong tagalog was now regarded as formal wear, it did not gain popularity as a wedding attire for grooms in the early post war Philippines. Most weddings featured a groom in a western suit and a bride in a terno. However, by the 1990s, the situations had reversed. Grooms now almost always wear barong tagalog, while women favored western style bridal gowns. Piña – a traditional sheer fabric hand woven from pineapple leaf fibers. It has a fine lustrous silk like texture and has a natural yellowish tinge. It is the most expensive and highly prized material for barong tagalog, due to its manufacturing difficulty, quality, and rarity. It is characterized by fibers of uneven thickness which gives the fabric the appearance of having streaks. Piña seda – a traditional fabric created by interweaving piña and silk (seda) fibers. It is usually less expensive than barong tagalog made purely from piña, but is more expensive than other types of material. It is characterized by piña fibers on the transverse weft, and silk fibers on the longitudinal warp. It is a lighter yellow color than barong tagalog made from piña. Piña jusi – similar to piña seda, it interweaves piña fibers with jusi fibers. It is less expensive than pure piña, but is more expensive than pure jusi. Pinukpok a traditional rough and opaque fabric made from abaca fibers. It is primarily a product of the Bicol Region. Organza – a modern mechanically woven fabric made from silk or polyester from China. It has a polished and even texture, although it can be regarded as being too shiny. It is the cheapest material used for formal barong tagalog. Today, the name is also applied to formal opaque barong tagalog with conventional cuts made from the same abacá material.

Pierre Cardin barong tagalog is a distinctive type of modern formal barong tagalog popularized by dictator Ferdinand Marcos. It was created by fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier of Pierre Cardin. It featured elements of fashion in the 1970s, including a tapering close fitting cut, rigid oversized point collars (often characterized as an "Elvis Presley collar") and cuffs, and flared sleeves. It was also worn with flared pants. 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 and linen barong are barongs made with linen or linen like fabrics (like ramie). The name, loosely translated, means "wrinkled [shirt] of the rich" and refers to their tendency to acquire paper like creases when worn because of the material; as well as a tongue in cheek reference to the way the wrinkles are tolerated because of the comparatively high status of the wearer. These are generally considered less formal than the barong tagalog, and are also reserved for everyday office wear. Shirt jack barong are cut in shirt jacket style usually made of polyester cotton, linen cotton and the typical gusót mayaman fabrics. Popularised by politicians wearing this style during campaigns or field assignments, it gives the wearer a look that is somewhere between casual and dressed up. This type of shirt is, however, considered inappropriate for very formal occasions such as weddings.

The barong tagalog is a possible precursor to the guayabera, a shirt popular in Latin American communities since the late 19th century. It may have been introduced first to Mexico via the Manila Acapulco Galleons and were adapted to use local fabrics in the absence of piña or abacá. A variant of the guayabera traditionally worn in Yucatan is still called "filipina."