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Going beyond the terno

DESPITE its theme, this year’s Ternocon expanded its reaches far beyond the familiar Filipiniana dress. Not only did it revive the terno’s 1930s structure with the addition of the panuelo (fichu), but it also concentrated on another traditional Filipiniana dress, the kimona.

The terno evolved from the 1800s traje de mestiza (colloquially referred to as the Maria Clara), melding together its elements and modifying the former’s pagoda sleeves into butterfly sleeves (effectively shrinking them) for the changing times of the 1900s. Some elements were taken out through the decades — the tapis (overskirt) for example — and around the 1960s, with the removal of the panuelo, the terno as we know it today took shape.

As for the kimona, it is a loose blouse, often with elongated sleeves, worn with a tube-shaped skirt; it is considered more rural, casual, compared to the urbane terno.

The Balintawak, a second option for Filipiniana dress, is a more casual rendition of the terno, melding together the base form (the baro’t saya or blouse and skirt) with slightly puffed-up sleeves. It was popular throughout the first half of the 20th century. While the terno backthen was made of finer materials, the Balintawak is usually made of more common materials like cotton, and is usually accessorized with an alampay — a shawl or a scarf draped over one shoulder.

For this year’s Ternocon, held over a series of months in 2024 and culminating in the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) show on Jan. 26, the terno’s earlier form, used in the most formal occasions in the pre-war period, took center stage.

ARTISTIC INSPIRATIONThe 12 designers were given a brief to take inspiration from 20th-century Filipino artists. These included several National Artists — Jose Joya, Hernando R. Ocampo, Vicente Manansala, Fernando Amorsolo, Benedicto “BenCab” Cabrera, Leandro Locsin (veering from the painters and the sculptors on this list; Mr. Locsin was honored for his architecture) — and artists Ramon Orlina, Onib Olmedo, Nena Saguil, and Impy Pilapil.

That evening, Windell Madis took home the Chief Mentor’s Award for a clever interpretation of the work of H.R. Ocampo.

Ram Silva, meanwhile, won the bronze for his interpretation of Fernando Amorsolo’s paintings, particularly his depiction of idyllic countryside life during harvest time. For this, Mr. Silva showed an excellent use of the simpler kimona. For his collection, he used sweeping grasses on the skirts, with almost photo-accurate renditions of the colors in Mr. Amorsolo’s work, giving the collection the illusion of figures having stepped out of the paintings. The grass fringes were full and lush, reflecting beauty, abundance — and its perishability.

Bryan Peralta won silver for his “collaboration” with Joya, showing the outfits in common canvas (subverting the terno’s usually refined piña make), showing Jose Joya’s abstraction on mesh sleeves and wild, childlike embroidery.

Finally, Peach Garde won the gold for interpreting Mr. Locsin’s iconic buildings into clothes, tapping into the architect’s preference for Brutalism — a style dominating the postwar period with strict shapes and the use of concrete.  The main theater building of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Ternocon’s venue, the PICC, were both designed by Locsin. For these, he used geometrical shapes and panels of fabric to give the clothes a shape more akin to edifices than outfits.

Other notable collections that evening included Lexter Badana’s channeling glass sculptor Ramon Orlina. His collection used the signature blues and greens of Orlina’s work, using plastic and other materials to mimic glass, even in its sheen.

Irene Subang’s collection focused on BenCab’s muse Sabel, a homeless woman draped in the world’s misery, so cans painted copper were attached to the dress and an overall look of dereliction made noise on the runway.

Jared Servano’s work, based on Nena Saguil’s, featured a wash of silver and gold on the surface of the clothes, while the fabric’s thread appeared to be spilling off the sleeves, providing movement.

Ternocon’s mentors Rhett Eala, Ezra Santos, and Lulu Tan-Gan also showed off their own collections, as did 2023 Ternocon winner Yssa Innumerable.

Entrepreneur Ben Chan, whose Bench brand is the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ partner in Ternocon, made a speech that evening, saying, “May this gathering tonight ignite within us the same spirit of home, of love for country, and pride in our culture.” — Joseph L. Garcia

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