Maria Clara dress

The María Clara gown is a traditional dress worn by women in the Philippines. It is a form of the Baro't saya. It takes its name from María Clara, the mestiza protagonist of the national epic Noli me tangere, penned in 1887 by Filipino national hero José Rizal. It has been connected to the María Clara character because of her traits: delicate, feminine, self-assured and with a sense of identity. The María Clara outfit is the only Philippine national attire that is named after a literary figure. Like all Baro't Saya it is traditionally made out of Piña, the same with the Barong of Men

"María Clara" origins came out from the earlier Baro't saya. It was a monicker assigned to the "traje de mestiza" after the ensemble was associated with the tragic heroine in Dr. Jose Rizal's Noli Me Tangere. The "traje de mestiza" of this period in the late 1800s consisted of 4 components: a camisa (blouse), pañuelo (fichu), saya (skirt), and an optional tapis (rectangular piece of cloth) or an elaborate "dalantal" (apron)

The attire is composed of four pieces, namely the camisa or baro, the saya (Baro't saya), the pañuelo (Spanish for scarf, also spelled panuelo) and the tapis.

The camisa is a collarless blouse whose hem is at the waist, and is made from flimsy, translucent fabrics such as pineapple fiber and jusi. The sleeves of the camisa are similar to the so-called "angel wings", or shaped like bells. The correct term for the sleeves of the camisa during the mid to late 1800s is a "pagoda" - derived from early Western silhouettes of the Victorian period The pañuelo is a piece of starched square cloth (either opaque or made from the same material as of the camisa) folded several times, and placed over the shoulders. The purpose of the pañuelo has been related to modesty, used to cover the nape and the upper body due to the camisa's low neckline as well as its sheer translucency; and also doubles as an accent piece because of embellishments added to it, usually embroideries and the pin securing it in place. The saya is a skirt shaped like a "cupola" with a length that begins from the waist reaching the floor. These are usually comprised either of single or double sheets, called "panels" or dos paños (Spanish for "two cloths"); some examples are made out of seven gores or siete cuchillos (Spanish for "seven knives"). The tapis is a knee-length over-skirt that hugs the hips. Tapis designs may be plain, and is usually made of opaque fabrics such as muslin and the madras cloth, and also is used for the purposes of modesty as it keeps the lower body from showing due to the thinness of the saya and the absence of underwear.

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Wikipedia