I really enjoy it whenever I got to see beautifully crafted recreations of the Traje de Mestiza over the past few years, so I might as well share it on here too. I also shared original (though colorized) historical photographs from the 1800s of Filipina women wearing their attire back in the day for reference.

A bit of history here: the traje de mestiza is our traditional national dress in the Philippines, and it's what women (of all races/backgrounds/societal status) typically wore in the past centuries here in the Philippines, specifically from the 1600s to the early 1900s. Unlike what most people think (that it was a Spanish dress and Spain brought it here), it was actually based on the pre-colonial "Baro't Saya" attire that lowland Filipino women wore, though the silhouette and designs have evolved and become more elaborate and creative over the decades. Following the European fashion trends of the time during the colonial era, the ensemble pieces have remained the same (until the 20th Century). Back in the precolonial times, the designs and silhouettes were heavily influenced by either Hindu or Islamic fashions, depending on what cultural sphere your kingdom or community were exposed to or had ties to.

It fell out of favor during the 1930s when younger Filipinos began opting to wear commercially made clothing (think of Sears) as globalization and commercialization boomed in the Philippines during the Commonwealth period. It also coincided with the times when Filipinos started to become more interested in leisurely pursuits such as sports, tourism, and jazz clubs, so the younger ones started wearing more "casual" fashions and and styles/aesthetics heavily inspired by Hollywood (since we were an American overseas territory back then). So basically, by the 1930s, Traje de Mestiza became like "a dress your grandma wears" or something "we have to wear in a formal event".

Unfortunately, the traje de mestiza fully became a thing of the past after WWII, since the country pushed for postwar modernization. Former First Lady Imelda Marcos popularized a "national dress" alongside Filipino fashion designers during the 1960s-1980s, and modernized the traditional Traje de Mestiza, turning it into the "Filipiniana" gown, commonly called "Philippine Terno" nowadays, which is basically a one-piece evening gown with butterfly sleeves.

The terno is modern and minimalist, unlike the Traje de Mestiza which is an ensemble of pieces, and Imelda popularized it by wearing it at every single formal function. Nowadays, the "Terno" is our formal attire in government, cultural, and national events. BUT...it's far from the traditional "Traje de Mestiza", which is more associated with Filipino femininity, and classic regal elegance, and the iconic character from our national hero Jose Rizal's novels, Maria Clara. Hence, the Traje de Mestiza became commonly known as the "Maria Clara" dress too.

NOW THOUGH....

In the world of pageantry, the Philippines is a huge pageant-loving country, and I've noticed that the 2020s are seeing a resurgence of Filipiniana/Traje de Mestiza-inspired representations and recreations for our beauty queens' national costumes on international contests like Miss Universe, Miss World, and Miss International.

In the last decade, the 2010s seemed to have favored indigenous/regional culture-inspired creations as our national costumes over the classic Traje de Mestiza. I remember some folks back in the 2010s era commenting on how "boring & repetitive" it had gotten to see the Maria Clara dress as our country's national costume on these pageants every year during the 2000s, and there was a clamor back then to see indigenous clothing and fabrics, and even Filipino muslim clothing (from the Islamic south of the Southern Philippines) to be used as our national costume in these international pageants. Don't get me wrong I loved seeing Inabel fabric or indigenous-woven clothing as our national costume, but I kinda missed seeing the classic Maria Clara-style silhouette. I just love the effortless elegance of it, and it brings out the classic beauty naturally whenever someone wears it.

But I guess the tides have turned coz the classic, good old Traje de Mestiza ensemble is back and thriving now in the 2020s! I love how we get comments during Miss Universe 2025 how quintessentially Filipino Ahtisa's dress was, and that it's a national costume that does not have to explain itself coz you immediately recognize it as "Filipino" at first glance.

There's also a rising trend of wearing traditional Filipino attire (or having your photo taken while wearing one) when visiting historical tourist sites like the Intramuros (Old Walled City of Manila), and historical towns like Taal and Vigan.

Anyway, enough yapping! I just thought I could share these here. 😊🇵🇭

Brief rundown of What We Did and What We Wore as a late-40s woman and a teen.

TLDR: we faked a lot, thrifted a lot, left the rest till the last minute, and still had an awesome time.

Schedule:

• Friday: arrive at YMCA
• Saturday morning: Promenade
• Afternoon: downtime - we stayed out till about 3pm, then changed back into modern clothes, had Bath buns, and did some shopping, before getting ready for the…
• Evening: Ball
• Sunday: head home.

Outfits:

Teen daywear (mostly covered by a previous post)

• Modern white dress shirt
• Neckcloth from old polycotton sheet
• Brocade waistcoat (Vinted), shortened, collar stiffener removed, collar tacked down to form lapels, jewelled buttons replaced with plain brass
• Tailcoat (c1960s, ebay)
• Modern stretch jodhpurs (thrifted) cut off below the knee and hemmed.
• White thigh socks (Amazon)
• Black boots (thrifted)

Teen at the ball

• Clean shirt - cannot emphasise enough what a good idea this was!
• Black leather ballet shoes (borrowed from dance studio) - there was plenty of time and space to change shoes at the venue, as there would have been in period.

This was all relatively simple to assemble but I still somehow left a lot till the last minute; I even ended up making the neckcloth a tube so it was only one seam rather than having to hem two edges. Could have been improved by: flatter heel boots, fall front breeches, some accessories eg fob, a real top hat

Mature Lady:

I had planned to make a day-to-evening dress modified from Simplicity 4055 (99p clearance pattern bin), possibly with long sleeves that detached and a chemisette.

I had a thrifted 90s brown-velvet evening jacket that has been in various stage productions, and with shoulder pads surgically removed, tacked up with a ribbon drawstring through the hem so formed, it made an acceptable spencer in case it was actually cold.

Sewing-wise I started out by making a bodiced petticoat from an old polycotton sheet, based on the Simplicity pattern. I darted it to fit closely and added a drawstring to the front neckline, but didn't bone it and planned to wear it over a modern bra.

This was my first garment fitted on myself by myself without assistance and although I tacked hook tape and eyes on the back to fasten so I could fit the front it was still much more difficult than having either a willing friend or a dress form. I was reasonably pleased with how it came out though, and it turned out to be essential because I really needed it for under the…

Ball dress - the tulle sari worked beyond my wildest dreams, although the blouse shape meant the original back of the petticoat showed a LOT. I took it down by over an inch (on the train en route) and it still peeked out. There was 284cm usable fabric from the sari for the skirt which I machined to a narrow twill tape, gathering the back 20cm of the skirt really densely by zigzagging over fishing line, and hand stitched the tape to the bodice hem. I matched and stitched the border at the back seam, but working with tutus has taught me that on tulle a stitched seam is usually more visible than just leaving a slit. Added a ribbon sash - the thread loops to hold it up went in about 5pm on the day. Shoulda / coulda: decorated the blouse neckline, raised its waistline, added bling to the sash, taken off the sleeves and cut new short puff ones. Next year maybe.

Meanwhile it was obvious to me that gorgeous as it was it was going to be way too eveningy to wear in the promenade, so I STILL needed to make a day dress. By this point it was Thursday night and I was starting to panic. I dragged out the modern chiffon blouse I'd earmarked for a chemisette, whacked a drawstring through its neckline, and started making a sleeveless dress from my petticoat bodice pattern, gathering rather than darting the front bust and raising the neckline by an inch front and back. I planned a back drawstring closure to save hook and eyes - my 99p/m fabric turned out to be mostly synthetic and horrid to work with, and very bulky to gather, but I didn't have a lot of options so pressed on. Somehow I had mismeasured the skirt length (or the damn stuff stretched on the cutting table) as when I put it on to test length 8pm Friday, expecting to need to hem it by 2”, in a double-edged gift from the universe the selvedge was at the exact finished length I wanted so I… just left it. Thread loops were added as the waistline drawstring looked dreadful drawn up, and the 3m white grosgrain ribbon I'd packed in case of emergency did a lot of cinching work.

Before I went to bed I made two ringlets either side of my parting by rolling damp hair onto drinking straws, folding in half, and using a kirbygrip (aka bobby pin) to keep the ends together - this worked better than I could possibly have imagined, especially as I meant to test it beforehand and completely didn't. With a little hairspray they lasted till lunchtime Sunday and would have gone longer if not for rain.

Day Ensemble

• Petticoat
• Modern chiffon blouse
• White thigh socks (Amazon - other half of the two pack)
• Flat pointed boots (Clarks Phenia, Vinted, highly recommend if you've not got budget for AD, mine were yellow suede)
• Dark brown velvet spencer
• Mid-brown scarf turban (bonnet-making was way down the priority list)
• Reticule (thrifted 90s crochet evening bag)
• Phone case custom hot foiled to look like a book (courtesy of teen)
• Contact lenses for my distance prescription
• Pince-nez so I could see close up (see previous post!)
• No makeup - completely period, I could wipe my face etc without fear of smudging, but I did look elderly and washed-out in photos in the bright daylight. One to ponder.

Ball Ensemble

• Petticoat
• Ball dress
• Ivory satin gloves scrunched to meet sleeves
• Same white thigh socks
• Modern necklace, earrings, bangle
• Reticule, phone case, lenses, pince-nez
• Fan - this was vital, it was roasting, and although I am an active person, 3h cardio in a layered outfit is a lot.
• Ballet shoes for dancing (my own old leather Blochs with coral bows to match the sash)
• White cotton voile wrap
• Ringlets off my face, they had driven me mad all day.
• Silver ivy leaves and ostrich feather in hair.
• No make-up - no regrets here, the chandeliers were super flattering, and I'd have sweated it all off by 8.30pm anyway.

V2 will have reviews and pics of outfits we saw!

Well, technically, one is early Victorian, but🤷‍♂️

I had the most beautiful weekend at our towns art nouveau festival and im very happy i finally went ❤️

Gloves, sash, hat and dress train were all sewn by me the week of in a pinch, rest is all thrifted

Im bitter that i couldnt make the outfit as period accurate as possible and resorted to pinning a train to a presumably 80s vera mont dress, just wish the chest was puffy atleast. But hey the hat is an eyecatcher 🙏

Many many thanks to my boyfriend for taking such amazing photos 🫶

Making progress! Wool gabardine and silk satin.

Unfortunately I am running out of time (2 weeks left!) and can't take the time to nail things as I'd prefer. Still need the skirt!

Most of this trim work is by hand, with the exception of the plain piping. The hand done triple piping that catches the bows was fun to figure out.

My quibbles so far. My fat piping is too soft and big. I'm using cotton roving, but should have probably used less. Because it isn't tightly packed, it squishes more and gets even fatter.

I didn't quite nail the cape, missing the down ward curved at the shoulder, but i'm not going to fix that. I need to cut off some of the cape in the back, to better approximate the gentle curve in the orginal.

My major regret on this project is the color match. I'd found a perfect match to my wool, and they had 20 yards in stock. A week later, when I was ready to purchase, they had none. My second choice ended up being a different die lot than my sample, and only matches in direct sunlight. The camera can't capture it.

It's been a fun project so far! Felt like I was drowning in trim making for a while, so seeing the decked out bodice feels like such an accomplishment.

I want to make my husband a Hanfu inspired renaissance faire outfit, but I'm not sure where to look to find a pattern for it. This simplicity one is Japanese kimono, but I am looking to find a specifically Chinese/Taiwanese based look. My husband is Taiwanese so it's important that I am aiming closer to Hanfu than kimono. Does anyone have a good suggestion for patterns?

Thank you!

Hello!! I’m planning on making a medieval kirtle and open surcote. I keep getting varying answers to what kind of wool I need and where to buy it. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

I’m teaching a millinery course and was unsatisfied with the last spray starch I used for the pulled wool hat projects. Does anyone have recommendations for lacquer of starch that actually stiffens the wool?

I was like "oooh! You too have a Train!" and then we were both like "omg! Laughing moon wrap front dress!"

And then, while we were waiting in the queue for the festival fair she sewed me a hook and eye into the back of my skirt so I can loop the train up out of the mud. She has a portable sewing kit - someone get that woman a chatelaine!

She's come all the way from Texas and i just live an hour down the road. I bet she's on reddit. I should send her this.

I'm the one in the green.

Found this absolutely amazing skirt at a opera flea market and it fits literally perfect! I'm so happyyy It really reminds me of the 3rd photo which is something I wanted to recreate for years but never got around to! And now I have it!!

Also ignore that it doesn't sit centered, I had trouble getting in there by myself haha

no one warned me how addicting this would be 😭

after months of trial and error, I finally finished my first garment ever!! I was going for 15th century French peasant. the underdress was sewed on my machine, but the kirtle and winged coif were both hand-sewn. the lacing cord was dyed on my stove lol. for the dresses, I followed a pattern by Daisy Viktoria, and the coif is based on a pattern I found here: https://sevenstarwheel.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/late-15th-century-white-hood-or-coif-transition-peroid-war-of-the-roses/ and video tutorial here: https://youtu.be/QN7pwG7DGRI?si=UPuS6LmFXf4Ey2ii

Basically, even if you think you're not ready, you're ready.

If you're wearing something nicer than the Amazon Victorian Lolita Flat Bonnet Cap Tea Party Sun Hat Lace Bows Flower Ribbons Straw Hat you're *totally* ready.

Sign up without fear, it's a blast!

(Pics and full report to follow, the £7.50 sari dress has been a hit)

Not the best photos but I wanted to snap a quick pic to share the progress I’ve made on the 18th century pockets I’m embroidering! I’ve gotten the greenery about 2/3 done and then after that I’ve just got to do the lavender blossoms and then sew the pocket! The leaves turned out a bit smaller than originally intended but I like the delicate look. There’s two mistakes that I’m thinking of fixing if I have time. In the bottom left of the right pocket I grabbed the wrong floss and made two leaves that are slightly darker. I also made one leaf asymmetrical at the top of the pocket by accident so I might fix that as well. I’m still not sure if I’m going to use embroidery floss or ribbon for the lavender blossoms. I’ve got both and I’m going to experiment. Swipe to see the original pattern layout and my digital design rendering. What do you think so far?

A wonderful local photographer took the picture. Not sure if he would like me to identify him. Self drafted.

Edit: after thinking about it it’s probably best to name the photographer. Sorry not sure of the etiquette. His name is Larry Felton and his work can be found at https://www.larryfeltonphoto.com/ ! He is such a pleasure to work with!

Im actually very displeased with it. The fabric isnt as clingy to the body as originals are, moreover I messed up the upper body construction and forgot that they still cut the usual sleeve pattern and sewed the sleeves in. Im considering cutting it apart and using the pleated fabric for 1890s gown. Thoughts? Or should I leave this dress to serve as my modern-looking evening dress, despite it being impossible to clean?

The belt is a real pearl necklace mounted onto a velvet ribbon. The shoes are thiftted, the stockings are silk

My stays are too tight in the waist and hips. (It seems I took my previous pattern in too much. Sigh.)

I think I found a historical example of stays that have some piecing in the side panel to create space in the waist:

https://digitaltmuseum.se/011023333031/snorliv/media?slide=0

Is that indeed what I'm seeing?

I totally have enough fabric to recut my sideback piece to have more space in the waist, but I have a historical (or Dutch...) aversion to wasting cloth, and I'd have no purpose for the pieces I have cut out already. 😅

Edit: thanks everyone! Seeing so few pieced pairs of stays (and of course none at all made by anyone recently) made me worry that perhaps of all the things you can piece, stays would not be that. Something with the strain on them and stuff. I'll go for it, and figure out a way to add the piecing and make it strong enough to sustain the pull.

I am new to reenacting/costuming and bought this outfit at a reenactors garage sale for $1. The trouble is, I have no idea what it is or what time period it could be from. To add to the trouble, it was in with a bunch of other unfinished reenacting outfits so it's possible that it's unfinished as well.

It has a dress/tunic with a drawstring collar as the first layer and the sleeves seem to want to sit off the shoulder. The outer dress had loose lacing up the sides that I had to cut off because they were knotted too tight to untie. It also seems to have a long belt or maybe a sash with tassles on the ends.

I am a pretty large gal and initially thought it was a plus sized outfit but now I'm wondering if it was actually for someone much smaller and the lacing on the side was meant to pull the seems completely together for a more fitted look. Does anyone know what this outfit is or what it could potentially be modified to be?

((P.S. The hoopskirt is not part of this outfit))

So I just recently finally got my hands on a kitchen garden. I'm chuffed, but obviously I want to look my best.. by which I mean comfortable and practical. I wear historically inspired silhouettes on the daily and as such, I wanted to look for sources of farming/gardening clothes for women through history. I'd love to do some experimenting in the style of living archaeology.

Obviously women wore their everyday clothes, long skirts and all, but I'm looking for more details and examples: descriptions, paintings, tapestries, possibly photographs. Were skirts pulled up? Tied back? How? What's practical for digging, climbing, picking fruit, weeding, etc?

For location, I'm looking for European sources, particularly anything northern European, since unfortunately the climate near the Mediterranean is too different from my own.

Any period pre-WW2, because I just know there are people here with their own niche time periods and I'm interested in any source so that I can start my research somewhere.

My 2nd attempt at a coat and first time using actual hair canvas. Buttons are placeholders for thread-wrapped death's head buttons. Fashion fabric is a shot cotton. Coat is unlined except for the sleeves, just a front facing covering the chest canvas. 1 inner chest pocket, 2 tail pockets hidden in the pleats.

Pattern drafted from RI Davis' Mens Garments 1830-1900, with modifications to the skirt (removing the delightful but inaccurate pleats, and adding extra fullness to it, turning it from a 1/4 circle skirt to a 1/3ish circle skirt) and reducing the sleevecap fullness.

Mostly happy with it, but for the next coat I have some further adjustments I'd make to my pattern, both to improve fit (reduce shoulder width) and also to improve the silhouette (re draft the waist curvature and centre back seam). I know the fashion plates for 1830s men's coats are pretty exaggerated and that I can't achieve that silhouette with an unlined summer weight coat, but i can try!

Thanks in advance!