Today’s Filipino women are learning how to tweak the terno or the Maria Clara and baro’t saya to their own taste, needs, budget, indeed an entire integrated lifestyle. This has been evident in recent important occasions.

They try different colors, plus black, different ornamentations, fabric treatments, lengths, even silhouette.

Ornamentations are not limited to glitter or beadwork. There are cutouts or florals such as rosettes, the latter a signature of Randy Ortiz popularized by his muse, Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez.

Perhaps more than anyone in Manila’s social set, the low-key Irene Marcos-Araneta has advanced the native wear, particularly the baro’t saya, and the indigenous fabrics, especially the abel Iloko. The rare times she attends high-profile events, she wears Filipiniana—simple yet innovative, often designed by good friend Pepito Albert. Her Filipiniana is practical, wearable yet chic and elegant—for instance, the plaid skirt in very streamlined silhouette.

Or, today’s women can style their accessories, from belts to necklaces, to create the Filipiniana look.

And the good news—these women aren’t overdoing it.