How To Wear a Barong Tagalog... Properly

The Barong or Barong Tagalog is an embroidered formal piece of garment in the Philippines. Barongs are mostly worn by male for formal events such as wedding, graduation or are use during official government functions. Barongs are not only popular but also comfortable because they are made of very thin materials and jive well with the tropical weather.

Reputable research showed that the barong was the “precursor” to the guayabera, a shirt popular in Cuba and in Latin American. The guayabera shirt was originally called the "Filipina" during the era of Manila-Acapulco galleon trade between 1585 to 1815. The Barong where brought to Mexico from the Philippines.

The groom wearing his hand-embroidered Barong from Batangas. His Barong Tagalog is made from the most expensive pineapple fiber materials.

Barong Tagalog 101

1. Never ever tuck the Barong in. First rule!

2. Never ever wear a more expensive and more elaborate embroidered Barong than the host of the event. In a wedding, the groom must stand out from the crowd wearing the best Barong. Out shinning the groom with costlier Barong is a disaster waiting to happen.

3. Never wear an undershirt (a kamisa tsino) that is not color white. The Barong must at least match with the undershirt. A light colored undershirt might be considered if the Barong resembles its color too.

4. Never wear a V-neck undershirt. It looks odd with the high crew neckline.

5. Never wear a long-sleeve inner garment.  It must be short-sleeve undershirt.

6. Never attend a formal event with Barong that has obvious wrinkle/s.  Make sure it is nicely pressed before showing up at any format gatherings.

7. Do not wear light-colored slacks unless you want to be different or you are the groom. For an event such as a wedding, the groom usually can choose any color of the slack. The groom normally chooses white or light-colored slacks to differentiate him from the other guys.  It is highly impolite and insensitive for anyone to stand out more than the host of the event (or the groom).

8. In general, Barong should be wear together with a pair of dark-colored dress slacks. By wearing a dark slacks, it forms a visibly nice sharp contrast.

9. Never wear rubber shoes when wearing a Barong. Nice black shoes would do the trick.

10. If ask, you should be able to know from which town or province your Barong was made, who is the designer and what materials were used.  Is it made of pineapple fiber, abaca fiber or banana silk? Knowing your barong including its fabric is a must. Be ready to be asked by other guests during the formal event about your Barong.

11. During pictorials or group pictures, make sure that the Barongs don’t get wrinkle. Do not make any hand gestures on others that can make their Barong  obtain wrinkles.