Abstract:  

The purpose of this research is to reconstruct the clothing culture of 19th century Spanish Philippines and to discover the importance of dress in Philippine colonial society. This study explores the unique and complex interplay of clothing and appearance with race, class and culture in the context of the social, cultural and economic changes that took place between 1820 and 1896. The objective is to recreate an impression of colonial life by turning to clothes to provide insights on a wide range of race, class, gender and economic issues. For the first time, this uses the study of clothing to understand the socio-cultural and economic changes that took place in 19th century Philippine colonial society. The different racial and social groups of the Philippines under Spanish colonization were analyzed in light of their clothing.

This study locates the study of Philippine clothing practices in the context of a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural colonial society. After centuries of colonization, 19th century Philippines was – and continues to be- an amalgam of indigenous, Western and Chinese cultures. This study of clothing practices as an element of colonial life points to a broader study of cultural interactions, colonial lifestyles, human relations and social behavior. Clothing and appearance were analyzed to understand the ethnic, social and gender hierarchies of that period. This work crosses the frontiers between the disciplines of colonial and art history, material culture and costume studies. 


Stephanie Marie R. Coo holds a PhD in Cultural History (summa cum laude) at the Université Nice Sophia Antipolis in Nice, France. Her pioneering study on the clothing culture of 19th century Philippines crosses the frontiers between the disciplines of colonial and art history, material culture and costume studies.

Collaboration