Terno Revisited

Preparations are reaching fever pitch as the major fashion event of 2023, Ternocon 3, approaches

- Christine Andas

Filipinos have always welcomed the return of the terno, a traditional formal ensemble worn by Filipino women that eventually became a national dress. Following the recent defining events in the country, such as this year’s presidential inauguration and the first state of the nation address, admiration for the national dress grew as esteemed guests and officials made headlines wearing elegant creations of Filipino designers.

There are many beautiful ways to reinterpret the terno. This holds true as 12 brilliant designers from the third edition of Ternocon work on their own unique versions of the traditional attire to provide an avenue for future designers and promote and preserve the terno for the next generations.

Ternocon, a contest and convention started by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and Bench, has been reviving the Filipino interest in the terno since 2018 by inviting budding artists to try their hand at creating a functional design in two categories, Formal Terno and Balintawak.

“We want [the terno] to be normalised,” Ternocon artistic director Gino Gonzales says. “The next step is indoctrinating the Filipino people with the different kinds of Filipiniana.”

However, this year, Gonzales and chief mentor Inno Sotto have decided to focus on the balintawak.