Tapis (Philippine clothing)

For other uses, see Tapis.
French illustration of a Spanish Filipino mestizo couple c. 1846, showing the traditional way of wearing the tapis by the ladies.
Cordilleran alampay in the Honolulu Museum of Art

Tapis across various cultures in the Philippines may generally refer to a single, rectangular piece of cloth one wraps around oneself as clothing, but is also the term for a colorful, hand-woven wraparound skirt common in the pre-colonial period, and which is still used today as part of the María Clara gown and by culturally conservative tribes.

The tapis worn by the Cordilleran women of Northern Luzon, known locally as the alampay, are the most prominent surviving example.[1]

It is worn by wrapping the cloth around one's waist and holding the ends together by means of a tightly tied sash. It generally reaches down to the knees. The woven pattern of a tapis describes the culture and temperament of the wearer's tribe.[2]

  1. ^ "Clothes". ifugao.gov.ph. Archived from the original on December 7, 2004.
  2. ^ So, Michelle P. (April 17, 2008). "'Tapis' Cops". SunStar Cebu (Editorial column). Archived from the original on April 20, 2008.