Tapis (Philippine clothing)

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.

[1] It is worn by wrapping the cloth around one's waist and holding the ends together by means of a tightly tied sash.

This usage of the term does not require that the piece of cloth be a traditional tapis, and can refer to being wrapped in a blanket or towel.

They felt that the tight profile of the tapis on a female wearer was revealing and immodest, and made even worse by the often sheer fabric of the cloth.

[3] Among the lowland peoples who came under the full influence of Spain, this would soon change as Christianization and Hispanization forced a much more conservative cultural imperialism, and along with it, a mode of dress that emphasized a Christian-colonial sense of subjective modesty.