LIHUE — Barbara Green, a terno designer and president of the Kauai Filipino Women’s Club, said real corn husks were used on the winning terno worn by Faye Tangonan during last year’s Terno Ball.
“The terno is one of the formal wear for Filipino women,” Green said. “The gown is traditionally made from natural material, and Tangonan’s terno used real corn husks as embelishments. It also uses fabric that utilizes fibers from the pineapple with embelishments of beads and lace.”
The Kauai Filipino Women’s Club will present the 2017 Terno Ball and contest, Sept. 16 from 5:30 p.m. at the Kauai Marriott Resort and Beach Club.
“This will be the 53rd year the Kauai Filipino Women’s Club is presenting the event which includes contests for the Most Elegant Couple, the Finest Barong, or formal traditional Filipino men’s shirt, and the Most Beautiful Terno,” Green said. “The Terno Ball is a signature event for the club and is the source for scholarships which are presented to Kauai high school seniors.”
During the school year ending in June 2017, the Kauai Filipino Women’s Club presented scholarships to Bree Ann Cayaban, a student from Waimea High School, Alani Jervis from Kapaa High School, Nora Foss from Island School, and Sharae Cua who graduated from Kauai High School.
Tangonan’s terno went on to win the 2016 Terno Ball, and also earned her top honors in the terno competition en route to Tangonan being crowned the 2017 Mrs. Hawaii Filipina during the pageant hosted by the United Filipino Council of Hawaii on Oahu in April.
“This is the first time in a very long time that Kauai brought home the Mrs. Hawaii Filipina title,” Tangonan said. “During the state pageant, my terno earned top honors in design and speech phases. I was so excited because not only did the terno win, I ended up with top honors for photogenic, congeniality, talent, and judges’ interview.”
Colette Nagao is the chair person for the 2017 Terno Ball which presents an evening of entertainment including performances from the Bailes de Jose, a mini Michael Jackson tribute, and performances from students Alan Bueno, Nialani Green, and Jeremiah Garcia, a seventh grade student at the Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School who has performed during the last three Back to School Bash events at the Kukui Grove Center.
Steven Domingo of the Bailes de Jose said the men will be garbed in barong tagalog during some of the dance performances where the women will don maria clara, another formal Filipino women’s wear.
“The maria clara is considered a formal gown,” Domingo said. “It was named after a Filipino heroine by the same name for her traits of being a delicate female with a strong sense of self-assurance. The gown emerged as part of the Spanish influence in the Philippines.”
Tickets, including VIP tables for 10 with two bottles of wine, for the 2017 Terno Ball are available from Kauai Filipino Women’s Club members, or by calling (818) 383-1155, or Nagao at 652-0065.
