Philippines Shell Shirt

This shell shirt (dagom) was made in the Philippines, likely  in the 19th or early 20th century by a Kulaman textile artist. The base material is blue cotton, which has been decorated with red cloth applique, seed beads, and beads made out of small shells.

Shells are rounded off and have holes drilled through them so they can be sewn onto completed garments. The pearly iridescence of these shells catches the light, much like modern day sequins. When seed beads were introduced to the island, makers began to use both kinds of beads in combination, and eventually many completely substituted seed beads for shell beads, even though seed beads lack the reflective qualities of the shell beads.

The Australian National Gallery has a very similar shirt in their collection, as do the private collectors Zaira and Marcel Mis, as seen in Asian Costumes and Textiles on page 155.