Apart from her more than 3,000 pairs of shoes, Imelda Marcos was also known for her beaded, sequined and embroidered "ternos" — those beautiful traditional Filipina dresses with stiff butterfly-like sleeves.

The costume became so identified with Imelda that the former Philippine First Lady even earned the moniker "Iron Butterfly" in reference to the dress' signature sleeves.

"But the terno isn't exclusively hers," said visiting Filipino fashion designer Roberto Torres. "It belongs to every Filipina."

The Filipina "terno" is Torres' grand passion. A Biology professor at the Western Mindanao State University, the Zamboanga-based couturier has been designing and innovating the "terno" for almost three decades now. His clients included former Philippine President Corazon Aquino and Myrna Espinosa, the better half of Philippine representative to Taiwan Edgardo Espinosa. Eight of Espinosa's "ternos" — all designed by Torres — were showcased in a cultural presentation held at the monthly general meeting of the Taipei International Women's Club yesterday. Espinosa and five staff members of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office — Christine Ang, Jocelyn Huang, Marissa Ramos, Jero Syquian, and Irene Tan — even gamely graced the catwalk yesterday to show off the traditional and modern versions of the Filipina's national costume.

"It was very impressive," TIWC President Maria Rybicki said following the fashion show at the American Club in China. "Everything was well thought out. Mrs. Espinosa (who arranged the Philippine cultural program) did a very good job."

"The clothes are really beautiful," added TIWC official Surtiati "Yatie" Wu, who was enthusiastically shouting words of encouragement to the Filipinas.

Myrna Espinosa described yesterday's cultural event as a channel for peace and goodwill.

"It is this understanding that makes us capable of sharing hearts and minds," she said.

"Terno" — meaning "to match" in Spanish — refers to the seamless matching of the blouse and skirt or "baro't saya." The national costume evolved over the centuries, said Torres.

"It used to have a camisa (blouse), alampay (shawl), saya (long layered skirt), and the tapis (a short overskirt worn over the saya)," he said.

The dress was worn with traditional jewelry pieces such as tambourine gold necklace, a pair of earrings, and a cameo tied in velvet ribbon.

The modern-day "terno" no longer sports an oversized shawl and its skirt is "train-less," said Torres.

"The skirt also does not have too many layers or petticoats," he said. "Before, women wore several layers of 'eniguas' (petticoats) because they signalled (wealth or class). They were a status symbol."

The stiff butterfly sleeves however endured.

Since the clothes are made by hand, it takes at least seven days to finish one piece, said Torres.