Assumption Uniform

If there was one other thing that immediately distinguished us as Assumption girls other than our handwriting, it was our uniform. For a long time in Manila, we were the only school girls in plaid, and what a distinctive plaid it is. In my mother's day, the plaid was made of wool and was imported. During our time, it was mercifully made of cotton.

Decades before us, the Assumption girl uniform was blue with white piping, and long sleeves, sailor suit style. I can't tell you what kind of blue, because the memory in my head is a black and white photo. I believe that this is why our blouse and necktie are nautical in design too, a remnant of that earlier uniform. In my youth, you could still see the occasional Old Girl wearing her blue sailor uniform, like Mrs. Enriqueta Ver and Mrs. Casas.

There even was a white uniform, which was just like the red plaid one, but all white, including the skirt and necktie. It had to be worn to school on certain days. Its required use ended with the batch a year or two ahead of us, so we never got to use one. For graduation, we got to use the pretty gala uniform, with lace collar. Too bad we only got to use that once. In my aunt's time in the 60s, they got to use theirs throughout the school year on special occasions. Sometimes families even handed down the gala collar. I remember having to bleach our family’s, so I could have it pristine white on our graduation day. My mom just sent me the collar, it is now yellow with age and history. I will leave it like that and have it framed as is.

How did we use our uniform, let me count the ways: there were some who rolled up their sleeves, astig style. There were some who rolled up the waistband of their skirts, creating an instant mini, and there were those who wore them almost to the floor, or midi. Accessories? Lots. How about a cute Sanrio ID card holder (covered in stickers, to cover your ID picture), pinned to the regular or bubwit sized necktie. Or various cute pins like Snoopy, or a monchichi monkey hanging on for dear life on the tie, a cute wallet in one blouse pocket, and the all-important Denman brush sticking out of your skirt pocket (in grade school it was a Pro brush.) My other blouse pocket contained a hanky or Kleenex. Socks had to be white, but there was an art to folding it. There was the regular sock fold, twice or thrice over; not too high as to be nerdy, not too low to look like a "kanto girl" as my mom would put it. And there was the inverted fold, rolled in to end just under the ankles so it looked like we were wearing rolled down knee highs (mom hated that kind of sock look!) At one point, one had to have the Spanish calcetines from El Corte Ingles that looked like they were crocheted. Shoes were black, with styles ranging from Greg, to kung fu, to leather Mary Janes, and when we could get away with it (fake sugat), clogs with no socks! Buying school shoes from Greg was an adventure, but nothing like going to Shoemart and just watching that show played out by the salepeople and the person calling the shoes down from the storeroom. Do you remember that? I don't think I've seen anything like that in any shoe store in the world other than SM. Do they still do that?

We had a recompense, which we only got in our senior year. Did that go on the left lapel of the blouse, or the right? Why do I think that years before, anyone could get a recompense any time?


Our P.E. uniform was a white t-shirt with the Assumption logo in blue in front, plus blue shorts made out of some poly material, definitely not cotton. Sneakers were blue Bantex, with white socks. I thought I hated our P.E. uniform, until I got to U.P., then blue changed to maroon, yuck!


So now you have to don your uniform again on October 15. Did you have yours made yet? Did you follow Popsie’s very specific measuring instructions? Or are you so lucky you still fit into your old one? Lala de los Reyes can, but her mom said the tela is faded, so she has to have a new one made. What to wear with it? Black flats? Pumps? Manolos? Socks or stockings or sup-hose?? Do you still have your recompense? Put that on. How about your class ring? Did you give it away to someone? Hope he or she was worth it. Does it still fit? If not, wear it around your neck as a pendant. ID card holder? Maybe I can borrow my daughter’s, and put my NY State ID in it, just for old times sake, otherwise my necktie will feel bare.

How ever you wear it on Old Girls Day, wear your uniform proudly, and stand tall. You are an Assumption girl after all.