Kwento Ni Toto: The Costume that Made Darna Iconic

2022/08/09

The Costume that Made Darna Iconic

Toto 8/09/2022 12:13:00 AM

The newest Darna flies this August 15. But before it takes massive attention from its fans, let us try to check some details of the characters and figure out what is interestingly new in this latest Darna series.

Darna is an iconic heroine character among Filipinos. I think there's no Filipino who doesn't know Darna, probably except those who live in the mountain or chose to live a monk-like life or a sage or the ones who do not have any access to any media materials. Pinoy kids love this character, a good representation of woman empowerment.

From the conception of the character since its first appearance on screen in the 1950s, Darna has undergone many changes. This has made the icon, the idol of every kid in every generation.

Let us check what costume made the Darna character iconic.

Rosa Del Rosario - 1950 - "Darna"

Rosa del Rosario the first Darna wore a costume similar to the comic character, a head gear covering the head like a helmet with the Darna emblem. It then became its trademark but was changed during the portrayal of Nanette Medved and Anjanette Abayari, wearing only the symbol on the head.

Anjanette Abayari - 1994 - "Darna !Ang Pagbabalik"

Nanette Medved - 1991 - "Darna"

The two-piece costume with the iconic star on it. Almost all the actresses who played Darna wore this costume and interestingly there are only three (3) actresses who wore the one piece version, Sharon Cuneta, Regine Velasquez, and the now Iza Calzado.

Sharon Cuneta - 1986 - appeared in "Captain Barbell"

Regine Velasquez - 2009 - TV Series "Book 2 of Darna"

Let's talk about the emblem. From all the Darna versions and based on the creation of Mars Ravelo, there are two (2) significant objects present, the stone, and the wings. Rio Locsin, Lorna Tolentino, and Anjanette Abayari's costumes are somewhat different.

Lorna Tolentino - 1977 - "Darna"

Rio Locsin - 1977 - "Darna"

Now, the Jane de Leon Darna version shows a different emblem. The gem or stone is the same but the wings are not the usual feathery type. Probably a more digitalized and modernized look to match the current generation.

Probably the weirdest of all the actors who played the Darna role was Dolphy. Yes, he did get his chance of becoming Darna in Darna kuno!

Dolphy - 1979 - "Darna Kunoh?"

I think no matter what is the version in every generation, the character only speaks of one thing... woman empowerment. Women are fragile but they are not weak. That's why Darna became an icon not only because of her costume but because of the strength and strong will behind that image.