When Is It OK To Wear The Clothing Of Another Culture?

For my grandpa’s 90th birthday, our family threw him a barrio fiesta-themed bash.

We decorated the backyard with colorful bunting so it would look like the neighborhood parties that Tatay grew up with in his home country of the Philippines. We ordered a big lechon, a roasted pig. And the guests were asked to wear filipiniana, traditional Filipino costume.

While I was jazzed to don a bright orange and yellow patadyong — a sarong-like skirt and wrap — my white, 30-something husband Darren, from Nashville, Tenn., felt nervous in his barong, an embroidered shirt woven from pineapple leaf fibers. My aunt had told all the guests to dress in traditional clothes.