National Spanish costume: description, types and photos

Spain, what do we see it? Passionate, life-affirming, bright, eccentric, sensual and very musical, with caressing souls melodies and unrestrained dances. And also associated with the gypsy Carmen, who conquered the world with her beauty and dresses. Spanish costume for dancing (see photo in the review) has a rich history and is very diverse, depending not only on the region, but even on the city. And this is always a triumph of colors, a wealth of finishes and fabrics.

The very concept of "Spanish costume" is associated with a certain historical period - 15-19 centuries. In fact, these are rigid framed outfits that were adopted at the court of the Kings of the Habsburgs in Spain (they had a significant influence on the fashion of many royal courts in Europe). In clothes, sometimes harmoniously, and sometimes not so, traditional standards of aristocracy, the asceticism of the Catholic faith and the former glory of knightly times merged.

Spanish women's costume

In the form in which everyone now knows the Spanish national costume for films, books, illustrations and medieval paintings (that is, the image formed in art), it was finally formed in the 18-19 century. One of the main roles played by the culture of Maho. This is a special social stratum of the population, Spanish dandies, emerging from the common people and emphasizing their origin as elements of clothing.

The beauty of a simple woman and her image in general is especially glorified in the paintings of F. Goya. It is commonly believed that it was formed in Andalusia, and only then it was considered a standard and a visiting card, through which the Spanish folk costume is still recognized .

In the photo above - women from the Sardinia region. There, women's and men's clothing contained almost identical elements. The costume of the mahi consisted of the following details:

• A fitted jacket with wide lapels, a corset was not used.
• Mantilla is the most recognizable element. It is a lace or silk long veil worn, usually on top of a comb (peynet), stabbed into the hair at a right angle (the slope in one direction or another was considered vulgar) and free waves falling on the shoulders and back of the woman. At a time when the Spanish costume was made by hand, rather than sewing machines, each lady tried to make the mantilla unique, with characteristic patterns. Modern representatives of the country dress her today, but only on the occasion of the holiday.
• Crest. Historically, the one that has a height of 20 cm and a rectangular shape, with 4-5 teeth, will be correct. For girls white and cream was allowed, for married women - black and brown, the same rule applies to the mantilla. In this regard, the national Spanish costume seems somewhat gloomy.
• The skirt is free cut.
• Shawl.
• The fan is the main accessory of that time.

In this form now it is impossible to meet clothes, but modern embodiment of it can be partly considered a Spanish costume for dancing flamenco.

Men's Spanish Costume

Against the backdrop of a black female mantilla that hides not only the head, but also the shoulders (assuming that this element has historically come from the East), the male apparel looks more than just bright. We list its obligatory elements:

• Strongly shortened jacket, more like a jacket. He did not fasten, ended at the waist, later the French would call him "figaro".
• A short waistcoat, always bright in color.
• Tight pants knee length and richly decorated.
• Sash is a wide belt, often colored.
• Cloak enveloping from head to foot and with a bright underlay.
• Montera or Triangle and hair net.
• Stockings.
• Low cut shoes with metal buckles.

Another atypical accessory, which possessed both female and male Spanish costume (photo above) is Navajo. A large folding knife was worn only by commoners, it is connected with the prohibition to wear a cold large weapon.

In modern Spain, most of the elements of this costume passed into the clothes of a bullfighter.

As a fashion, Mahos migrated to aristocratic houses ...

As you know, everything that is forbidden attracts a person with even greater force than what is available - this is our nature. The immorality of life and the behavior of Mahos, exposed, loud dances with castanets and tambourines, songs - all this attracted the Upper Light. Therefore, by the 1770s both the lifestyle and the clothes of commoners had turned into a craze for the aristocracy.

However, among other things, there was another very interesting aspect to this phenomenon. This period of Spanish history is characterized by the dominance of afrancesado (supporters of the Habsburg dynasty). Therefore, the Spanish costume maho in this case also acted as a symbol of national self-determination, identity. Even the highest ranks, not hesitating, wore separate elements of clothing. The whole of Europe was conquered by the Empire style, and in Spain, meanwhile, at that time the maho reached the royal court.

If we talk about the Spanish costume in the context of history, then we should distinguish the periods of its development.

Costume of the aristocrat of the Reconquista era

On average, the historical period lasted about 600-700 years. All this time the Pyrenean Christians (mostly Portuguese and Spanish) tried their best to regain territory on their peninsula, which was occupied by the Moorish emirates. It's an amazing and unique situation when in one "cauldron" traditions of the national costume of the Spaniards-Visigoths, Arab trends, as well as individual elements from all over Europe (knights from other countries actively participated in the campaigns). From the Gothic period in Spanish costume (photos), the shoes with a long toe were removed, recognizable headdresses (including capillas - a long cap), a long surco (cape-frame) without sleeves, which was fastened over the armor, in particular, for that To protect the metal from atmospheric precipitation. Exceptionally national were such elements of the image as a collection (a peculiar cape), abrigo, a hubon (a kind of jacket), a cloak with draperies on one shoulder, a touch and a burro.

The Spanish costume of a woman begins to acquire features of her identity in the middle of the 15th century. It has a well-defined waist, from which the folds of tissue spread outward and downward, the pellet is often used in it. In hairstyles, there was a tendency to smooth straight punching and braided spit. Traditional headdresses are:

• Кофья-де-папос - the complex construction from a metal skeleton and a thin cloth of white color;
• Vespayo - a thin transparent fabric that covered the forehead and head, sinking behind on the shoulders, and over it was dressed a metal thin hoop, encrusted with precious stones;
• Trasado - wrapped in a cloth covering the top of the braid, from above with a black ribbon.

The last headdress was used until the 1520's and was borrowed by Italian women. Trensado was sometimes combined with a turban (the trend of oriental Mauritian motifs).

Costume of the Renaissance

The period when absolutely all the art experienced a stormy dawn, could not help but reflect on the suit. In the 16th century, a gothic suit with soft flowing fabrics begins to transform into a kind of armor on a rigid frame. In contrast to the Italian Renaissance, the Basque country offers its ideal of a figure in the spirit of Mannerism.

Other factors had a strong influence on the Spanish national costume : first of all it was a Catholic church with its asceticism, strict etiquette of the royal court and all the same chivalry. Fashion historians say that the Spanish fashion, in comparison with the harmonious Italian, where "respected" the human body, acquired the stiffness, was influenced by strict geometry, which changed the natural line of the silhouette and deformed the figure.

However, among the commoners, this mod did not find support. Clothes still resembled a modern Spanish costume for dancing (first photo) with a little introduction - a corset on a lace of bright color.

Men's suit

In the Renaissance, the men's suit undergoes considerable changes, it acquires a conical shape reaching the maximum width in the hip area. In those days, the image of the nobility was unthinkable without the following elements of the wardrobe.

• Kamisa is a shirt or a shirt. She was completely hidden by outer clothing from under which appeared only linen or cambric collar and high cuffs with lace trim.
• Kalses - pants-stockings, which, depending on the trends of fashion, changed their width: from the shape of the keg with the use of a frame to a more loose cut. In this case, the Spanish costume for a boy or a man had an absolute similarity.
• Hubong - a kind of jacket tunic. The bodice with the standing collar tightly fit the figure. The clasp was hidden. In addition to the narrow real sleeves, it also had folding falsifications. The jacket was carefully, with the help of a lining, shaped like an armor.
• Braguit - short trousers with a gulpik stuffed with cotton for volume.
• The collar acted as a separate element. Strongly starched at the edge, he had ruches. Over time, its height changed - up to 20 cm by the end of the century. The famous corrugated grangola or gorgera, which is known all over the world.
• Ropon (medium-length outerwear or short with a fur collar or embroidered) and replaced by a capitol or Feltro, capa (raincoats of different styles).
• Headgears: a soft beret with a hard edge trimmed with fur and a hard hat with small fields in the shape of a cone (in the first and second half of the century, respectively)
• Shoes: in wartime boots, and in peace - narrow velvet or satin shoes with slits.

In the common people, the Spanish national costume of the Renaissance had completely different features and was more vivid. Instead of a narrow tightening hubon, a free kapingot was worn, for example.

Woman suit

He also underwent significant changes and, just like the male, lost the smoothness and femininity of the lines, and instead acquired rigor and skeleton. Silhouette as it consists of two triangles, opposed to each other (bodice and skirt) whose tops intersect at the waist. The costume consisted of the following elements.

• Vertigados (verdugos) - the lower skirt with stitched metal hoops made of dense material.
• Baskinya - the upper skirt worn over the previous one, made it from black taffeta.
• Siyo, vedido - top dress with a triangular cut from the front or a clasp for bows and loops. A component was the Vaquero-Leaf with folding or false sleeves. It was made of thin metal plates on hinges, which were bent and covered with velvet or fine suede. The Spanish costume for a girl this element excluded. The use of metal to draw a figure, hide the natural lines, including the bulge of the chest, often injured, which is to say about the inconvenience.
• Buska - a metal or wooden narrow plate attached to the corset in order to visually narrow the waist and make a flat stomach.
• Grangola and shirt - similar to men's suits.
• The decollete is usually square and closed by embroidery.
• Ropa - an element of the upper wardrobe with long or short sleeves. Probably, it was adopted from the Moors.

To work or lead an active life in such a suit was clearly impossible. Therefore, the simple townspeople appearance was different. They did not wear rigid skeleton skirts verdugos. In the course was a simple shirt with a narrow, but not pulling bodice with removable sleeves. The skirt narrowed downward in large folds or was gathered at the waist by frills. Even now it is the main element included in the Spanish costume for dancing (photos of the samples confirm this), including flamenco.

Shoes & Accessories

Unlike the Italian brilliance and richness of paints of decorative elements, the Spaniards' clothes looked gloomy and more than ascetic. The color scheme was limited to black, gray, brown, white and in rare cases red and green. Preference was given to monochrome smooth fabrics. Distributed were printed, embroidered patterns of floral or religious motifs.

Men wore soft velvet or colored leather shoes, without a heel, with a wide toe, which gradually became sharp. The design of women's shoes was similar, except that embroidery was added, and at the end of the 16th century a heel appeared. It was unacceptable to show the socks of shoes made from clothes, except for chapines (photo above) - shoes on a massive wooden sole, and the more noble the lady was, the thicker she was supposed to be.

Granted at the asceticism and gloom of colors, we can not help saying that the Spanish costume for a girl or a woman had the property to be supplemented by large, bright and bright decorations. The landlord of the New World, with all its wealth, could afford it. And the costume itself is partly a faded background. The basic elements: a fan, belts, chains, necklaces, buckles, agrafs, head decorations, embroidery with pearls, etc.

Fashion of the Golden Age

The concept of costume-armor was continued, and only in the second half of the 17th century Spain began to penetrate the trends of the French fashion, for example, an open neckline. Otherwise, the carcass is preserved, the skirt is elongated. On the commoners there are still loose linen shirts with bright skirts and a colored corset on the lacing. Hairstyles humble and laconic - the hair was collected in a braid, which was placed on the back of the head with a "basket". The higher light and commoners combined all the same mantilla and the presence of a fan.

The Spanish men's suit has undergone more significant changes. Pants-barrels disappear, they become less lush, long to the knee, where they tie with a bow. Hubong has shoulder pads and often hinged sleeves, gradually lengthening. The form is much simpler, and the most progressive fashionable begin to wear suits like the French "musketeers." It is noteworthy that Spanish men did not use wigs, they cut their hair short, from the middle of the 17th century the maximum length of the hairstyle was up to the middle of the cheek.

Fashion of the XVIII-XIX century

On the eve of the new century in 1700 the last representative of the Habsburg dynasty died on the throne of Spain. The new monarch was the grandson of Louis the Fourteenth. At this time, the Spanish costume "offshore" and takes the absolute course for the fashion that dictates Versailles. However, historians speak not about its reincarnation and change, but about the merger with the all-European, but with the preservation of exceptional national features.

Since the end of the 18th century, maho culture has taken over the upper circles of society, which, like a magnet, attracts aristocrats. It can be traced in a number of works by artists, the first photographs. In Europe empire prevailed, but the local aristocracy massively took a great interest in all "people's". In addition to open insolence and freedom (be it an adult or a child), the Spanish costume openly emphasized national self-identity.