The ''traje de flamenca'' ("flamenco outfit") or ''traje de gitana'''

', Nancy Pereda, 22 April 2015, Yo Dona, El Mundo (" Gitana outfit") is the dress traditionally worn by women at Ferias (festivals) in

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The t ...

, Spain. There are two forms: one worn by dancers and the other worn as a day dress. The day dress is body-hugging to mid-thigh, and then continues in multiple layers of ruffles to the ankle. Modern interpretations of the style are difficult to walk in, let alone dance. The dancers' version therefore flares out from higher on the hip to allow freedom of movement. Both versions are trimmed with layers of ruffles on both the

skirt A skirt is the lower part of a dress or a separate outer garment that covers a person from the waist downwards. At its simplest, a skirt can be a draped garment made out of a single piece of fabric (such as pareos). However, most skirts ar ...

and

sleeve A sleeve ( ang, slīef, a word allied to ''slip'', cf. Dutch ) is the part of a garment that covers the arm, or through which the arm passes or slips. The sleeve is a characteristic of fashion seen in almost every country and time period, acro ...

s. The dress is typically brightly colored, usually in black, red or and may be either plain or patterned, with the most famous being the

polka dot Red polka dots on a yellow background Girl wearing polka dot dress Polish ceramics German ceramics Polka dot is a pattern consisting of an array of large filled circles of the same size. Polka dots are commonly seen on children's clothing, ...

ted ''traje de lunares''. Traditionally, the outfit is completed with a

shawl A shawl (from fa, شال ''shāl'',) is a simple item of clothing from Kashmir, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular or square piece of cloth, which is often folde ...

(''

mantón de Manila The Manila shawl (Spanish: ''mantón de Manila'' or ''mantón de seda'') is an embroidered silk shawl derived from the Filipino pañuelo. They were popular in the Philippines, Latin America and Spain during the colonial era. It also became popu ...

'') worn over the shoulders. The traditional dancer will also wear her hair in a bun adorned with flowers, and perhaps a decorative hair comb. The outfit is attributed to the

Gitanos The Romani in Spain, generally known by the exonym () or the endonym ''Calé'', belong to the Iberian Cale Romani subgroup, with smaller populations in Portugal (known as ) and in Southern France. Their sense of identity and cohesion stems f ...

(

Roma people The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...

of Spain), but is now generally thought of as typically

n. It is also worn by chulapas in Madrid. The outfit originated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when women vendors dressed in modest

calico Calico (; in British usage since 1505) is a heavy plain-woven textile made from unbleached, and often not fully processed, cotton. It may also contain unseparated husk parts. The fabric is far coarser than muslin, but less coarse and thick than ...

gowns trimmed with ruffles came to the fairs along with livestock traders. In time, women of the propertied classes copied these outfits. Ever since the Seville Exposition of 1929, the ''traje de flamenca'' has had a status as the official outfit of the event.Traje de flamenca en la feria de Abril
, altur.com.

Fashion

The ''traje de flamenca'' has undergone changes over the century or more that it has been in widespread use. For example, in the 1960s and '70s, the skirts became shorter, with skirts reaching only to the middle of the calf or even to the knee (the so-called Marisol style). Beginning in the 1970s, the frogs are dropped back to the ankle so that they are not distracting on the legs. Madonna wore a flamenco dress in the video for her 1987 signature song ''

La Isla Bonita "La Isla Bonita" is a song by American singer Madonna from her third studio album '' True Blue'' (1986). Written and produced by Madonna and Patrick Leonard, with additional lyrics by Bruce Gaitsch, the song was originally presented by Leonard ...

''. This was her first song to have a Latino influence and was a tribute to the beauty of the Latin people according to Madonna. Following its release, the video achieved worldwide popularity, and the flamenco red dress she wore became a trend later. In the early 21st century there are a wide variety of designs of ''traje de flamenca'' for women and girls. They come in a variety of colors, plain or patterned, with short or long sleeves, and more or fewer ruffles. This folkloric outfit has inspired numerous Spanish and international fashion designers, among them Victorio & Lucchino, who have their own line of ''trajes de flamenca''. Others who have been influenced include Yves Saint Laurent,

John Galliano John Charles Galliano (born 28 November 1960) is a British fashion designer from Gibraltar. He was the creative director of his eponymous label John Galliano and French fashion houses Givenchy and Dior. Since 2014, Galliano has been the crea ...

Valentino Garavani Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani (; born 11 May 1932), known mononymously as Valentino, is an Italian fashion designer, the founder of the Valentino brand and company. His main lines include Valentino, Valentino Garavani, Valentino Roma, a ...

, and

Tom Ford Thomas Carlyle Ford (born August 27, 1961) is an American fashion designer and filmmaker. He launched his eponymous luxury brand in 2005, having previously served as the creative director at Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent. Ford wrote and direct ...

. New designs in ''trajes de flamenca'' ae shown annually at the ''Salón Internacional de la Moda Flamenca'' (''SIMOF''), which celebrated its 15th year in 2009. The event takes place at the start of the year in

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

. In 2009, 32 designers showed 1,200 different outfits; there were also fashion accessories from 90 firms.SIMOF 2009
hoymujer.com.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Traje De Flamenca Andalusian culture Flamenco Spanish clothing