Clothing in Spain

As with most developed countries that have strong historic ties to the designers of Europe and the clothing manufacturers worldwide there is a wide range of clothing styles in Spain. In most cases people tend to dress more formally than is often seen in American cities, with typical business dress for men being a suit and tie and for women dresses or suits as the general fashion trend. Casual dress is seen as well, but typically even casual dress in the country is more “dressy” than may be seen in other areas.

Some of the cities and areas of Spain have very formal and traditional dress that is most commonly used for festivals and events that are traditions in the city. One of the costumes most famous in Spain is the Flamenco dance costume. For women this is a dramatic dress that is typically red, black or white and may be a long gown type dress or shorter mid length dress. The skirt has a border of ruffles in several layers up the skirt, providing dramatic movement the bottom of the dress. The dress tends to fit the body very closely providing a streamlined figure when viewed from any angle. The neckline may be lower cut, square or rounded. Typically the lady will wear her hair in a tight bun at the base of her neck and a rose as a hair adornment. The men’s flamenco costume is a tuxedo style, typically with a short jacket and fitted trousers that allow a lot of movement while not restricting the dancer in any way. The suit is typically black or dark navy and a white shirt is typically worn under the short jacket.

The Mantilla is a special scarf or lace cloth that is worn over the head and shoulders of women in Spain, especially in the area of Andalusia. A comb is often used to push up the hair, then the Mantilla is draped over the hair and on over the shoulders. Mantillas are typically worn during Holy Week, during special traditional events such as parades and festivals or when attending formal events, religious ceremonies or often at weddings.

There are many designers that work out of the major areas of Spain. These designers are key in setting the modern clothing trends in Spain and throughout Europe and they often use traditional fabrics, laces and colors in their designs.