FolkCostume&Embroidery: Costume and embroidery of La Orotava, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. Part 2 Men

Hello all,

Today I will continue talking about the Folk Costume of La Orotava, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. For general information, see my previous article.

Men's Clothing

The foundation layer is of linen, consisting of a long sleeved white linen shirt and pants which extend to somewhat below the knee.

The shirt, camisa, is typical for Western Europe, being originally linen, but now often of cotton. It has long full sleeves, cuffs that button, a front opening that extends only to midfront, and so is pulled on over the head.

For dress, the material on either side of the opening is gathered into tucks, and a piece is appliqued at the bottom, securing the cut at the bottom of the opening. Dress shirts may be embellished with loops on the tucks, collar, and cuffs, and perhaps some white on white embroidery.

The linen underpants, here called calzoncillos, have a drawstring waist, and a cuff with simple hemstitching. The legs were cut straight with a gusset in between. These were very common over much of Spain.

These, with the addition of a straw hat, sombrero, and a wide woolen sash, ceñidor, was often all that was worn for everyday, especially for work in the fields.

Here are some of the possible ways to tie the sash.

The overpants, sobrepantalones or calzones, as they are usually called here, are cut like breeches. The waist wraps around from the back and buttons. They have a fall front, and have a slit up the side at the seam. They are a few inches shorter than the underpants, falling to just above the knee. These are also common in other parts of Spain.

A vest, chaleco, is worn, often of striped material, usually with lapels. This had various possible cuts.

The last two examples above also show the gaiters, las polainas. These were made of woven wool or leather, or knitted from wool. The lower end was wide so as to cover the tops of the feet, and also covered the lower leg. Those made from woven wool or leather fastened on the outside, often with straps and buckles. These could be very plain or quite ornamented.

Shoes of various kinds were worn.

For dress, the straw hat is replaced by a felt hat.

For solemn and religious occasions, a jacket, chaqeta, and even a cape, capa may be worn. These were worn with fine long stockings and buckle shoes of leather.

Here is a video showing how to put on both the womens' and mens outfits of the Canaries.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMqd6tn5GZA

So far, the clothing described could be from anywhere in Tenerife, as men's clothing in general is not as distinctive as womens'. The outfit that is used in performances in la Orotava has been jazzed up to more closely match the womens', most likely by the Baute sisters again. [see my last article for more information.]

Firstly, there is a preference for the fancier versions of las polainas, especially for those which have contrasting leather applique ornament. The side openings are secured by a series of straps with holes, each strap being pulled through the hole of the one below, and only the top strap secured with a button or buckle.

The knitted polainas also continue to be used. As you can also see in this image, the calzoncillos acquired a band of simple embroidery and/or lace on the hem.

The Baute sisters [I presume] also had the idea to cut off the legs of the calzoncillos and sew them into the calzones, thus making them one garment. These are now usually made of flimsy industrial cotton. This enabled the stage costume to be put on more quickly, but negated the very practical reasons for having the calzoncillos in the first place.

The calzones then went on to acquire embroidery at the hems themselves, based on the floral embroidery of the womens' bodices, or justillos. The attached cazoncillo legs acquired more elaborate lace.

The sash, ceñidor, used for performances is now strictly red. The vest, chaleco, is now made with a red wool front, black lapels with yellow seam binding, and a linen back with or without a belt. A band across the lower back and a yoke across the shoulders of varying shapes is also made of the red wool. Two fake pockets on the front also take varying shapes. All of the red wool areas have acquired floral embroidery based on that of the womens' vests, and varies almost as much. The felt hat is worn for performances.

Today, this version of the Folk Costume is the most commonly worn in La Orotava. It has also appeared in Church Festivals since the 1950s. I will close with a few more images of La Orotava men.