Traditional Spanish Clothing

• Traditional Spanish clothing is decorated with colorful embroidery, jewels and pearls, along with gold and silver threads. Clothing is made from rich, heavy fabric and is known for its elegance and rigidity. The most common traditional clothing, still worn today, includes the mantilla, peineta and gilet.
  
  

Mantilla

• The mantilla is a lightweight circular or triangular scarf made of lace or silk. It's worn over the head and shoulders and held in place by pins or a comb, such as the penieta. This traditional Spanish scarf is a variation of a veil worn by women in religious celebrations. It's also worn by brides on their wedding day.
  
  

Peineta

• A penieta, which is a large tortoise shell--colored comb, is used to hold up a mantilla. Although it became popular in the 19th century, this decorative and ornamental comb continues to be worn by Spanish women attending special occasions, such as weddings, bullfights and religious ceremonies. A peineta adds height to the wearer, in addition to holding hair in place. Peinetas are suited to a woman's height, with short women normally preferring a high penieta and taller women choosing lower peinetas.
  
  

The Gilet

• The modern gilet is a sleeveless jacket similar to a blouse or waistcoat. Historically, a gilet was fitted and embroidered. In the 19th century, it was a dress bodice shaped as a man's waistcoat. Contemporary gilets are worn as coats for additional warmth outdoors. While fashion gilets are made from fur or knit materials, sports gilets usually are made of fleece.
  
  

Spanish Folk Dress

• In the north central region of Spain, women are known for their aprons, bell-shaped broad skirts and shawls tied around their chest. Women there wear sneakers or wood shoes similar to clogs, while men are known for their knee-fitting pants and short jackets. In southern Spain, women wear long dresses with trails. Southern Spanish women often adorn their hair with red roses, and the men wear long black pants and red sashes.
  
  

Contemporary Everyday Clothing

• In addition to being of high quality, everyday Spanish clothing is considered affordable. Modern teenage girls typically prefer trousers to skirts, and denim jeans are popular. Appearance is significantly important to teenage males, who hold designer clothing in high regard. Older Spaniards are more conservative in their clothing styles. Dressing scantily is shunned in small inland villages, with short skirts and swimwear being viewed as unacceptable.