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Wedding dress from Lagartera (Toledo)

Unknown

Museo del Traje, Madrid

Museo del Traje, Madrid
Madrid, Spain

The Lagartera outfit is probably the folk costume that is made up of the largest number of elements. The process of putting it on is a long ritual, which must be undertaken in a precise order to avoid hurting the person wearing it.

Firstly, white clothes (shirt, underskirt, and cape) made from embroidered cotton are put on to cover the chest. The underskirt is held up by a woollen belt.

A ruff is placed over the cape, and a long red skirt over the underskirt. Preparing the outfit is a lengthy process, as the items are unpicked from the cloths that protect the embroidery and lace. The woman must be dressed, shoed and styled by other women. Once the stockings are put on, the woman sits and has her hair styled in a bun with the help of a hairpiece known as a ""taco.""

On top of the previous items, a blouse that is fitted to the chest with a tie is worn, along with three long, blue skirts. Between the second and the third is an apron made from cloth with appliqué decoration. The long skirts must be tiered so that the underskirts can be seen. Some of the accessories are made or added during the dressing phase, held on with pins or sewn on. The outfit is finished off with the appropriate finishing touches, depending on what social event the woman is attending. Finally, an embroidered shawl is worn on the shoulders, along with a black overskirt, waistbands, and a white cloth shawl, with an embroidered cotton headscarf tied around the head.

To enter the church, a black overskirt is placed over the other long skirts, and waistbands worn around the waist. The chest is not decorated as it is covered by a mantilla. A shawl is wrapped around, of which only the tassels can be seen once the white headscarf is placed on the head. On this occasion, only jewellery that can be seen through the shawl is worn, such as earrings, a rosary, and choker.

Once outside the church, the ritual items—the black overskirt, the embroidered shawl and the white shawl—are replaced with festive accessories. The long, blue skirt is once again revealed, and a black doublet with black ribbons is placed on top of the jerkin. The waistbands of the black overskirt are unstitched and placed over the blue one. On the head is a bun with ribbons and a headdress. The outfit is finished off with the rest of the jewellery and, on the chest, the bunch of artificial flowers that lends the ensemble its name.

Details

  • Title: Wedding dress from Lagartera (Toledo)
  • Creator: Unknown
  • Location Created: Salamanca, Spain
  • Provenance: La mayor parte de las prendas de este conjunto proceden de la donación de D. Mateo Silvela, 1941; y de la dación de Caja Duero (Caja de Ahorros de Salamanca y Soria), 2001.
  • Type: Regional dress
  • Rights: Museo del Traje CIPE
  • Medium: Wool, silk, cotton, linen, metal

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