Guayabera
Encyclopedia
Shirt
A shirt is a cloth garment for the upper body. Originally an undergarment worn exclusively by men, it has become, in American English, a catch-all term for almost any garment other than outerwear such as sweaters, coats, jackets, or undergarments such as bras, vests or base layers...
popular in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, Southeast Asia, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
. It is also more recently known as a "Mexican Wedding Shirt."
History
The origin of the garment is disputed, as various claims for the distinctive style have been made in several Latin AmericaLatin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
countries as well as the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. In fact, every country that has produced its own version of the shirt makes some form of claim to its origins, or of adding to its origins. However, some Latin Americans believe guayaberas are of Cuban, or at least Caribbean, origin. Others are certain it is of Mexican origin.
Versions of the shirt's origins claim that Mexicans either originated it in the Yucatan Peninsula or were inspired by the design of similar shirts sold in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. One theory holds that it was during the era of trade routes through the Caribbean that the Mexican shirts got to Cuba, and were taken to the Philippines by the Spaniards, where the evolution of the intricate embroidery started. The origin of the Guayabera shirt remains a mystery, and a similar prototypical shirt has existed since the 18th century, probably imported from Spain.
The origin of the name is said to be either Mexican or Cuban. Guayabera may come from a Cuban legend that tells of a poor countryside seamstress sewing large patch-pockets onto her husband's shirts for carrying guava
Guava
Guavas are plants in the myrtle family genus Psidium , which contains about 100 species of tropical shrubs and small trees. They are native to Mexico, Central America, and northern South America...
(guayabas) from the field. Guayabera may also have originated from the word yayabero, the singular nickname for those who lived near the Yayabo River in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
.
Though commonly called guayabera, in Yucatán
Yucatán
Yucatán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Yucatán is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 106 municipalities and its capital city is Mérida....
, Mexico, it is also known as camisa de Yucatan. Amongst North Americans, the shirt is sometimes called a "Mexican Wedding Shirt."
In 2010, Cuba declared the guayabera shirt to be its official garment.
Design
The guayabera shirt is distinguished by several details: either two or four patch pocketPocket
A pocket is a bag- or envelope-like receptacle either fastened to or inserted in an article of clothing to hold small items. Pockets may also be attached to luggage, backpacks, and similar items...
s and two vertical rows of alforzas (fine, tiny pleats, usually 10, sewn
Sewing
Sewing is the craft of fastening or attaching objects using stitches made with a needle and thread. Sewing is one of the oldest of the textile arts, arising in the Paleolithic era...
closely together) running along the front and back of the shirt. The pockets are separately detailed with identical, properly aligned alforzas.
In Mexico, Puerto Rico and Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, guayaberas designed from linen
Linen
Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
are generally considered the most popular attire for beach weddings.
The top of each pocket is usually adorned with a matching shirt button
Button
In modern clothing and fashion design, a button is a small fastener, most commonly made of plastic, but also frequently of seashell, which secures two pieces of fabric together. In archaeology, a button can be a significant artifact. In the applied arts and in craft, a button can be an example of...
, as are the bottoms of the alforza pleats. Vertical rows of adjusting buttons are often seen, one on each side, at the bottom hem. While most versions of the design have no placket covering the buttons, a few newer designs do.
The bottom of some shirts have three-inch slits on either side, and these include adjusting buttons. The Mexican shirt will usually have two or three such buttons at the bottom, on each side. It has a straight-bottom hem, thus it is not tucked into the trousers.
Though traditionally worn in white and pastels, guayaberas are now available in many colors. Black guayaberas, embroidered with colorful flowers and festooned with French cuffs, have for many decades been extremely popular in Mexico.
In Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, guayaberas are part of the traditional wear for men.
In Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
, the short sleeve version is worn for special occasions. The shirt was brought to Africa by Cuban teachers who once lived there. Today, it has replaced the safari suit
Safari jacket
A safari jacket or bush jacket is a garment originally designed for the purpose of going on safari in the African bush.Popularized by turn-of-the-20th-century Anglo-African adventurers, safari-style jackets were engineered for comfort and function....
for special occasions. White shirts are worn with black dress pants to weddings, and black shirts are worn to funerals.
The same short sleeved Guayabera is worn as office and loose formal wear in the English Caribbean, in places like Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
, and Guyana to name a few. The older men can still be seen wearing them at parties and other occasions. In Zimbabwe and Britain the guayabera is called a Safari shirt. In Jamaica it is known as a bush jacket; in Trinidad and Guyana, it is called a shirt-jac; in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
it is known as chacabana, though people usually know that "guayabera" is its best-known, original "trade" name.
The shirt-jac (also known as a "jac" for short, or a "summer jac") has become a popular clergy shirt in the last thirty years. These shirts are simpler, avoiding the guayabera design details such as pleats. Many clerics purchase fine guayabera shirts and have the collars re-tailored into clergy collars.
Popularity in the United States
In the distant past, while guayaberas were typically associated with older men, they were worn by all ages. When retroRetro
Retro is a culturally outdated or aged style, trend, mode, or fashion, from the overall postmodern past, that has since that time become functionally or superficially the norm once again. The use of "retro" style iconography and imagery interjected into post-modern art, advertising, mass media, etc...
clothing styles began resurging in recent years, the American consumer base shifted to a significantly younger audience.
Guayaberas are also worn at beach and "destination" weddings. Many in the United States are finding Guayabera shirts to be comfortable and elegant. Most especially popular are the 100% linen shirts. The guayaberas are also known in the U.S. as Mexican Wedding Shirts.
In some countries and in several areas of Florida, the guayabera is often an acceptable form of office
Office
An office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty. When used as an adjective, the...
wear due to the hot weather. In Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, guayaberas are part of traditional wear for men; the long-sleeved version with French cuffs is an acceptable replacement for a coat and tie.
The guayabera shirt is a long-standing symbol of solidarity amongst Hispanics living in America. On September 24, 2010 a powerful statement (about the guayabera as a Hispanic laborer's "uniform") was made by United Farm Workers
United Farm Workers
The United Farm Workers of America is a labor union created from the merging of two groups, the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee led by Filipino organizer Larry Itliong, and the National Farm Workers Association led by César Chávez...
President Arturo Rodriguez. Appearing as a primary speaker at a U.S. Congressional Subcommittee hearing on Immigration, Citizenship and Border Security, President Rodriguez wore a finely tailored guayabera.
Similar shirts
British and Americans have been wearing two versions of the Guayabera for many generations. Known as "safari shirt" in Britain and "camp" (or "jac") shirtCamp shirt
A Camp shirt is a loose, straight-cut, short-sleeved shirt or blouse with a simple placket front opening and a "camp collar" - a one-piece collar that can be worn open and spread or closed at the neck with a button and loop. It usually has a straight hemmed bottom falling at hip level, not...
in America, their popularity exploded in the 1930s and 1940s. As in the Caribbean countries, Americans found the shirt to be acceptable office/business wear due to the heat. Previously, Americans had only worn such shirts during their leisure time. In the UK (especially the colonies), a form of safari shirt developed along the lines of the Mexican Camisa de Yucatan.
Clergy shirts, as a variant of the British safari, have been worn for many decades and examples are still commonly seen.
A possible variant of the guayabera, with press studs, a contrasting yoke, and embroidery was worn by country and western singers in recent decades; it is known as a Western shirt.
One of the Philippines' national costumes for men, the Barong Tagalog
Barong Tagalog
The barong Tagalog is an embroidered formal garment of the Philippines. It is very lightweight and worn untucked , over an undershirt. In Filipino culture it is a common wedding and formal attire, mostly for men but also for women...
(or simply, "Barong") has some features which are similar to the guayabera. The Barong Tagalog is a typical long-sleeved variant. Its major difference from the traditional guayabera is that it generally has no pockets.
In the Samoan islands the shirt style has been introduced into the masculine formal attire known as the "safari set".
Among modern "safari" shirts, guayabera styles are common, especially in American Samoa - where the majority of tailor shops are operated by Philippine tailors. The type seen in Samoa often includes tightly-sewn vertical pleats and two or four buttoned pockets.
External links
- Cuba makes Guayabera Shirt its Official Garment by The Associated Press