A survey in 2001 revealed that more than half of Sevillian homes kept a flamenco dress in their closet. Today there will be more, since the April Fair does not stop growing, breaking all records last year. Given the fullness of Holy Week, also in this edition it is expected that thousands of Sevillanas will walk the grounds of the Real de la Feria dressed in this way.
Although they come in high and low waists, with short and long sleeves and with a million possible prints, in its common version it is a fitted dress, length to the ankle, with ruffles on the skirt and sleeves, and complemented with a shawl. , preferably from Manila. The look is completed by a pair of shoes with belt loops, to facilitate dancing, and a low bow adorned with a comb and flowers.
But where does this outfit come from? Something similar happens to what happens with flamenco dancing, which is so popular that its origins are confused in that hubbub that is traditionalism. Are there Arab or Jewish influences...? From the Indian subcontinent, as some suggest? Of the gypsies, without a doubt.
In what refers strictly to the dress, where we can clearly locate it: it is the first edition of the April Fair, in 1847. It was an agricultural and livestock fair, but already in the second year the organizers had to ask for more police presence, because with their songs and dances the Sevillians hindered the completion of the deals.
It was an excuse to get together, sing seguidillas and soleares and dance fandangos. In fact, sevillanas, which are a festive version of flamenco, arose in the heat of that event. Everyone came there, from the humblest peasant families to the best of the Andalusian bourgeoisie.
The characteristic of the young ladies would have been to appear clad in their crinolines, those very wide skirts supported by a light metal structure, and wearing refined hats, gloves or an umbrella as accessories. However, since the end of the War of Independence, the rejection of the French fashion had intensified.
It was in this context of nationalist romanticism that a more Spanish-style way of dressing gained strength, preferring to imitate regional costumes. The archetype would be the majos from Madrid, who, with their white shirt, neckerchief and matching sash, clearly differed from French manners.
Just as the aristocracy began to fill the cafés cantantes –precisely, the place where, in the mid-19th century, flamenco art took its current form–, the first women who went to the April Fair did so dressed as peasants. .
Historians say that they basically copied the cattle sellers, who wore humble work smocks. They were made of percale (a fine cotton fabric), with decorative ruffles.
Her appearance was that of the Andalusian majas, which is the true origin of the flamenco dress. It is not necessary for us to imagine them, because in El paseo de Andalucía (1777) Francisco de Goya painted one of her with the ruffles, the shawl and the flowers on her head.
From then on, in successive editions of the fair, the waist became tighter to the body and the most characteristic motifs appeared, such as polka dots. When the city was shown to the world at the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929, it was almost the official outfit.
And it hasn't been immune to trends. In the 1960s, the popularity of the miniskirt led to a reduction in the length of dresses; yes, never above the knee. The pop influence was also felt in psychedelic prints and synthetic fabrics. The hippie years were followed by the materialistic and bombastic reaction of the eighties, which translated into more lace, more ruffles and more volume. And in the nineties, in the heat of a more sensual fashion, many sleeves disappeared and strapless necklines broke out.
Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino and, of course, the Sevillian Victorio
If we ask a foreigner, they will say that this is the typical Spanish costume, and we owe that to the folkloric women who took them around half the world. Traditionally, the attire of the artists was significantly different from that of the fair, because to facilitate the dance the waists were not usually excessively low and the length allowed the shoe to peek out. And of course they had those really long tails.
It is what is known as the bata de cola. For Lola Flores it was her "personal stamp". As he said in 1984 on the television program La Clave, he was thinking of dying with her and perhaps taking her "to the box."
