The Distinctive Style of the Guayabera Shirt
The Guayabera is a shirt with a long history. It has been a popular shirt for businessmen in many Latin American countries for the past 200 years. The shirt has gained popularity in recent years due to the efforts of several fashion designers such as Cubavera. Today the shirt is worn by both men and women of all ages. The Guayabera is extremely popular in warm weather climates like that found in Miami, Fl., where July 1st. has been officially declared as “Guayabera Day” or “El Dia de la Guayabera.”
There is an area of Cuba near the Yayabero River known as Las Villas. The area is famous for its Guava, a very tasty tropical fruit. Back in the eighteenth century a Spanish tailor design an embroidered shirt for one of the area’s land owners. The farmers in the area. impressed with the shirt’s design, copied it and added pockets to its front so they could carry the Guava fruit. The shirt came to be known as The Guayabera shirt.
Because of the humid conditions in many Latin American countries the Guayabera was adopted by the business community as a replacement for the traditional business suit. Tailors from the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula copied the shirt’s design and called it “La Camisa Yucatan” which was mostly worn for ceremonies such as weddings. The Guayabera’s popularity spread and when Cubans migrated to the US they brought the shirt with them.
The original Guayaberas were white with long sleeves. pleated front panels with 2 breast pockets and 2 waist side pockets. They were usually starched and worn out over the trousers. It gave the wearer a look of distinction and a feeling of power. The designers of today’s shirts have added their own flare and individual styling without giving up the shirts distinctive qualities. One can find Guayaberas in many tropical colors in long sleeves as well as short sleeves.
The comfort, freshness and simplicity of style have made this shirt resist the impact of time. From its humble beginnings as a simple garment to the modern colorful styles of today, The Guayabera Shirt is a testament to Latin culture.
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