When it comes to dressing in a flamenco style, you cannot simply generalise. Dressing for a rehearsal, to dance on a stage, or for the April Fair in Sevilla, is very different. If we don´t want to stick out like a sore thumb, we must wear the appropriate dress for each occasion:

For rehearsals: It is sufficient to wear a rehearsal skirt, a maillot (vest or jersey) and shoes, in discrete colours, please. Forget about pinks and yellows. The hair must be tied up in a bun.

For dancing on a stage: The wardrobe in a theatre depends on the choreographies, on the dance companies and on fashion trends. In the past the dresses were heavier, because they carried cancans, and their colours were livelier. They were quite similar to traditional folk dresses, but they were adapted for dancing. The dresses that are worn at present are the exact opposite; they are light, made of textiles that hang well, and neutral colours are preponderant. The dresses are much more comfortable. By looking at some old photographs, it will be possible to appreciate the developments. The male wardrobe has also evolved. While in earlier periods they used to wear a costume that was very similar to the traditional folk costume with high-waist trousers, shirts with frills, a short jacket with a sash, at present it is rare to see them dressed with this attire. Nowadays, the men dress for the stage in a very similar way to how they dress to go out into the street: plain trousers and a shirt, in dark colours. Other bailaores, like Joaquín Cortés, are dressed up by Armani with his elegant suits, or with a trouser-skirt and without a top on.

For popular feasts: If we want to go to one of the traditional Andalusian feasts, we cannot wear the skirt that we use to practice in the dance school, we will need a folk dress. But, beware! Let´s make sure we don´t show up in a “vestido de chulapa” (traditional Madrid costume). These are the keys to identify the appropriate dresses:

This is the dress that is most striking when we go to a flamenco costume and accessory store. They are the long dresses that are fitted with an underskirt, with lively colours, plain or with spots, and with several ruffles on the skirt and the sleeves. Nonetheless, the designs vary every year depending on the new fashion trends. It is the dress that we should wear if we are going to the Feria de Sevilla or to any other festival in Andalucía. Some call it vestido de faralaes (faralaes dress), although this term is not entirely correct. It can be complemented with a fringed shawl (smaller than the mantón), flowers in one´s hair on one side of the bun, ornamental combs and large earrings. All the complements must be of colours that suit the dress. As much as we may like it, we must not bring it to the dance school under any circumstance; it is not practical for practicing.

Be careful, because it can be mistaken for a flamenco dress, although it is different. It is a work dress, for travelling or walking, because it is the one that is used for the pilgrimage to the Rocío, which is a religious procession, at least in its origins. It needs to be comfortable, at least to walk and for horse riding, but it is plainer than the flamenco dress. It cannot have many ruffles, and those that it does have are smaller and have less furrows. Nor does it have an underskirt, and it doesn´t glide as well either. It has a V neck and the back is covered up to the neck. The sleeves are bell-shaped (wide and rounded) until the elbow. Some of them have two pieces: the skirt and a blouse. It can also be complemented with a neckerchief. The flowers for the hair must be worn in the centre, at the top of the bun. Also, it is worn with knee-high leather boots, rather than shoes.