Clothing

The popularisation of the interest in wearing the regional costume has brought with it a certain distortion of the same, in such a way that, sometimes it is worn more as a type of fancy-dress than as a symbol of the identity of the Asturian people, which was exactly what it was and not what might be more in line with a certain modern taste.
Roots may be exclusive with respect to others, or may be reinvented by a certain snobbish spirit which takes away from the genuine article and turns it into a mockery.
Furthermore, although other regional costumes may be exhaustively documented and codified, ours has come down to us from very sparse sources: the information handed down to us from nineteenth-century encyclopaedists, paintings and engravings dealing with local customs and manners, and the descriptions contained in ballads and popular songs.
Outstanding personalities, such as Luis Argüelles and various ethnographic research groups, have managed to give us an idea of genuine Asturian dress, freeing it from the last-minute mystifications which could end up by completely condemning to oblivion the slight documentary evidence available to us.
We do not wish to reject fashion out of hand, given that this has made its presence felt from the first evidence that has come down to us, which goes as far back as the 18th century. Indeed, there is no doubt that the yearning and eagerness, so prevalent among neighbours, of trying to see who will cause the greatest stir with a new innovation in their dress is not a trait peculiar to our times alone. Neither is the pleasure taken by the young ladies from the town in imitating the dress of the villagers new, adorning and enriching the same with new materials and accessories which have come down to us as local variations, when in truth, they belong to a developing fashion consciousness in its infancy.
As with Goya’s Majas, who were nothing more than high-society courtesans dressed up as the genuine article, certain so-called Asturian costumes are in reality nothing more than extravagant forms of dress which bear no relation whatsoever with what was, in the first place, the working dress, and which had to fulfil certain standards on feast days, among which decorum was one of the most important. This harks back to the case so often presented by experts in folklore, who criticise those dances in which the young girls display their underclothes, given that this would have been regarded as immoral behaviour when some of these dances were created.
This is not meant to suggest a purist perspective, but it must be remembered that to improvise on a pattern, this must be sufficiently established, something which as far as Asturias is concerned, fails to respect the reality of the situation.

SHIRT
The woman’s shirt consisted of a type of nightdress that reached about halfway down the legs. From the waist down it was normally made of the worst material, while from the waist up the best material was used (“cerru”), the resulting cloth was known as “tapido”.
The sleeves were long and fulsome, being taken in at the wrist by means of tucks. It was collarless and had a square neckline. Apart from linen, it was also made of hemp cloth.
It was the only item of underclothes worn by the woman.

TIGHTS
Stockings were not worn on a daily basis. They were worn on market days, or whenever one had to go down to the town or village on a message, or, of course, on feast days. They were normally made of black or blue wool.

You went to Carmín de la Pola
you wore blue tights,
you wore them borrowed
those were never yours.

GARTERS
The garters were used to hold the tights up, they were made of wool and came in many colours.

SKIRT
This is a white linen skirt. The most common finishing touches were hand sewn laced edgings.

PANTIES OR “POLOLOS”
These were long-legged knickers, which ran down to the knee. They were white-coloured and had laced edgings as did the skirt.

PETTICOAT, UNDERSKIRT
The underskirts were like another skirt, which was worn under the dress. They came in many different colours: green, red, yellow and sometimes, blue. They were adorned with coloured ribbons during festivals. This underskirt was normally made of light cloth.

POUCH, “COREXA”
This was the bag of the time. It was worn tied to the waist of the dress, although on feast days it was worn outside, given that the one worn on these occasions was more luxurious and decorated.

DRESS
There were two types: the apron with two side openings made a strong material, and which fitted tightly at the waist. The openings served as pockets to protect the hands from the cold and to keep the pouch or bag.
The dress had an opening at the front, which was closed strings and covered by the apron.
The length of the dress was depended on where the wearer came from. While those in the towns wore the dress down to the ankles, in the country villages it only reached about halfway down the leg. This shortness, rather improper with respect strict morals of the time, was a result of the work that had to be done by the user. A dress which was too long was not very practical, given that it got tangled up in the plant growth along the pathways and roads and inhibited the freedom of movement required by the majority of farm tasks.
The bottom and top of the dress was finished off with a trimming made of thicker material, called the “cortapisa”, the function of which was to lessen wear and tear in those areas.
The dress was normally adorned with velvet strips, that served to cover the seams, which were modified to adapt the dress to those young girls who were still at the growing age.
The dresses were usually dark of colour and black wool materials were used in their making, such as serge or sackcloth.
An attempt was always made, in accordance with the economic circumstances of the client, to pleat the material as much as possible in order for the garment to be as voluminous as possible. The “ensiertu” skirt is a variant of this model. It has strips of various colours, which can vary from two to four, in accordance with the area. The most common were red, yellow, purple and black. The strips were always horizontal and had the same form as the dress openings.
In some cases, they had folds in order to adapt the garment to the stature of the young girl, and were decorated with inserted strips, which goes to explain their name “ensiertu” (lit. strips). These strips were always of colours that contrasted with the one beside which they were inserted.

Maiden of the green dress
with the coloured insert
it is said that much you like
the gab of the soldier.

FULL SKIRT, “RODAO”
This garment was like a dress opening out in a semicircular fashion, and was made of sackcloth, serge or cloth, with dark brown, green and black prevailing as far as colours were concerned. It was adorned with velvet ribbons and was worn on top of the petticoat or on its own, if the economic situation of the wearer stretched no further. It was an old-fashioned garment, the use of which was limited to the area closest to the Province of León, while in the western areas it was deemed to be a garment peculiar to the highland herdsmen peoples, known as the “vaqueiros”.

PINAFORE, APRON
Both terms are used indistinctly, although there are slight differences. The pinafore has an upper part, whereas the apron is used both by women as well as men in labours that demand the wearing of such an item of clothing.
The most common term is the pinafore or “mandil”, which can be worn both as a work garment, as well as on festive occasions, and may vary in size from that of a handkerchief to the extent of completely covering the dress or underskirt.
The pinafores were normally made of fine imported materials, such as “panilla”, silk or velvet.
Those which were made locally, the so-called “tela pinta” (lit. motley material), were made of a mixture of black wool and linen.
The festive pinafores were festooned with jewels or bore embroidered trimmings. Fringes or beads made of jet could also be added to the aforementioned adornments.

With this motley apron
you’re publicising the war
and I as a good soldier
will enlist under your flag.

BODICE
The bodice was a protective garment, and was also known apart from the “xustiyu” as the “cotilla”.
Its main function was to fit tightly around the waist and breast. It was sleeveless and the back had two curved seams in order to enable its greater adaptation to the body.
At the waist it had a slashed tail and the neckline could be either round or square, more or less ample, in accordance with the taste of the wearer and social permissiveness.
Bodices varied in colours, from multi-coloured to yellow, green and blue. They were seldom made in black.
They were made of “panilla”, silk or satin and could be decorated with trimmings, in accordance to the use given to the same.
It was closed at the front by means of strings made of wool, silk or linen, (the “guyetes” or “gordones”), which were tipped in metal pieces, (generally made of iron or brass), called “ferretes”.
These “guyetes” were normally given as presents by the maidens to their suitors.

“DENGUE” (MANTILLA)
The “dengue” is a type of mantilla that covers half of the back and is crossed over the chest. It is like very narrow shawl with long ends that are tied around the waist.
Canella tells us that they were made of yarn, flannel or satin and the edges were decorated with smooth or embroidered velvet. It was generally black or dark grey, although in Western Asturias, in the direction of Valdés and Cangas del Narcea and onwards, other colours were worn.

”SOLITARIU” (MANTILLA)
This was a local variety of the mantilla. It was made of homemade linen, with trimming or a flounce around the finer material.

”XUGON” (WAISTCOAT) or “SAYU”
This was a small tailored jacket or waistcoat, with wide sleeves. It was made of the same material as the smock or tunic, which in the central area was worn under the “dengue” and in the east, over the same; in the west it would seem that when the former was worn the latter was not, and vice versa.

SHAWL
Also called the “manta de paño” (lit. cloth rug), it was made of wool or silk, and had flounces around the edges. It was worn around the shoulders and crossed at the chest, and then tied at the back around the waist. Normally, they were embroidered with bunches of flowers and were worn over the shirt.

MERINO RUG
This was a square or rectangular shawl which was worn after being doubled over. It was made of wool and was used to keep the wearer warm.

BLOUSE
A linen shirt or blouse that reached the waist. It was normally white, pleated in the front and had a round neck.

ANKLE SOCKS
These are sort of inner hose made of a thick cloth the aim of which was to protect and keep the feet warm. They were worn whenever the person wore wooden clogs, or “coricies”.
They were held at the ankle by a button.

CORICIES
The “coricies” were summer footwear. They were made of thick leather, which was given the shape of a foot. They were held by means of strings made of the same material, which were laced through holes made in the shoe itself.

SHOES
Shoes and boots were deemed to be a luxury item, which as a result of their price, had to be made to last for a long time. This is why they were only worn on Sundays, and on special occasions.
The most widespread shoes were those which were made in the town of Noreña, although those made by the Pimiango cobblers were also highly valued.
The shoe was made of two parts, the vamp, which covered the instep, and the counter, which formed the heel. The latter was joined to the vamp at the upper part of the instep. This part had two ends with holes for laces which were used to keep the shoe on the foot.
These parts were joined by different systems that progressively developed over time. Originally, they were fixed with small vegetable fibre pegs, then brass nails were used, to be followed by small iron tacks, the latter being rather inconvenient given that they were prone to rust.
The sole was made of strong thick leather, which was struck with a stone in order to make it more compact and resistant.
The heel was made by sewing several layers of this leather together with highly resistant waxed thread.

CLOGS
This typical footwear, made of wood, as its name indicates in Asturian (“madreñes”), was most suited to cold and wet weather. The traditional worsted “madreña” were more closed than those to be seen today, which were adapted to be used as slippers, with each zone having its particular type.

EARRINGS
Earrings had a rather unique social function, given the fact that apart from their obvious decorative purpose, they also revealed the marital status of the wearer.
The pendant earrings were only worn by married women. These are two-piece earrings, made of either gold or silver, which were frequently encrusted with pearls.
Single women, on the other hand, could wear all other types: the “aretes”, earrings in the shape of an almond, braided beads of several colours, ones made of jet in the shape of rosettes or spindles, etc.
These personal adornments were normally imported, even from overseas.

The brides earrings
are of silver and gold shreds
that were set by Picolín
from the shoes of Polu.

NECKLACES
Necklaces were a must on feast days. They could be made of beads or links stringed together.
The most sought after of the bead necklaces were that which was made of coral, which had to be imported from far-off lands. The other option, were beads made of jet, this was, in comparison, available on Asturian soil, and was worked into polyhedral shapes.
The chains on the other hand could be made of gold or silver, they were generally imported from the meseta. The medal could carry the image of some saint or of virgin. Another quite widespread adornment in this class were chokers made of velvet, which fitted tightly to the neck and were often decorated with some precious stone, jet chiguas, medals or rock crystal.

Four coral loops
accredit the Mayor
and the four I bear
accredit my father.

HEADSCARF
The covering of the head was one of the essential rules of Asturian traditional dress. Exposing the hair was not well looked upon, although, young girls could use a band of material instead of the headscarf, which was tied in a knot on the head.
Some young single women would dispense with the same, albeit at the expense of being reprimanded.
There were two types of headscarves, the full four-cornered one, and the half three-cornered scarf. The full scarf was folded diagonally, in the same way as the three-cornered one was shaped.
The points or corners were passed under the hair at the back of the head and then brought over and tied in a knot on the crown.
The scarf was normally white and made of silk or wool. It was adorned in several ways, with lace edging or hemstitched trimmings, with different coloured edges, generally blue or red.
The most luxurious variations changed in colour and adornment. They could be red or yellow, embroidered or trimmed with fringes. Village women competed among one another to see who sported the best piece.

Four scarves have I
all brightly coloured
and four suitors have I
three living unbeknownst a lie.

CLOTH CAP
Occasionally women wore cloth caps, especially elderly women, who, when widowed, wore their husband’s cap as a sign of familial authority or household leadership.
There is a possibility, apart from those cases in which the woman used the husbands cap, that there had been a woman’s two-peaked cloth cap which the headscarf did up on the top of the head, while the corners were passed under the chin.

”REGOCIÑO” (CAPE)
This is a cape made of thick material, which was tied by two ribbons at the neckline. It was worn when doing work on the farm, especially when looking after livestock. Some were also made of wool yarn.

MANTILLA
The “mantiella” or mantilla was a garment of respect worn by Asturian women when they went to mass. It is very similar to those worn in other Spanish regions, semi-circular and measuring a yard and a half in diameter.
The material used was black cloth or satin. In general dark colours were used, however, there are some examples of bright-coloured mantillas.
It was normally trimmed with a different material in black, such as velvet or satin.
A type of wrap was a variation on this garment. This most likely preceded the mantilla, was of a rectangular cut and covered the shoulders as well as the head, as if it were a shawl. Moreover, apart from its shape, it was larger than the mantilla and was used in villages to protect its wearer from the cold, as well as a garment worn when going for a stroll, thus complementing its ceremonial use.