What Types of Clothing Do Puerto Ricans Wear?

Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States. U.S. western fashion infiltrates the island of enchantment and vice versa.

Western ware

Like most westerners, Puerto Ricans like to put on jeans and a T-shirt to relax, dress up for parties, wear a uniform when it is required or wear business attire whenever appropriate.

The Classes and Colonial Times

Old customs permitted men to wear straw hats and tough cotton shirts and pants to the fields for labor. Women wore regular dresses and aprons, with their hair up in a turban. If a person was wealthy, her garments would mimic the style of colonial-era Spain.

Vamos a la Tienda--Let's Go to the Store

Though followers of Western cultural trends, Puerto Ricans are still conservative when it comes to taking a trip to town. Going to town is an occasion and a person must dress respectably.

Bling Bling

Women are rarely seen without jewelry, especially earrings and bracelets. The tradition is most likely passed down by the Native American Taino.

Guayavera or Guayabera or Guallavera

Men also wear a Puerto Rican dress shirt called the guayabera. Most are made of cotton; the more fine shirts made with pineapple fiber. A guayabera is usually pastel in color and has embroideries running vertically and on both sides.

References

• Puerto Rico
• Welcome to Puerto Rico!
• PUERTO RICAN AMERICANS