The traje de flamenca ("flamenco outfit") or traje de gitana ("Gitana outfit") is the dress traditionally worn by women at Ferias (festivals) in Andalusia, Spain. There are two forms: one worn by dancers and the other worn as a day dress.
The day dress is body-hugging to mid-thigh, and then continues in multiple layers of ruffles to the ankle. Modern interpretations of the style are difficult to walk in, let alone dance. The dancers' version therefore flares out from higher on the hip to allow freedom of movement.
Both versions are trimmed with layers of ruffles on both the skirt and sleeves. The dress is typically brightly colored, usually in black, red or and may be either plain or patterned, with the most famous being the polka dotted traje de lunares.
Traditionally, the outfit is completed with a shawl (mantón de Manila) worn over the shoulders. The traditional dancer will also wear her hair in a bun adorned with flowers, and perhaps a decorative hair comb.
The traje de flamenca has undergone changes over the century or more that it has been in widespread use. For example, in the 1960s and '70s, the skirts became shorter, with skirts reaching only to the middle of the calf or even to the knee (the so-called Marisol style). Beginning in the 1970s, the frogs are dropped back to the ankle so that they are not distracting on the legs.
Italy and Spain have been in close contact throughout history. They have gone through battles, conquests, dominations, alliances... As a result, they had a big role in each other's cultures and languages. The presence of Spanish loanwords in the Italian language is an impressive linguistic phenomenon. Spain has previously established complete hegemony over all the Italian states except Venice, which alone maintained its independence. But the dialect spoken in Venice is even more similar to Spanish than standard Italian.
On this day, I met a beautiful mask in traje de flamenca, so I took a picture of her. The comination of a Venetian mask with the traje de flamenca is simple yet elegant.