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The Spanish Shawl Is Back In Fashion

MADRID dpa) – It is one of the timeless emblems of Spanish feminine style – the silken, long-tasseled, flower-embroidered and often black Manila shawl.

Like the fan and castanets, it is part of the traditional image of flamenco dancers or sultry Spanish beauties in old movies – yet the shawl is far from being just folklore.

It remains one of the most common accessories of Spanish women to this day – and it is even experiencing a new wave of popularity, said Maria del Carmen Jimenez of the Casa Jimenez shop which has sold shawls in central Madrid since 1923.

The origin of the accessory known as the Spanish shawl lies far away from Spain. Spanish traders are first believed to have seen pieces of Chinese embroidered silk in the then Spanish colony of the Philippines in the 16th century.

Delighted with the brilliant colours and elaborate embroideries, they later imported some of the pieces to Spain, where the shawl has preserved the memory of the Philippine capital in its name: manton de Manila or Manila shawl.

Spain’s last Moslem rulers were expelled in 1492, and the shawl became popular among Moorish women who used it to cover their heads after the Christian authorities discouraged them from wearing the Islamic veil.

Gradually the shawl spread all over the country, from royal castles to the factory women of Seville.

Oriental decorative motifs such as dragons or images of Chinese persons were partly replaced with a more Spanish style whose most typical motif are large red roses.

“The shawl does not always have birds, but it must have flowers,” Jimenez says.

“In our grandparents’ time, the shawl was still a practical rather than just festive garment,” she explains. “Women were more modest than today and liked to cover their arms and shoulders.”

Today the shawl is a festive accessory worn on one or both shoulders on top of dresses at weddings or other parties.

It is especially popular in the southern region of Andalusia, where women wear it at bullfights and traditional celebrations such the Seville Fair.

New colours have been added to basic ones such as black and ivory, and many women like pink, turquoise or brown shawls embroidered in the same colour, explained Maria Jesus Fernandez at the Casa Gil which has sold shawls since 1880.

Far from being something typical of older women, the shawl is also popular among young girls who may wrap it on their waists on top of jeans or even swim suits, Fernandez said.

Shawls are popular souvenirs, but the fact that they are relatively costly has protected them from becoming mainly touristic items.

At the Casa Gil, prices range from 42 euros for a machine-made acrylic shawl to 4,000 euros for a centuries-old silk shawl.

The popularity of the shawls has increased with lower prices, as most Spanish shawls now come from their ancient country of origin – China.

“A machine-made Spanish-made shawl costs more than a hand- embroidered Chinese shawl,” Fernandez explains. “It’s just not worth it making them in Spain any more.”

The secret of the shawl’s enduring success may be, that it is elegant, feminine and offers many possibilities of combining colours, fashion experts say.

“The tradition of the shawl also runs in families, and many women are proud of having inherited their grandmothers’ shawls,” Jimenez says.

With its dark wooden panels, large mirrors and Greek colums, the Casa Jimenez retains an atmosphere of bygone days. Yet Maria del Carmen Jimenez does not fear that modern clothes chains will kill off her family’s traditional business.

“The shawl is something a Spanish woman just has to have,” she says. “The shawl will always be there.”

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