Traditional Mexican Clothing

Until I came upon an article written by Debra Lo Guercio entitled "Giving the kiss of death to low-rise jeans", I thought low-risers were exclusively a Mexican fashion. After doing some research on the internet, I discovered this U.S. fashion trend began in the 1970's. The latest revival began in 1995.

Where was I? My husband and I did not move to Mexico until 2003. How could I have possibly missed noticing all those bared bellies and hips in the USA?

One reason could be that I don't have children. Children, especially teenagers, want to wear the latest styles they see their favorite movie and music stars wearing. Another reason is that I've always dressed for comfort, not for the sake of fashion. Finally, shopping has never been my favorite pastime, so I didn't spend much time at the malls. Since malls are the preferred hangout of teenagers and young adults, I missed seeing many of the fashion trends.

The city where we live in central Mexico does not have a mall (thank goodness!) so the teenagers, kids, and adults hang out in the parks, on sidewalks, and in the streets. Here, we are exposed to clothing fashions in a way we were not in the USA.

Most children here wear conservative and not-overly attractive uniforms to school. Even then, the girls strive to express their individuality with hair ribbons and jewelry. The boys, unfortunately, can't do much to look different from the other boys. Outside school, though, the "uniform" is anything but conservative.

Low-risers are the style of choice for teenagers and young adults, at least in central Mexico. The young men have adopted the hip-hop or rap style of very baggy pants. The young women favor very snug low-risers paired with very tight tops.

As the style dictates, the young men wear their pants belted at mid-hip (or lower!), crotch hanging between the knees, and several inches of material covering the shoes and dragging the ground. The other day, I saw a young man whose jeans were belted below his rear end! I cannot see how these pants can be comfortable when they threaten to fall down with every hip swivel and threaten to trip the wearer with every step. I guess style is more important than comfort. At least the fashion dictates that boxer shorts are worn underneath the pants with the waistband pulled all the way up to the waist. No exposed flesh there.

Not so for the young women. Since Mexico is still rather conservative, the tops here are not as brief as, say, Britney Spears wore hers before her pregnancy. The tops, though so tight it's difficult to imagine the wearers being able to breathe, end just above the belly button. A wide expanse of flesh is exposed between where the top ends and the low-risers begin.

Some women look OK in this style, though even the thin ones look as if they have to buy their pants three sizes too small so they will stay up (sort of). This style is not attractive on the too-thin, though. Who wants to look at jutting hipbones? And forget about the women who carry a few extra pounds. Just how attractive is an inner tube of flab jiggling above and over the waistband?

I laughed at Ms. Lo Guercio's descriptions of US women in their low-risers. She could have been describing what I see here in central Mexico every day. I guess women everywhere want to follow the latest fashion trends even if the clothes aren't comfortable or attractive.

Low-risers are still the fashion today in the USA even though Vogue declared the trend over in May 2002 (http://slate.msn.com/id/2089623/). Since young Mexicans like to copy the fashions of their peers north of the border, I imagine low-risers will be in style here as long as they are in style in the USA, unfortunately.

I'm going out now to see if I can find a pair of pants with more than 2 inches between waist and crotch. Wish me luck! I'm not optimistic!

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Lots of people are getting off their couches are enrolling in Ballroom and Latin American dance classes. Dance is a wonderful way to get active, meet new people and discover a wonderful new hobby. However every week though I see beginners not getting the maximum benefit from their class because they don't have the right clothes and shoes.

Shoes are the single most important item for a dancer. Even keen social dancers make sure they have good comfortable shoes. Ballroom and Latin technique involves you sliding your foot over the floor: you cannot do this with athletic shoes, worse you may wreck you knee forcing your foot. Ideally you should have shoes with suede or leather soles. These shoes can't be worn outside though, you'll destroy the soles. If you don't have leather soled shoes get a smooth sole shoe.

Ladies, most ballroom dance steps have you moving backwards, you can't step backwards with a slip on shoe. You can't dance comfortably in a shoe that does not stay on your foot. That means a sandal with a strap or a court shoe that fits properly.

The other important point with shoes is that Ladies they must have a heel: normally 2 1/2" but 2" if you are more comfortable in it. Flat jazz sneakers or ballet slippers will not help you with ballroom and Latin American: your weight has to be towards the front of your foot and the easiest way to achieve that is with a proper shoe.

Men's shoes are easier - just make sure you wear a dress shoe with a relatively smooth sole and not athletic shoes.

Clothing: again its surprising the number of people who wear tight fitting clothing and think they are going to be comfortable dancing. Wear something comfortable but, particularly if you are paying for private coaching, wear clothing that shows your body's line. The reason that ballet dancers typically wear leotards is because that's what shows their body alignment the best. Ballroom is not quite as dramatic but its still essential to wear something that won't ride up at the shoulder and make you look like you've raised your shoulders even if you haven't. For men this eliminates any regular business or sports jacket: only jackets specifically designed for dancing will sit correctly across your shoulder with your arms up in ballroom hold. Most men avoid the problem by wearing a business shirt for ballroom or T-shirt for Latin American. Men's trousers should again not be too full so that his leg line can be seen.

Ladies clothing has an additional issue: American style ballroom particularly you need to wear a mid-calf length skirt so that you have something to play with! A skirt both enhances the dancers movement and hides the rather ugly bent knees which is the technical secrete behind that movement! Obviously a suitable skirt must allow you to stride out and for the man to get his leg between your' so a tight, straight skirt won't work.

A suitable skirt is traditionally made of Lycra and is either 4-gored cut on cross or designed with additional inserts from below the knee. The skirt is not as full as that used for square dancing or rock and roll. For Latin American the skirt is be shorter (optionally a LOT shorter) and trousers are slightly more common, but basically a nice knee-length or shorter, flippy skirt will show movement and your leg line!

Dancing with man and woman together takes practice and talent. It's hard enough to learn to dance, but if you do not have the proper costume and attire for the style of dance that you are participating in, you could find it harder to dance successfully. The most important tool in dancing is a pair of shoes. Ballroom, salsa, swing, and Latin dance shoes will make all the difference in the world in how you dance. Clothing is also an important accessory. Wearing the wrong clothing for the style of dance that you do might hinder movement and make you feel uncomfortable.

We are going to put our focus towards the Latin dance style. Hopefully this article will help learn more about Latin dance shoes and how to prolong the life of them. Let's take a look at what women usually wear during Latin dancing. Pumps or sandals with a 2-3 inch heal is the most popular choice for dancing in. It's not very often that you'll see a woman wearing platform shoes due to the fact that platforms do not bend with a woman's foot. For learning to dance you may want to chose a pair that isn't as high of a heel, just to get yourself comfortable wearing heals while you dance. The shoes that you chose should be of light weight and have a suede bottom. Men also need special footwear for dancing. Yes, the means shoes do have what is called a Cuban heel. This heel is usually 1.5 inches high. The soles on men's shoes must also be of suede and flexible to allow the foot to turn in anyway that it needs to.

When shopping for Latin dance shoes, or any kind of dance footwear, you should always make your very first purchase in person. We all know that the internet can have very good deals, or you might be able to get a discount if you shop out of a catalog. The truth is that you cannot find the perfect shoes by just looking at a picture. Trying them on and performing a couple of dance moves in them is the best way to know if those shoes are the right size for you. The pair that you ultimately buy should be a snug fit and hugging your foot. You should feel support in them, but at the same time your feet should be able to breathe.

Once you have your shoes you will need to take excellent care of them. You need to polish them on a regular basis. Applying oil to them occasionally will prevent them from cracking, which prolongs their life. Brush off the bottom of your Latin dance shoes often to prevent dirt and wax build-up from ruining them. Also with dirt hurting your footwear, concrete, blacktop and dirt roads will destroy them; therefore, only wear your shoes while dancing. Latin dance shoes range from $100-$150, and you do not want to have to spend more money than you have to, so take care of your shoes.

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All things Latin are considered romantic and sexy, this includes their dances, their men, women and of course their dress styles. In the fashion world Latin dress styles are designed from a mixture of various individual traditions with the emphasis being on shapes and colors. This is why the nuances of the Latin dress styles are so tantalizing and extravagant with lots of movement. They are designed for ease of wear and comfort as well as show and beauty.

There are dresses for all occasions such as ballroom dancing, salsa dancing, tango dancing and they are all designed with a flare for color and movement that can only come from the Latin community. The use of bold colors like black, red, orange and bright blue are a staple of the Latin community’s style, fringes and flare are simple prerequisite. Think of all the beautiful Latin style dresses you’ve seen on Shakira and other notable Spanish musical artists, they have a beautiful drape to the skirts that swirl like no other traditional type of dress. In her “Hips Don’t Lie” video Shakira’s skirts stretches out to arms length away from her body, with enough drape and swirl to emphasize the beauty of her hips, and to show off the rhythm of her dancing in the swishing of the folds. This is true Latin style.

Shawls are another staple of Latin dress styles for women, from peasant workers to precocious preteens you find swishy shawls at work, wrapped around shoulders neatly, to accentuate the colors of the shirt and skirt worn underneath. Or better yet, you find them decorating hips, providing a swish of color, fringe and movement in an otherwise unremarkable outfit. Latin women are thought to be some of the most voluptuous in the world and their jeans and capris work to emphasize and enhance their curves, it is rumored that the current hipster jeans had their start in the Latin community and spread from there.

The men of the Latin community are not forgotten in this article, nor in Latin dress styles. Their shirts, especially for the younger generation, tend to run a little bit tighter than in other circles and in a broader range of colors. Latin men will wear the rainbow, and aren’t bothered by a little thing like pastel colors unlike Anglo men who feel their masculinity threatened by binding clothing. Latin men are full of ‘machismo’; the ideal of perfect masculinity is more along the lines of bravery and boldness, not abstaining from wearing pink. Latin men are proud of their bodies and not ashamed to show them off in their tight t-shirts and jeans. The same goes for Latin women; they appreciate their curves and their hips and love to emphasize the rhythm of their movement with free flowing material that follows that beat.

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