The typical costumes of the United States are used today rather as a disguise during national holidays. Some examples are the prototypical cowboy suit or the Uncle Sam costume, among others. In what follows we show you a list of the most representative costumes of American culture along with photos of them.
Below you have an index with all the points that we are going to deal with in this article.
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Cowboy or cowboy
The cowboy or cowboy outfit, also known as jean suit, is included within the category called western apparel (western wear in English) and refers to the typical costumes that people of the western United States usually use, typically the State of Texas.
Actually, this clothing has its origin in the Wild West o Wild West (Old West y Far West respectively), a historical period belonging to the 1845th century in which the characters of whom these costumes are original lived, of which it is perhaps Buffalo Bill (1917-XNUMX) who gave the most fame to this outfit.
The cowboy costume was used at this time by the colonizers, mountain men and during the Civil War or American Civil War. Likewise, over the years it has become popular thanks to its relationship with the musical style called country from the hand of singers like Gene Autry o Roy Rogers, very popular in the US during the 40s and 50s.
The typical clothing of the American West can be really simple and simply consist of a plaid shirt and classic jeans. However, it can become a really elaborate costume with a large presence of ornaments characteristic of this outfit, such as the Chaps, a kind of pants that are fastened with a belt and that cover the jeans. They are made of a very robust material, so they are really heavy.
Another typical accessory is the bandana o wild rag, which is a red scarf that is usually tied around the neck and that began to be used around the 60-70s and, later, became part of the typical clothing of the young people of the 1980s. At this same time, the bandana was It also became a representative symbol of the cultural heritage of the African people who suffered slavery.
Of course, you cannot miss the unmistakable hat cowboy, of which several versions have been created over time, such as the slouch hat, used mostly as part of the military uniform during the XNUMXth century, or the Stetson, short trademark name John B. Stetson Company.
Finally, the cowboy boots They are possibly the most representative accessory of the costumes of the American West. It is a type of unisex boot with a heel that can vary according to the model, pointed toe and without laces. Traditionally, true cowboy boots are made of cowhide, although other fabrics such as snake, buffalo, alligator, lizard or even elephant skin have also become popular.
Basically, there are two types of cowboy boots: those of cowboy (that is, those that we are used to seeing) and those of lacero (person who uses a rope to attract cattle). The classic ones are characterized by reaching more or less the middle of the calf and having the classic rectangular heel of about 3 cm (1 inch), although there are some that are made with the type of heel called walking-heels, lower in height. On the other hand, lacero boots do not usually reach higher than the ankles, the heels have a flatter and more quadrangular shape and do not exceed 2 cm in height.
Halloween
Halloween is a holiday that is celebrated every October 31 with special emphasis on the Anglo-Saxon countries, that is, the United States, Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom. This festival is of Celtic origin and is also known as Halloween night o Halloween. It is a festivity linked to All Saints' Day (name extended in Spain) or Day of the Dead (name by which it is known in Latin America), celebrated by Catholics on November 1.
When you think of Halloween, three colors automatically come to mind: orange, black y purple, mainly linked to the quintessential symbol of this festival: the popular pumpkin carved by hand or jack-o'-lantern. Therefore, it is not surprising that most of the costumes and typical costumes that are seen during this night are of one of these colors or a mixture of them.
The popular activity tonight is trick-or-treating, carried out mainly by children, who are the most excited. Although children's costumes are inspired by terrifying motives, especially the adult costumes, which can be really elaborate and really scary. In fact, most are inspired by characters from classic horror movies, including Jack The Ripper, Scream or Freddy Krueger, among many others.
Native indian
Native Indian is understood to be that individual belonging to the Native peoples of the United States (in English Native american). This means that it is the indigenous communities of the United States, that is, the Amerindians. Thus, the first inhabitants of North America most likely arrived from Asia about 10.000-20.000 years ago through the Bering Strait, as well as other groups mainly from the Andes, which means that the resulting costumes possess elements characteristic of the typical costumes of the Andean Region, such as the variety of colors of its fabrics.
The clothing of these people is characterized especially by a basic element: the feathers. These were usually worn on the head resulting in a feather headdress or warbonnets, name given in the USA to this accessory. The warbonnetsContrary to popular belief, they were used by a minority of American tribes, including the Sioux, Cheyenne, and Plains Cree, who inhabited the Great Plains region.
The most popular headdress is the halo with feathers that go over the head in an oval shape. They were not used by everyone, but only by the warriors and male leaders of the tribes during ceremonial acts. They were made from the tail feathers of eagles, and golden eagle feathers were considered the most valuable. They were a symbol of the courage and heroism of the warrior during battle, especially those that were dyed red. In addition, when young people came to be accepted into the tribe as fully developed adults, they were awarded their first feather as a symbol of recognition.
Día de la Independencia
Independence Day of the United States, in English Independence Day, is celebrated every July 4th, which is why it is also known as Fourth of July, across the country and is a national holiday. This day commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which took place in 1776, thus leading to the separation of the United States from the British Empire. For this reason, this day is celebrated in style and is lived very intensely among the American inhabitants.
During this day there are numerous exhibitions and parades in the open air of a markedly patriotic nature. Obviously, these exhibitions are accompanied by a series of representative costumes and costumes in which three colors always predominate: the Red, azul and white.
These colors are those of the American flag and, at the same time, those of the famous Uncle Sam (Uncle Sam), who is the personification of the United States as a nation and, specifically, the Government. This character was created during World War I and his appearance is that of a relatively elderly man judging by his white hair and beard, and serious demeanor, as well as white, blue and red clothing clearly reminiscent of the US flag. .UU., Especially for its characteristic high top hat with red and white stripes and a blue band with stars. Many are those who on the 4th of July dress like Uncle Sam or, at least, wear this hat.
Charleston
The Charleston is a very popular dance in the United States, especially during the 1920s. This dance, named after its origin in the city of the same name located in South Carolina, inspired the women's fashion of the time and has survived to over time as a star dress at every costume party where the motif is the US.
The style of these costumes is also due to the cultural change that women experienced at the time with the approval of universal suffrage. This led to the expansion of a new vision of women, who now had more rights and, ultimately, greater freedom. For this reason, these suits were excessively female, elaborated and with some typical touches of French refinement, with a great influence of designers such as Chanel, Poiret or Lanvin, among many others.
The look in general is defined in English under the concept of flapper girl and it refers to a modern but feminine woman, who wears a cloche or bell hat (cloche hat), the hair is cut in the bob style, which consists of a straight cut that expands to the height of the jaw and includes bangs or waves in it. As for accessories, the most characteristic is possibly the long necklace, usually made of pearls.
As for the dress, it was similar to a camisole that reached to the knees or ankles and was adorned with pearls, sequins or other shiny materials. This fashion of showing the legs soon aroused the interest of designers in creating all kinds of tights to wear under the dress and thus embellish the legs.
Pin up
Actually, the term pin-up refers to a type of illustration in which a person appears, usually a woman, in suggestive attitude or provocative, smiling, waving, or simply looking at the camera. This type of illustrations began to become very popular in the 20s and 30s, when they were used as the covers of magazines, comics or calendars, among others. Since in most of these illustrations girls with a characteristic look appeared, these models began to be called pin-up. The goal was primarily to attract the attention of American soldiers during the war.
The pin-up style is characterized by the particular way of making up the eyes with a black outline that extends beyond the natural line of the eyelid, so that the look is more or less torn. This type of makeup is currently known as cat-eyes, which literally means cat eyes. The eyelid is made up with shadows normally of light colors, such as vanilla or beige, and a good amount of mascara is applied in order to achieve very long lashes. The lips are always painted red or some dark color and the makeup base is preferably off-white in order to achieve a delicate complexion.
Pin-up girls' attire is provocative, with necklines very pronounced and heart-shaped, exposed shoulders and very marked waist in order to achieve a more voluptuous appearance. To achieve the perfect pin-up girl outfit, you cannot miss a skirt, either narrow or loose, with pleats and striped or polka dot print, or high-waisted skinny pants. Finally, another distinctive feature of this clothing is the very high heels and garter stockings.
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