Guayaberas: Who Says Pleats & Embroidery are just for Women

[Departed Member]

Any Guayabera wearers here? If not, or if you've never heard of them before, you may find them of interest. They are great for casual and more formal looks. I could be wrong, but aside from pirate shirts, the Guayabera might be the closest thing to a decorative blouse a man will find these days.

I can recommend Penners' Guayaberas, like the following:

http://www.pennersinc.com/big-tall-dept ... leeve.html


Brief explanation of them:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guayabera

http://www.historymiami.org/guayabera

Other pics of embroidery/pleating/decorative buttons, etc.:

http://www.shushans.com/guayabera.html

[Ralph]

First I heard of guayaberas was in a comic strip, of all places. There's a strip about a Latino family (intentionally vague on specific nationality, to have a wider appeal) called "Baldo" and the father always wears guayaberas. After I read about the style characteristics and history of the design, I started noticing them more on other Latino characters, like detective Angel in "Dexter".

I agree that it's a great style but I don't think I have ever seen a non-Latino wearing one.

[crfriend]

I hadn't seen them before, but it's an attractive style. I may get one or two. I quite like the embroidery on them; it gives a flair that's otherwise missing on "conventional" men's shirts.

I'm not sure what I'd use the lower pockets for, but the upper ones would be very useful indeed for holding sunglasses and reading-glasses.

[Couya]

In the far distant past, when men s clothes were interesting and attractive, the 1960s, we could buy embroidered shirts in Europe. I remember my own favorite was light yellow with a vertical line of flowers embroidered on either side of the front, rather like the guayaberas (never heard that word before), but without so many pockets. Everyday wear, not for dressing up.
Martin

[Sinned]

I remember in the mid-60s wearing shirts with a dense but bright flower pattern on them along with a similar flower-patterned tie. I was just about in my teens then and we didn't think anything about them being feminine-looking. These guayaberas ( I'd never heard of them before either ) aren't my scene, I'm afraid.