Costa Rican Dress

Costa Rican clothes are similar to most Central and South American countries. There clothes were developed by the Climate of Costa Rica. Costa Rica Clothing today is separated into two groups traditional cultural clothes and modern clothing. Costa Rican traditional dress is used for traditional practices. Most of the cultural dress has layers. This is because of the climate of Costa Rica. You never know when it is going to rain because of its varied climate.

Traditional dress is only worn on special occasion such as when they dance. Both women and men have different style of traditional clothing. Usually the clothes are the colors of the Costa Rican flag which are red, blue , and white. Mens dress is very simple but elegant. Mens traditional costume usually have a few different things. The pants are a solid color which usually is blue or tan. They usually wear a white button down shirt. Then around the waist they wear a red cummerbund which is like a sash.

Around the neck of the man they would wear a kerchief tied around it. Then on their head they would wear a “chonete” which is a traditional type of Costa Rican hat. A Chonete is like a straw cowboy hat. Usually men in Costa Rica will not really wear shorts on a day to day basis but only to the beach despite the tropical weather of Costa Rica. Today in the fields Men still wear the traditional dress. Women’s traditional dress has a few important characteristics. The dresses are usually tailored in a special style.

All traditional dresses have thick ruffles that start at the shoulders and go out all the way down the dress. The dresses have no sleeves to cover the arms. They are usually the colors red,blue,and yellow. Another type of Costa Rica dress has a long ruffled skirt. This is usually made in shinny colored fabric. A white shirt is usually worn and a red cummerbund connects the dress at the waist. To top off all these wonderful dresses a flower is usually placed in the ear of the women.