Advertisement

Lipstick and miniskirts banned at Easter parades

Jessica Jones
Jessica Jones - [email protected]
Lipstick and miniskirts banned at Easter parades
Photo: Juan de la Obra / Flickr

Alicante has issued fashion guidelines for women walking in its Holy Week parade, imposing a ban on short skirts, cleavages and "tight-fitting" clothes.

Advertisement

Around 1,500 women take part in the Semana Santa (Holy Week) parade in Alicante as "damas de mantilla" (mantilla women), wearing the traditional mantilla - a lace shawl worn over the head and shoulders.

Damas de mantilla parade during Semana Santa in Alicante. Photo: Paco Cameo/Flickr.

They are still a common sight during Holy Week, as well as during other occasions such as weddings and bullfights.

Now the association responsible for organizing Alicante’s Holy Week parade has issued guidelines on what the mantilla women should, and should not, wear during the annual parade.

Women are not allowed to wear skirts above the knee or show cleavage and the colour red is a definite no no, according to the guidelines.

Photo: Cristina Quicler/AFP.

Fishnet tights are out and women should not even consider trying out a daring make-up look - make-up should not be "shrill" and be "as naturaas possible".

Photo: Jorge Castro/Flickr

Other new rules include the banning of tight-fitting dresses and long gloves as well as specifying exactly how high women should wear their hair, they do not want it to get in the way of the mantilla, after all.

President of the association that issued the guidelines, Alberto Payá, told local newspaper, La Verdad, that the women already knew the guidelines, but now they had been given in writing.

He added that the rules were "logical and coherent and have been followed for years".  

And if a mantilla woman decides to paint her lips red or ends up showing her cleavage?

"They will be invited to leave the official parade," Payá said. 

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also