THE JALISCO RIBBON DRESS
Overview
Origin:
Mexico
Ballet Folklorico Overview
The Jalisco Ribbon Dress costume, arguably one of the most recognizable symbols of Mexican culture, is a bold and beautiful combination of color and movement. Due to its beautiful and striking silhouette, that of a double-circle skirt lined with rows of ribbon and ruffles, this skirt and blouse combination is famously worn for Ballet Folklórico's representation of the Jarabe Tapatío and for several other dances from the Guadalajara region. Some productions have even used it for all of the dances in the Ballet Folklórico repertoire. The story behind the dress's origins and its ascent to becoming the international icon it is today is an intricate one; Still, some facts have remained rather elusive.
While the movements of the dances within the Ballet Folklórico have remained much the same since its creation after the Mexican revolution, the costume has grown and become more elaborate. The skirt, while once a simple circle-skirt, became a voluptuous double circle-skirt to allow for maximum movement. The fabrics and ribbons have become bolder and can include any color of the rainbow.
It displays an obvious connection to the daily dress of female ranch workers of the late 1800s and early 1900s, but there remains little concrete evidence beyond that as to its origins. Some sources have pointed to similarities in the silhouettes and decorations that were characteristic to historic garments from the Castile and León regions of north-western Spain. The costume's colorful nature has been largely attributed to indigenous styles from the Mayan and Aztec cultures, but some theories suggest a link to garments worn by slaves from India.
While there are few definitive facts surrounding the origins of the Ribbon Dress's features, what is clear is that this costume, like all of Ballet Folklórico itself, tells a story of the cultural mixing between various peoples that have intersected in Mexico, and this story is at least 500 years old.
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Historical Research
Ballet Folklorico Historical Research
The history of the Jalisco ribbon dress, though heavily influenced by modern performance, is closely tied to the history of the dance it represents, the Jarabe Tapatío, or the Mexican Hat Dance. While little concrete literature exists on the direct development of this costume into what it is today, by examining the history of the dance, we can both shed some light on how this costume has become the national symbol of Mexico as well as make educated guesses as to the origins of the silhouette, colors, and size.
The Jarabe Tapatío, though original to Mexico, is neither a wholly indigenous dance nor an imported one, just as the Ribbon Dress represents a combination of internal and external influences. The dance and the dress are both rather symbols of Mexico's national identity of Mestizaje, or cultural mixing. Thus, the dance is widely regarded as the national dance of Mexico, and the dress is always worn during its performance.
In her dissertation on the development of dance in Mexico, Sanjuanita Martinez-Hunter suggests that an influx European immigrants traveled to Mexico between 1810 and 1830 seeking the promise of independence. These immigrants brought "Spanish music and the Italian Opera. The Spanish dances such as the jatas, fandangos, sequidillas, and boleros added diversity to the sones de la tierra (rhythms of the land) and to the popular music of Mexico." (144)
In the years following Mexican independence from Spain in 1821, the power of the Catholic Church, which had exercised a great deal of influence under colonial rule, began to wane under increasing challenges to the many bans and restrictions it had imposed on various facets of Mexican life. Under these circumstances, a collection of dances and melodies that had been known to be performed by the mixed-race (mestizo) peasants -but that had been banned for their sensual nature- experienced a resurgence. These dances were known as Jarabe(s).
By the mid 19th century, "dance troupes were free to incorporate the traditions of their ancestors into their creative choreography"(145-146). These dances blended European influences with indigenous traditions, such as Aztec ritual, and were soon incorporated into celebrations and festivals around the country.
In 1860, France invaded Mexico in response to then Mexican President Benito Juarez's imposition of a 2 year moratorium on loan payments. Between 1864 and 1867, a European known as Maximilian had been installed as Emperor of Mexico.
During this time, blended dances such as the Jarabes gained recognition and acceptance amongst members Maximilian's court in Guadalajara, and this in turn allowed their popularity to grow. Soon, "The inhabitants of Guadalajara, known as Tapatíos, lent their character to the jarabe, and the Jarabe Tapatío was born" (Dickens 30) Just as [another] layer of European influence was added to the Jarabe dance(s), the costumes worn during its performance took on aspects of extravagant styles of court dress.
The Jarabe Tapatío and the Ribbon Dress saw their next major developments following the end of the Mexican Revolution in 1920. At this time, the new government declared the Jarabe Tapatío the national dance of Mexico. The government sought to create a new national identity by using art and culture to create a dance repertoire that could represent the idea of mestizaje. In the 1940s, Amalia Hernandez created the national Ballet Folklórico de México, which grew in popularity both in Mexico and around the world. Under Amalia's direction, ballet elements were added to the traditional dances of Mexico, as well as the jarabes and sons that had developed as a part of mestizaje. These dances are still performed today in Mexico City and internationally.
Using the history of the Jarabe Tapatío, we can learn about the origin of the costume itself:
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The colorful fabrics point to indigenous roots, such as Aztec, and possibly to the Hindu influence of slaves brought by European colonizers.
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The ribbon and lace work -and the fact there is a blouse and skirt- mark European influence, most likely Spanish.
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The shape of the sleeve, the peplum, and the fit of the bodice still match trends from the 1940s, the golden-age of Amalia Hernandez's dance troupe.
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The popular double circle skirt was added after the addition of other ballet elements to allow for the kicks and leaps added by Amalia Hernandez.
Look closely at the dance and the costume and you will see the blend of Spanish and indigenous cultures. This identity of mestizo is used as a symbol of the passion, virility, and triumph over adversity that embody a character of the people of Mexico.
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Construction Practices
Jalisco Ribbon Dress Construction Practices
The Jalisco ribbon dress, also referred to as the ranchera dress, the escaramuza dress, and simply the ribbon dress, is first a foremost a costume! Developed and designed specifically for performance, its skirt size and brilliant colors are over-exaggerated to stunning effect.
Silhouette
The standard design has changed little since its introduction after the Mexican revolution in the 1920’s, with the most notable change being the addition of the double circle skirt. This change is widely credited to Amalia Hernandez and the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico which introduced ballet style movement into the dances.
The costume follows a few traditional silhouettes. First, the costume can be a true one piece dress or, more often for ease of fit, can be separated into a skirt and bodice. The skirt’s hem is meant to stop at the ankle of the performer to prevent tripping. It is always constructed as a double circle skirt. This does not mean there are two circles on top of each other, but rather two circles connected to each other making one very large skirt! This width is what allows for the vertical movement of the costume. The waist of the skirt is 1.5 to 2 times the performers waist. It is then gathered to the bodice or into a waistband.
The skirt can be adorned in several ways depending on the designer’s vision. It can be plain, decorated with ribbons and lace in rows at the hem, or in a star pattern around the waist. It can also be tiered with ruffles. These ruffles are connected to the hem edge of the skirt, not applied on top. There can be one ruffle with widths from 10 to 15 inches or two ruffles. With two ruffles, the layers typically start at a point halfway between the waist and the hem with the top ruffle being narrower than the bottom ruffle. These two ruffles can also be embellished with ribbons and lace of any color or colors.
The bodice is made to match the skirt with corresponding colors and trims. Like the skirt, it has stayed the same since its creation with a decidedly 1940s and 1950s influence. It can be tightly fitted or loose and usually sports a stand collar. The sleeves can be short (to mid bicep) or long extending (down to the wrist). The short version is often designed as a puffed sleeve to allow for a greater range of arm movement. The long version is frequently full at the cap and gathers into the armscye. It then tapers down to be fitted at the wrist. A flounced peplum is often added to the hem of the bodice… with a width of 6 to 8 inches and a gentle undulating curve. A v or u shaped ruffle can mirror the peplum and is sewn directly onto the bodice extending to the back closure.
Materials
The materials used in the construction process have varied since its creation due to mass production and globalization. Originally constructed using manta, a loosely woven cotton that is both sturdy and cool, the dress is now constructed using fabric of polyester or polyester-cotton blend for its ease of care, price, and durability. The satin ribbons of silk, cotton, or polyester are used to decorate bodices, sleeves, skirts, and ruffles.
For my design, I chose to use a fitted bodice that opens in the center back with a zipper, with short puff sleeves, a flounced peplum at the hem, and a v shaped ruffle. The skirt has two rows of ruffles. The fabric and ribbons were chosen to represent the colors of the sunset using red cotton as the base, with black lace and purple, yellow, orange, red, and gold ribbon as trim.
Patterns
The patterns for the skirt are simple but cut numerous times. The waistband is a long narrow rectangle, the width is usually 1 to 1.5 inches, and the length is equal to the waist measurement of the performer plus a two inch overlap for snap closures. The skirt pattern is either half a circle or a 1/6th of a circle depending on the width of your fabric. It is drafted using the waist measurement of the performer to determine the circumferences.
The inner circle is the waist of the skirt. it is found using the radius of the waist measurement, and the length is determined by how may ruffles if any there are. Since this design has two ruffles, the length is half the distance from the ankle to the waist. This pattern is cut four times if half a circle or 12 times is 1/6th a circle, to create two circles for the double circle design.
The ruffles are rectangles. The first ruffle’s length is drafted using the hem circumference of the skirt multiplied by 1.5 or 2 to create gathers. I then divided by eight to have a more manageable length. The second ruffle’s length is double the length of the first ruffle, then divide by 16. The width of both ruffles is decided by design, with the top ruffle generally being narrower than the bottom. These lengths can be immense. For example, my bottom ruffle's total length was 766".
The bodice has a princess seam to accommodate the fitted silhouette… it is draped using traditional draping or drafting techniques.
Sewing
The trim is applied to the ruffles before connecting them to the skirt. Depending on the amount of trim, it can be very time-consuming process. Several specialized feet can be used to shorten the sewing time. A walking foot is used to prevent pulling and gathering as well as negate the need to pin the trim on. To save more time, a gathering or shirring foot can be used to sew the ruffles together and then onto the skirt hem.
Project Totals
For this project, I needed a total of :
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10 yards of 180” red cotton fabric
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40 yards of each color ribbon
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50 yards of black lace
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one zipper
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three snaps for waist band
If you are using a 60” cotton I would recommend getting at least 20 yards.
Time Estimate
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Preparing Fabric----1.5 hours
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Flat Patterning-------2 hours
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Draping Bodice -----2 hours
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Cutting Fabric-------6.5 hours
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Fittings---------------1 hour
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Sewing Trim--------16 hours
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Sewing Ruffles------5 hours
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Finishing ------------7 hours