Día de Muertos

Greta Garb-oh!

Living in the Southwest, Momma has become a fan of many Mexican and Hispanic traditions.

One of her favorites is the calavera (Spanish for "skull"), a sugar or clay model of a human skull which is used in the Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead and the Roman Catholic holiday All Souls Day. 

So she went a little nuts when she spotted this fabric decorated with colorful calaveras. (Momma decided that My Dear Friend Josefina's Feast Outfit was the perfect pattern for this outfit.) She chose a sparkly, white calico for the camisa to mimic the sugar skulls.

The China poblana (or Chinese Pueblan) is known as a traditional dress for women in the Mexican Republic, although it was only worn in some urban areas in the middle and southeast of the country, before it disappeared in the second half of the 19th century.

The China poblana is made with a white blouse, with fringing and embroidery in geometric and floral designs in bright colors. (The blouse was sufficiently low-cut to allow part of the neck and the bosom to be seen.)

A castor skirt (or "beaver"), named after the material it was made from, was decorated with sequins and camarones (literally, shrimp) that formed geometric and floral shapes. 

A white slip with the lower hem criss-crossed with zig-zagged lacework would peek out under the skirt, and served to keep the form of a woman attired in the china dress from showing in silhouette.

Clementine loves her new outfit! Don't you?