History Behind Men’s Guayabera Shirt
Question: I have seen Mayor Tom Bradley wearing a guayabera shirt on several occasions. Please tell me the derivation of this garment.--V.P.
Answer: The guayabera shirt illustrated here is a sports shirt developed from the unbelted, smock-like garment worn by the guava-tree growers in pre-Castro Cuba. “Esquire’s Encyclopedia of 20th-Century Men’s Fashions” reports that the vogue for wearing guayabera shirts started in 1936 when the John Wanamaker store in Philadelphia introduced the look in linen.
The shirt, which was an authentic copy of the Cuban shirt, had an unlined collar to be worn either buttoned or open, side vents, a button front, four pockets and a panel back. It was priced at $10.
The 1985 versions worn by Mayor Bradley look exactly the same.
Q: You once advised a reader how to convert pants that a young man had outgrown into longer pants by sewing rib-knit cuffs to the end of the pants. Where can I find the knitted cuffs?--J.L.
A: Rib-knit cuffs made of 100% polyester are available for $2.50 a pair at Home Silk Shop on La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles. Colors include black, navy, dark green, tan, red, brown, white and beige.
Q: For the reader who asked for clothing ideas that flatter a short-waisted figure, I would like to offer another suggestion. I’m short-waisted as well as being just plain short--5 feet, 1 inch. I also have very long legs that further emphasize my short waist.
To compensate, I make my skirts without a waistband and drop them one inch at the waist. I do the same with dresses. It seems to give me a better proportion for my entire body, and it also helps to minimize a slight tummy. True, it makes the waist measurement of a skirt larger than my waist really is, but the overall effect is most satisfactory.
I make all of my clothes, so it is easier for me to do than if I had to depend on ready-to-wear. However, merely altering a skirt by removing the waistband can help.--N.N.
A: Your ideas for camouflaging a short-waisted figure are sound indeed.
By the same reasoning, ready-made dresses with dropped or elongated waistlines also are good buys for women with this figure problem.
Q: My 84-year-old mother is always cold. I know that layering is the best way to keep warm, but how do I add another layer to her wool sweater, acrylic knit dress, nylon slip, snuggies and knee warmers?--S.A.
A: You add a pure-wool slip and a pure-wool underwear top that looks like a T-shirt.
Both of these items are available in the current catalogue published by Garnet Hill, Franconia, N.Y. 03580.
The full slip with V neckline is available in white only. Sizes extra small through extra large, for about $30. It is a medium- to heavy-weight garment. You can get the T-shirt-like underwear with either short sleeves (about $14) or long sleeves (about $15). The fabric is lighter in weight than the slip fabric and can be machine-washed on the cool cycle.
If the wool fabrics do not appeal to you, the same company offers long underwear in both silk and cotton. Both the long-sleeved, silk T-shirt top and the silk long johns are about $30 each.
The cotton version is about $19 for the top and about $20 for the long johns.
