Guayabera Shirts...a staple in Texas!

So today I thought I would give us all a little history on Guayabera Shirts.  Now, in lots of the blogs I read, Fun Pants or GTH Pants are nicely profiled.  And I'm properly on board as you will have seen in my recent post detailing Jen's Birthday Bash at the Cooking School.  But in Texas, another piece of Funwear is the Guayabera Shirt, that nifty Spanish/Cuban/Mexican Style shirt with the four front pockets, alforas - the fine, tiny pleats running vertically, worn out instead of tucked in and yes, mostly associated with waiters in our Tex-Mex Restuarants. 

First a little history from our Wiki friends:

The origin of the garment is disputed, as various claims for the distinctive style have been made in several Latin America countries as well as the Philippines. However, some Latin Americans believe guayaberas are of Cuban, or at least Caribbean, origin.

Versions of the shirt's origins claim that Mexicans either originated it in the Yucatan Peninsula or were inspired by the design of similar shirts sold at the "El Encanto" store in Cuba. It was during the era of trade routes through the Caribbean that the Mexican shirts got to Cuba, and were taken to the Philippines by the Spaniards, where the evolution of the intricate embroidery started. As is clear, the origin of the Guayabera shirt remains a mystery. There is the fact that a similar prototypical shirt has existed since the 18th century, probably imported from Spain.

The origin of the name is said to be either Mexican or Cuban. Guayabera may come from a Cuban legend that tells of a poor countryside seamstress sewing large pockets into her husband's shirts for carrying guava(guayabas) from the field. Guayabera may also have originated from the word yayabero, the word for a person who lived near the Yayabo River in Cuba

Though commonly called guayabera, in Yucatan, Mexico, it is also known as camisa de Yucatan; the shirt is sometimes called a "Mexican Wedding Shirt" among North Americans.  In 2010, Cuba declared the guayabera shirt to be its official garment.  Click here for more background and design information...there is plenty of it.  Here are some various examples:

That's a lot of history for one shirt!  You probably know about Brooks Brothers and its button down collar...well now you know a lot more about Guayaberas!  My shirt was given to me by my lovely wife on a birthday or Christmas, I forget which, and it's from Penner's in San Antonio which claims to be the largest supplier of "Authentic" Guayaberas in the World.  After a few alterations it was ready for a debut.  I have worn it several times, mainly in the summer months when we are expecting to be outdoors.  This particular shirt is 100% cotton, white, sports short sleeves and since it's worn outside the pants, makes for a much cooler wearing.  And did I mention how fun it is?  Well it is!  Like Fun Pants, not everyone has the gall to don such a garment and will definitely receive some verbal attention from your party friends.  And in Texas you have to be prepared for a few wise cracks about retreiving a margarita or taking a dinner order...just go with it!

So now you're ready for your own Guayabera.  Choose a color, style and details and wear the heck out of it!  Pair it with linen pants or seersucker shorts and a beautiful woman and you're ready to go!