Princesa Tatiana

Francisco Goya’s Doña Isabel de Porcel, c. 1805Many years ago in a grade 9 art class our teacher gave us the task to copy an old painting. He opened the drawers of a plan press full of prints of old masters, and I pulled out Francisco Goya’s Dona Isabel de Porcel. I thought she was beautiful, with her creamy skin and all the drama of that luscious black lace. I rendered her in soft pastels, and impressed my teacher.

So when I was in Barcelona last year, I hoped to find a few traditional garments: a mantilla and comb, a flamenco skirt and fan, perhaps a piano shawl, but I was sorely disappointed.

The only flamenco skirt I found was made in cheap and nasty polyester, and was expensive to boot. On the last afternoon I discovered a little boutique specialising in Spanish shawls. Of course the ones I liked most were antiques, costing over €500 apiece. I did find a little vintage fan however (I assume it was vintage by the very old box it came in), although I doubt it is any older than the 50s or 60s. 

At home, I researched paintings of Spanish women and cobbled together an outfit from the depths of my closet. The taffeta skirt is vintage 50s; I had found it on eBay some time before and forgotten I had it – I thought it was perfect for a Spanish lady. The blouse is an old favourite, the 40s gloves have been with me for years, and my white ‘mantilla’ is a souvenir from Vietnam. The filigree earrings are actually from Portugal, a cheap imitation of the extremely beautiful sterling silver pieces I admired but didn’t buy.

The crowning touch is the flowers in my hair. I found a wonderful blog entry focussing on strong Spanish women in the art of the 19th and 20th centuries. They don’t all wear black lace, but nearly all are adorned with a flower or three of some sort. Click through to admire them at It’s About Time.

(The backdrop in my image is of the Palácio Nacional de Sintra, Portugal, the only palace in Sintra in which one was permitted to take photographs.)