Clothing Definitions — definitions of garments and clothing terms from Apparel Search
A chamanto is a traditional decorative garment from central Chile, similar to a poncho and woven in silk thread and wool. Its entire contour is finished with ribbon edging, and the difference from a common poncho is in the weaving: a chamanto is reversible, finely figured with woven designs — copihue flowers, birds, grapes and other motifs worked into the cloth itself rather than embroidered on afterward. Chamantos are the festive dress of the Chilean huaso, the horseman of the central valley. This page explains how they are made and worn.
The chamantos gained world notoriety when they were worn by the 21 leaders of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation during the 2004 summit's official photo.
The making of a chamanto demands great diligence, because of the exquisiteness involved in the weaving of the silk and wool, plus the intricacy of the design sketched by crossing the threads.
The figures embellishing the chamantos include copihues Chile's national flower barley and wheat ears, blackberries, bunches of grape, fuchsias, pansies and various birds representative of the national fauna.
| The above article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/chamanto). 5/13/05 |
Making a chamanto is slow work on a traditional loom, counted in weeks or months for a fine piece, and the craft is concentrated in particular weaving communities of central Chile, notably Doñihue, long known for chamanto weavers. The weaver controls the pattern entirely in the warp and weft, which is why clean reversibility — the same design legible from either face — is the mark of quality: there is no wrong side to hide mistakes in.
A chamanto is worn over the shirt for rodeos, cueca dancing and national celebrations, paired with the huaso's other dress: short jacket, sash, and the flat straw hat called a chupalla. Because a fine chamanto is expensive and durable, it is treated as an heirloom garment, bought once and worn for a lifetime of festivals.
The chamanto's value is recognized formally as well as socially: fine examples are presented as state gifts and held in museum collections as examples of Chilean textile art. For the wearer, the test of a chamanto is how it moves and catches light when dancing the cueca — the silk in the weave gives the heavy wool cloth a subtle sheen, and the woven figures shift between pattern and shadow as the garment turns.
A chamanto is a traditional Chilean garment like a poncho, woven finely in silk thread and wool with detailed figured designs woven into the fabric. It is finished with ribbon edging around its entire contour and is worn as the festive dress of the huaso, the Chilean horseman.
A poncho is generally a plainer, heavier working garment, while a chamanto is a fine, reversible ceremonial piece: its designs are woven in on the loom so the pattern reads on both sides, its materials include silk, and its finish — ribbon edging all around — is decorative rather than purely practical.
Chamanto designs are woven motifs drawn from Chilean country life and nature, including the copihue, Chile's national flower, along with birds, fruit, vines and geometric bands. The fineness and complexity of the woven figures are a large part of the garment's value.