Polo Assn

What are Gaucho Clothes?

Gaucho Clothes is the term used to refer to the traditional clothing used nowadays by the gauchos who mainly inhabit Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. The gauchos are the cowboys of these South American countries.

Although we find distinctive regional features, the main elements are:

The alpargatas, which is a rope sole and canvas shoe. The bombachas de campo, very strong pure cotton trousers and the boina hat. These elements all have a European origin and they started to be worn by the gaucho around the middle of the 19th century.

The alpargatas in English known as espadrilles were originally made with Black Canvas but are now produced with a wide range of colours and patterns; some have rubber sole as well.

The bombachas de campo are made in different colours, styles and designs but the most popular colours are still the traditional: khaki, black, white, dark blue and dark green. These trousers are immediately identifiable because of the button they have at the ankle which is used to narrow them.

The very fashionable gaucho pants similar to the capri pants are different because of this reason, they do not go down to the ankle and because they are worn mainly by women which is not the case of the bombachas de campo which are unisex.

Another element used by the gauchos which is also a very fashionable item is the poncho, used in winter to protect from the cold winters in the pampas

It can be stated that these clothing items are today worn not only by the gauchos, because as they have become fashionable, designers in Argentina have developed and improved the original designs so they have become very popular with the general public.

Another reason for the gaucho clothes fashion is the association with the polo environment. Polo players and fans have always been keen users of gaucho clothes so the association has proven a trend to follow.

A final recommendation, the one issue to always check when buying gaucho clothes in Argentina is the measure. The Argentine system is different to the American or European system so be sure to double check the size!

Several companies make gaucho clothes in Argentina and Uruguay.