liqui liqui avaIn Venezuela and Colombia, men have very elegant and even dandy-like traditional attire. It differs a lot from most folk costumes around the planet. And partially, that can be explained by the origin of this suit. Let’s find out everything we can about the liqui liqui. In particular, how does it look like and why? is it used in the modern day and by whom? what special features does the liqui liqui suit have?

 

The liqui liqui is the official folk costume of Venezuela. Though, this attire is used in some regions of Colombia as well. It originates from the territory known as Los Llanos, a large open plain. Obviously, the design of this outfit suits perfectly the local climate and weather conditions – plenty of direct sun, high temperatures, strong winds, and so on. The clothing for such areas should be light, breathable, light-colored, and cover most of the skin.

The suit consists of trousers and a jacket. It is usually complemented with a cowboy hat called “llanero” and traditional footwear – open-toed sandals called “alpargata”. The trousers are loose dress pants or some other formal pants. The jacket has long sleeves and a rounded Nehru-style collar (a kind of a stand-up collar). This collar it fastened with a special decorative chain link called “junta”. There are 5-6 buttons at the front of the jacket and up to 4 pockets (or there can be no pockets at all).

As we’ve mentioned, the liqui liqui is characterized by a stand-up collar. This particular Asian-looking detail is a little strange for South America. That’s why some people consider liqui liqui to have Filipino origin, but it’s much more probable that this outfit derives from the colonial-era soldier uniform, which also had a stand-up collar and was called “liquette” – sounds similar, isn’t it?

The material for liqui liqui is, most often, cotton or linen, which is dictated by the local hot and humid climate. Though, there are liqui liqui costumes made from warmer wool and gabardine. The color of fabric is always light – white or beige or cream, etc.

 

Venezuelan music band dressed in liqui liqui
Venezuelan music band dressed in liqui liqui. Photo from Venezuelaestupais.blogspot.com

 

The liqui liqui outfit is still widely used in Venezuela because it looks really modern and is very comfy to use – perfect for the local climate. So, lots of Venezuelan men wear this costume for any formal occasions. Also, many folk performers (singers, dancers, musicians) love to wear liqui liqui to their shows.

Of course, liqui liqui is not the only Venezuelan traditional outfit. There are other folk garments, especially used by representatives of different local indigenous ethnic groups. But the liqui liqui is so very popular in this country and is officially the national dress of Venezuela.

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