Last year, I went to Sevilla’s famous Feria. Before I went, one of the big questions on my mind was “What on earth do I wear??” I’d seen photos, but all the locals wore huge ruffled flamenco dresses. I certainly wasn’t going to go that route, so I was still wondering what to wear to the Feria de Abril. 

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Money issues aside – the traditional dresses cost a small fortune – there was no way I was going to cram that into my tiny Ryanair-sized suitcase. Plus, I just didn’t see the point in buying a traditional Spanish dress that a) would look ridiculous on me anyway, and b) I would only use for a weekend. The traje de flamenca is NOT something I could re-use as say, a dress for a chic cocktail party or a fancy clubbing outfit.

There wasn’t much information online either. So, if you’re going to the Feria de Abril this year but don’t feel like splashing out the cash on the traje, here’s what I wore last year. Hopefully it’ll give girls wondering what to wear to the Feria a good idea of what you can wear, as this year’s Feria de Abril starts on April 15! 

Let me add something: I’m by no means an expert on the Feria or fashion, but I felt comfortable and appropriately dressed all day and night. I also got told I looked nice by the locals, so I think I did a pretty good job. With that in mind, let’s move on to what to wear to Sevilla’s Feria de Abril if you’re a foreigner.

Here are the two dresses I wore to the Feria – a straight-cut fitted white dress with lace at the sides and collar, and a blue flowery sundress.

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How did I pick these two? Well, I found some details I liked in the sevillianas‘ beautiful dresses – ruffles, lace, and bright colors. I also added some touches that mimicked things they did, like a bun piled high on my head to imitate the look of the crowns they wear, plus some big round gold earrings.

I finished off with a flower, specially picked out by an assistant at the Corte Ingles. It was almost as big as my face and was still one of the smaller flowers of the night, so don’t worry about going too big. 

So which outfit would I choose again? I think the white dress stood out as less guiri, even though both dresses were from Zara, which is a Spanish store. But the blue dress was good for during the day, as it was much more comfortable to sit down in and move around in.

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Doing my best “Olé!” pose with my enthusiastic sevilliana instructor.

Generally, stick to something slightly dressier, wear shoes you can walk in, and add a fun accessory. I’d also bring a jacket or cardigan, because it was pretty cold when I was there at night!

And don’t worry too much about sticking out. As a blonde with blue eyes, I realized pretty quickly that I was going to look foreign no matter what I wore, be it a traje de flamenca or American flag sweatpants. Have a rebujito or two, and join in the fiesta a tope without worrying about your outfit.

Have you been to a Feria? What did you wear to the Feria de Abril? Any fashion tips for guiris going to the Feria this year? 

 

 

Besos!

-Jess