Opinion Letizia, with a Manila shawl ('stained') and without Chinese dress
Artisan of embroidery
of the Manila shawl
and born in Villamanrique de la Condesa (Seville),
Ángeles Espinar
has more than 60 years of experience taking to the top this tradition absolutely linked to her native town, sentimentally and historically closely linked to the House Real Española, and in which the Palace of the Infantes de Orleans and Borbón is located.
Members of the Royal Family
went to Rocío
with the Villamanrique Brotherhood.
The
Infanta Doña Elena
held
the dinner
there
prior to her wedding
with Jaime de Marichalar, in which several guests wore a Manila shawl: Carla Royo-Villanova, the Infanta Margarita or the widowed Countess of Ripalda, mother of the groom.
In 2007, Ángeles Espinar received in Toledo the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts, a recognition that was given to her by the then
Princes of Asturias,
Don Felipe and Doña Letizia.
Three years earlier, Espinar had
sent Doña Letizia, as a wedding gift, an exclusive,
unique
shawl
, an inimitable handmade jewel.
And, to this day, irrecoverable.
That shawl has been cut
into pieces
,
part of it has been turned into a skirt, and other pieces into the cuffs and collar of a shirt.
Nothing is known about the
trellis and fringes
(also handmade in Cantillana).
Also its design was special and unpublished.
The shawl in question was a handmade piece,
based on natural Italian silk
in aqua green and
manually embroidered
in ecru.
It takes
more than four months
with two people working to finish it.
The choice of color was due, according to sources close to the family, to the fact that at that time "they saw it more discreet and
opted for a more neutral tone
that could be combined with different looks day or night."
The drawing was also designed exclusively
for Letizia.
So much so that the artisan never used it again.
In the four corners of the shawl were the Torre del Oro, the Giralda and flowers.
In the center, two intertwined wedding rings, a crown, the wedding date and
Doña Letizia's initials.
Of the pieces with the Torre del Oro and the Giralda, nothing is known either, since the skirt has been made with the flower area.
Ángeles Espinar and her daughter, María José Sánchez, wanted the then Princess to have it, because
the tradition in Villamanrique
had always been that when the ladies of the Royal House were married,
they were given a shawl.
The present came to Doña Elena from the City Council, made by another local artisan.
Even so, Espinar gave her one of his, and did the same when Doña Cristina married Iñaki Urdangarín.
However, and according to the source, when the wedding of Felipe and Letizia was announced, "the City Council did not intend to give her the gift, so Ángeles wanted to make a special one for her, so that the future Queen of Spain would not be left without it. traditional wedding gift from Villamanrique ".
Three years later, during the reception after the delivery of the medals, mother and daughter asked the then Princess of Asturias
if she had put on the shawl.
The answer was that
"it had not had occasion".
The source with whom LOC has spoken comments that "people from the north, although they like them, sometimes don't see themselves wearing a shawl. But they
could have kept it for their daughters. With a shawl they represent Spain,
there is no other better garment for this".
And he gives an example: "Doña Elena does have a shawl culture, she has taken it from her mother. But they are different cultures and cradles."
Espinar's family has always stood out for their
discretion and prudence,
but it seems clear that this transformation of the shawl into a skirt "made them feel like a shot."
Especially to Angels herself, because she was "very excited to see the Queen with her shawl.
When she found out, she burst into tears," she
adds.
At the time, when they found out about the skirt, María José sent
a letter to the Royal House
explaining what they had cut.
It is said that palace advisers compared this shawl with another turned into a dress that Letizia wore at a reception.
"There are thousands of those shawls and nothing is lost if they are cut.
It cannot be compared with a craft like that of this unique shawl
that has been destroyed. It must have been due to ignorance," says the source.
Letizia had another option.
If she wanted an embroidered skirt, she could have ordered it.
Espinar had given her a unique shawl, not the fabric of a shawl, to make a skirt.
This source says that the family exonerates Duyos, in charge of turning the shawl into a skirt.
"It is very well done, the drawings are very well married, it
is a very difficult job. The quality of this shawl is not that of others that he has worked with. He will have noticed it, but if they commission him a skirt, he makes it".
History, at least, shocks, because it was they, Don Felipe and Doña Letizia, who presented the Medal to Ángeles Espinar precisely for the conservation of this heritage.
Will the Infantas Leonor and Sofía have their shawls?
According to the source, "I don't know what they will do in the future, but after this,
for the moment they have lost the desire."
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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