---
node: fashion_sa_independence
type: fashion
slug: wars_of_independence_south_america_fashion
title: "Fashion in the Wars of Independence"
lead: "In the wars of independence, the military dress of the new republics and Paris-following elite dress appeared; the gauchos of the pampas are known for a distinctive dress of the poncho and loose trousers (bombachas)."
published: 2026-07-28
updated: 2026-07-28
image_file: wars_of_independence_south_america_fashion.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Sim%C3%B3n_Bol%C3%ADvar_by_Arturo_Michelena.jpg"
image_author: "Arturo Michelena — Simón Bolívar (1895)"
image_license: "Public domain"
change: "Created as a fashion sub-page under the history section, with a period image (south_america region)"
requester: internal
reason: "Per the owner's decision, fashion lives under each history era"
---

## Overview

In this age of independence from Spain, dress mirrored the new nations and rural life.

## Key garments and style

The urban elite wore Western dress following Paris and London fashion, and independence leaders and armies used Western-style military dress. On the pampas of Argentina and Uruguay, meanwhile, the gaucho herders developed a practical dress of the poncho, the wide sash (faja) and loose trousers (bombachas).

## Transition

In the modern era, Western dress became the mainstream while the living traditions of the Andes and the pampas were carried on.