How Brazilian Traditions Work

Brazil is a true melting pot, and as such there's not one particular type of traditional clothing. In general, Brazilians wear clothing that's comfortable yet richly colored and sophisticated. However, there are some preferred clothing types depending on region.

For example, those living in the southern plains, a ranching area, wear gaucho-type clothing: baggy pants, or bombachas; cowboy hats and cowboy boots. The indigenous Amerindians in the Amazon region wear tunics and face paint and also love beads, body paint and unique hairstyles. People in the country's northeastern Bahia region, which is heavily influenced by African culture, don long skirts, head scarves and shawls. Items adorned with bordado richelieu -- a type of lace developed in 18th-century France to mimic white Venetian lace, which was brought to Brazil by the Portuguese -- are also popular [source: U Should Visit].

Another way to consider Brazilian clothing is country attire versus city attire. Those who live in the country tend to wear shirts, jeans or dresses crafted from an inexpensive cotton material. Women who reside in the city often like to wear short skirts and dresses, and both sexes of city slickers enjoy that most typical of Western attire: T-shirts and jeans. In fact, jeans are probably the single most popular items of clothing in the entire nation [source: Slide Share].

Due to its many beaches, Bermuda shorts and bikinis are popular, the latter with women of all ages and shapes, thanks to Brazil's relaxed attitude about the body. Women especially love the Brazilian bikini bottom. A more recent development, the Brazilian bikini bottom is skimpier than the norm, with a lower rise (the piece generally sits on the hip) and a back that only covers about half the buttocks. Even racier thong and G-string versions are common [source: Brazilian Bikini Bottom]. Employing a bit of humor about this, Brazilians have dubbed some of the tiniest bikinis "dental floss."