Mantilla question

[DrBombay]

If I were a woman, I'd just buy a hat.

These fellows like hats too I see: 


Just sayin'....

[QuisUtDeus]

Do you know, are the veils supposed to cover all of a woman's hair?

Since no one else gave a direct answer...

No, it isn't required to cover all of a woman's hair.  It may, if she wants it to.  Now, if she wants fashion advice, I personally (as a male), like the longer ones, even the shawl-like ones that cover the arms.

Someone help me here, but isn't the tradition (lower-lower case t) that single women wear white mantillas and married women wear black?

I know that isn't a rule, but I thought I'd throw it in with the other fashion advice.

[QuisUtDeus]

True, hat-wearing is for Anglophiles. Just saying that there's an alternative to the mantilla, and one that's easier to find in local stores. Certainly, the custom of "veiling" isn't and shouldn't be limited to rectangular pieces of lacy fabric.

Right.  Another option is a scarf.

[The_Harlequin_King]

If I were a woman, I'd just buy a hat.

These fellows like hats too I see: 


Just sayin'....

And these guys...



Just sayin'.

[Satori]

I would prefer hats; I used to wear them all the time. But I've looked, and hats have become incredibly expensive. If you can tell me where to find something simple but church-worthy for under $50, I'll buy a few, but in the meantime the dumb chapel veils are the best option. They're cheap and they go with everything, if not well, at least passably.

[WhollyRoaminCatholic]

I've seen young girls wear kleenex.  It must work in a pinch.  I think the Mantilla looks somewhat strange, honesly.  IMHO, it's a bunch of women pretending to be Castillians.  Or covering up with tarps/tablecloths/old-lady-blankets.  I think it's prettier and simpler to wear a scarf in the style that Vox describes as the Jackie-O or peasant style.  But that's just this dude's opinion (which is apparently not widely held among trads).

http://www.fisheaters.com/theveil.html

Veiling Options for Women and Girls

There are various options here for women:  

• the classic Catholic lace mantillas
• lace chapel caps (this is for young girls)
• oblong gauzy or cotton scarves worn over the head and over one or both shoulders, or tied in various ways (see this page for information on various ways of tying scarf-type headcoverings (offsite, will open in new browser window)
• standard-sized square chiffon or cotton scarves folded into a triangle and worn tied under the chin in the Jackie-O style or tied behind the head in the peasant style, etc.
• large square scarves worn "babushka" style (fold large 36" square scarf into a triangle and place over head with the "tail" side hanging down in back. Then turn back the pointy ends behind the head and tie into a bow or make a knot over the "tail")
• shawls worn over the head
• elegant but simple hats (cloches, toques, berets, "Lady Diana" hats, etc.)

Traditionally, single women wear white or ivory headcoverings, and married or widowed women wear black, but this isn't a hard and fast rule, and is often ignored.   

But in the end, I'd suggest that you let her pick out her own chapel veil (unless it's supposed to be a surprise).  Buying stuff for women without their input is a losing proposition (is it 4 days after Christmas?  Hmm).

[CarmeliteAtHeart]

I've seen young girls wear kleenex.  It must work in a pinch.  I think the Mantilla looks somewhat strange, honesly.  IMHO, it's a bunch of women pretending to be Castillians.  Or covering up with tarps/tablecloths/old-lady-blankets.  I think it's prettier and simpler to wear a scarf in the style that Vox describes as the Jackie-O or peasant style.  But that's just this dude's opinion (which is apparently not widely held among trads).

http://www.fisheaters.com/theveil.html

Veiling Options for Women and Girls

There are various options here for women:  

• the classic Catholic lace mantillas
• lace chapel caps (this is for young girls)
• oblong gauzy or cotton scarves worn over the head and over one or both shoulders, or tied in various ways (see this page for information on various ways of tying scarf-type headcoverings (offsite, will open in new browser window)
• standard-sized square chiffon or cotton scarves folded into a triangle and worn tied under the chin in the Jackie-O style or tied behind the head in the peasant style, etc.
• large square scarves worn "babushka" style (fold large 36" square scarf into a triangle and place over head with the "tail" side hanging down in back. Then turn back the pointy ends behind the head and tie into a bow or make a knot over the "tail")
• shawls worn over the head
• elegant but simple hats (cloches, toques, berets, "Lady Diana" hats, etc.)

Traditionally, single women wear white or ivory headcoverings, and married or widowed women wear black, but this isn't a hard and fast rule, and is often ignored.   

But in the end, I'd suggest that you let her pick out her own chapel veil (unless it's supposed to be a surprise).  Buying stuff for women without their input is a losing proposition (is it 4 days after Christmas?  Hmm).

Oh yeah, I'd never buy one for her - not because I wouldn't want to buy one for her, I'd buy her anything, but buying any sort of clothing item for a woman by a guy is dangerous territory imho.

Pax Christi tecum.

[Avus]

My wife bought two Spanish Essence mantillas (the golden/black and the silver/black) from 
http://www.amazon.com/Volart-Spanish-Essence/dp/B000KG6P8A/ref=pd_sbs_a_2 
She loves the colors and the textures of them. They are also on the vendor's own website at
http://www.halo-works.com/product/VO81642/Spanish_Essence.html 
but it's actually less expensive to get them through Amazon.com. They are still available but there is a notice that the supplier's mill is no longer producing any more of them.

[Schatz]

I would prefer hats; I used to wear them all the time. But I've looked, and hats have become incredibly expensive. If you can tell me where to find something simple but church-worthy for under $50, I'll buy a few, but in the meantime the dumb chapel veils are the best option. They're cheap and they go with everything, if not well, at least passably.

Where do you live?

[The_Harlequin_King]

I would prefer hats; I used to wear them all the time. But I've looked, and hats have become incredibly expensive. If you can tell me where to find something simple but church-worthy for under $50, I'll buy a few, but in the meantime the dumb chapel veils are the best option. They're cheap and they go with everything, if not well, at least passably.

I notice that quite a few women at my church like to wear cloche hats.

This site has a basic one in five different colors for $20; that's cheaper than a lot of veils out there.

This one is grey and would probably go really well with an overcoat in cold weather. It's $24.

And here are a few other styles, slightly fancier than the ones above:

Velvet beret - $34
Silk band cloche - $38
Fur cuff - $44
Velvet trimmed cloche - $48
Felt w/ feather and lace beads - $40
Wool w/ feather - $48
Wool w/ flower sequins - $38
Satin and giant feather - $40
Mink pillbox hat - $33

The possibilities are endless. And you can even go vintage, with things like this Victorian morning hat for $49, or a Renaissance muffin hat for $35.