Jun 20, 1:47 PM EDT
Havana artisan makes guayaberas for the famous
By PETER ORSI
Associated Press
HAVANA (AP) -- Under fluorescent lights and a whirling ceiling fan that is no match for the Havana summer morning heat, Emiliano Nelson Guerra traced a pattern onto a bolt of pink cotton cloth and carefully scissored the edges.
Intermittently pulling on a fat cigar, he explained the significance of the "guayabera," the roomy, collared, four-pocketed dress shirts that Cubans wear to look spiffy on this tropical island where neckties are practically extinct.
"The guayabera is nothing less than the typical Cuban garment," Guerra said. "It's our image, so you always have to try to make it look its best."
Guerra, a 49-year-old with closely cropped hair and a receding hairline, is Cuba's shirtmaker to the stars. Known as Nelson to his friends, he has spent the last two decades establishing himself as Cuba's leading designer of the guayabera, which the government last year decreed the official formal attire for state functions.
More:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CB_FASHION_CUBA_SHIRTMAKER_TO_THE_STARS?SECTION=HOME&SITE=AP&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT http://icpbardmfa.files.wordpress.com.nyud.net:8090/2009/12/jimmy_carter_w_fidel_castro_holding_shirt_big.jpg
Guayabera, guayabera!