The story goes that the Pollera derives from the Gypsy dress of southern Spain at the time of the conquest. The heavy clothing of the aristocracy, with hoops and stays, was too warm for the tropics, so they adopted and improved the clothing of their servants, adding lace and embroidery. The Spanish daily house dress of the seventeenth century was a white blouse, with a full skirt of two or three ruffles and this has evolved to become one of the most beautiful outfits in the Latin America wardrobe.