Figure 1.--

Catalan schools in particular had destinctive styles. One Spanish contributor reports that boys in a small town near Barcelona wear a front buttoning smock with a brown belt. Primary school children normally in the the whole of Catalonia wear the very same type at school, white with blue stipes and blue collar, pocket and cuffs. In many other parts of Spain, smocks are most common in private schools. In Catalonia, they are widely worn in public primary school. Some of the stylistic detailing is destinctive to Calalonia. Often the collar, pockets, and belt (usually for the boys) is a contrasting darker color than the smock itself. An American living in Barcelona reports, "Allison got a bata yesterday. Young children in Barcelona schools wear what amount to smocks during the day to protect their clothing--all day long (William and Matthew don't, but the American school is unusual in this regard). Allison's bata is white with green vertical stripes and has a big pocket in front (I knew she'd love that, and she does) that has her school's logo on it." A Spanish reader conforms that smocks are common in Catalon schools, but there no special style or color used. She writes in 2003, "Las batas son comunes en las escuelas catalanes, aunque cada escuela tiene un tipo de normas especificas que también incluyen el tipo y estilo de bata." That means, "Smocks are common in Catalan schools, although each school has specific rules that include the type and style of the smock."

Created: February 24, 2002
Last updated: February 24, 2002