A new exhibition at the Hispanic Society Museum & Library in New York, titled "Spanish Style: Fashion Illuminated, 1550–1700," explores how 17th-century Spanish fashion was governed by strict moral and legal codes. Curator Amanda Wunder highlights that garments like the guardainfante hoop skirt and the ruffled collar were regulated by kings and clergy, with women fined or barred from church for revealing shoulders or wearing lace, and men criticized for effeminate styles. The show features portraits and artifacts that reveal how clothing was used as a tool of social control, power, and gender policing in Habsburg Spain.
This exhibition matters because it reframes fashion history as a lens for understanding broader societal dynamics of morality, empire, and gender. By examining the extreme regulation of dress—including royal decrees that were often defied by queens themselves—the show reveals how personal appearance was a battleground for political and religious authority. It also connects historical fashion controversies to contemporary debates about bodily autonomy and dress codes, making the past resonate with current cultural conversations.