The spread across Europe of the modes of dress adopted at the Spanish court was a major cultural phenomenon that reached its height between 1550 and 1650 as a result of the world hegemony enjoyed by the Habsburgs. This unique book is the first interdisciplinary study to examine the distinguishing features of Spanish fashion, as well as the various political, ceremonial and protocol factors that exported this model to the rest of the continent.

Some thirty international experts guide readers through the history of costume and textiles during the period Spanish fashion enjoyed influence within and beyond the boundaries of the Spanish Monarchy. This profusely illustrated collection of essays makes a highly significant contribution to the study of the history of fashion in the West, as it analyses modes of dress at the Spanish court and the spread of the Spanish model to the European courts through historical and literary sources, pieces preserved in different countries’ museums and depictions of costume in portraits of the period.

José Luis Colomer holds a doctorate in Comparative Literature from Bologna University and a degree in Art History from the Sorbonne. He currently directs the Centro de Estudios Europa Hispánica (CEEH) and the Center for Spain in America (CSA). His research is focused, among other subjects, on cultural relations between Spain and Italy in the seventeenth century.

Amalia Descalzo, who holds a doctorate in Art History from the Universidad Autónoma in Madrid, lectures on the History of Fashion for masters’ courses at the University of Alcalá and at the ISEM Fashion Business School-University of Navarra. She worked at the Museo del Traje in Madrid and was in charge of the curatorial aspects of establishing the Museo Cristóbal Balenciaga. She has published many studies on the history of costume in Spain.

“This brilliant compilation can be mind-opening to the depth of interconnectedness of fashion, perception, legislation, craftsmen, culture, and social standing”, Mathew Gnagy, Medieval Clothing and Textiles

“A beautifully executed, timely and necessary handbook on Spanish court dress that should enrich all scholarship on the subject for a long time to come”, Hilary Davidson, Textile History

“The anthology is an invaluable resource for the study of Spanish dress [and] sheds new light on understudied subjects with historically informed and critically integrated essays that utilize non-canonical illustrations and rich archival sources. The editors bring together the essays in a compelling way to provide researchers with an extensive and diverse array of material”, Tara Zanardi, Reviews in History

“A formidable work of scholarship”, Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, Costume Society Journal

“The editors refer to the mammoth task of producing a bilingual edition of this multi-authored work. On the whole, it is a task in which they […] have succeeded admirably”, Lisa Monnas, The Burlington Magazine