A Dress that Stands the Test of Time
Mariana of Austria posing in a guardainfante
Diego Velázquez, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
The pandemic brought forth some of the most bizarre and creative inventions as people sought to comply with the six-foot social distancing rule. People worldwide found unique ways to keep themselves safe, from cardboard circles to duct-taped tent poles. But amidst all the madness, these inventions reminded me of the Spanish guardainfantes, the wide hoopskirts worn by women in early modern Spain, which were the height of fashion during the early to mid-1600s.
Cafe & Konditorei Rothe in Schwerin, Germany.
These stunning dresses were elegant and functional, with metal hoops tied around women's waists and covered with luxurious fabrics matching the close-fitting bodices. They created an illusion of tiny waists, accentuating the skirts' wide hips, and became a symbol of female power and liberation. Religious leaders, poets, and playwrights mocked the dresses, calling the women wearing them church bells or turtles. The male critics accused the women of wearing them to conceal their pregnancies, leading to the name "guardainfantes," meaning child-protectors. However, in her study, "Women's Fashions and Politics in Spain," Amanda Wunder dismissed these allegations as "pure fiction and polemic."
Despite the condemnation from male authorities, the guardainfante trend continued to flourish, with even the king's wives and daughters wearing them. In 1639, a decree was passed outlawing the dress, but ironically, it only made them more popular. The vast skirts became a symbol of freedom and a means for women to navigate physical and social space with abandon. They prevented men from nonchalantly rubbing their bodies against the women in tight spaces, providing a sense of safety and comfort.
In the context of the pandemic, the guardainfante's wide skirts would have been a handy tool for social distancing, keeping women at a safe distance from potentially fatal coughs and sneezes. We can learn a lot from the Spanish fashion of the 1600s and design aesthetically pleasing garments that are both stylish and functional. Felicia McNeill Malachite's design of the costume hoopskirt for the production of Tirso de Molina's play, "Marta the Divine," can be a great starting point for this. Her design of the farthingale allowed actors to wear the hoopskirts with or without the outer layer of fabric, providing self-styling possibilities.
Metal hoopskirts expose the actors’ legs. Photo by Jon Crispin.
Just imagine the fashion and functional possibilities! We can fashion our guardainfantes to our unique needs, keeping the width for social distancing. We can add waterproof fabric in the spring to protect us from the rains and netting in the summer to ward off pesky mosquitoes. We can even add a device to cool us during the scorching Arizona summers. At the same time, we sit on the patio, sipping margaritas. Lady Gaga's dress for President Biden's inauguration was a modern version of the guardainfante but without the metal frame, making it passable through metal detectors.
While the pandemic has brought forth some of the most bizarre inventions, the guardainfante is a reminder that fashion can be both stylish and functional. It is a symbol of female liberation and a means of navigating physical and social space with ease. So why not take inspiration from this 17th-century Spanish trend and create our own fashionable and functional garments?
Lady Gaga’s dress at President Biden’s inauguration ceremony
20 January 2021
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For more on the guardainfante, link to my essay, entitled “The Guardainfante Exposes More than Legs: Adapting Tirso’s Marta the Divine for the Stage,” a chapter in the volume Staging and Stage Decor: Early Modern Spanish Theater, edited by Barbara Mujica.
SOURCES:
Rafael González Cañal, “El lujo y la ociosidad durante la privanza de Olivares: Bartolomé Jiménez Patón y la polémica sobre el guardainfante y las guedejas.” Critcón 53, 1991, pp 71-96.
Amanda Wunder, "Women's Fashions and Politics in Seventeenth-Century Spain: The Rise and fall of the Guardainfante," Renaissance Quarterly, vol. 68, no. 1, Spring 2015, pp. 134 and 179.
