Exhibition ‘The Dressed Body. Silhouettes and Fashion (1550–2015)’

Through 170 pieces, the exhibition shows how clothing has been used to widen, compress, lengthen, accentuate, or reveal certain parts of the body. Corsets that narrowed the waist, crinolines that increased the volume of skirts, platform shoes that added height, or stretch fabrics that followed natural shapes are some of the examples.

The exhibition is organised around five actions: enlarging, reducing, lengthening, shaping, and uncovering. Each one helps to understand how trends have responded to social norms, moral values, and cultural changes.

The exhibition also invites reflection on the relationship between the body and space, as well as on the influence of fashion on how people present themselves to others.

Curated by Teresa Bastardes y Silvia Ventosa, the exhibition occupies 650 square metres on the third floor of the museum. A journey through the history of dress that reveals how much the human silhouette has been shaped by society.