I’ve been to Spain many times and I love the country the culture and the food. So when I heard about this show at the Queen Sofia Spanish Institute I didn’t think much of it. More flamenco dresses! How wrong I was. Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined surreal men’s hats shaped like shoes, or women in so much jewelry that they resembled the Virgin Mary or that I would learn about women who would wear three dresses at once weighing over 100 pounds.

How did this exhibit come about? It is actually analyzing the regional clothing styles through the massive paintings of Valencian artist Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida, who was one of the most successful artists of his time. In 1911 The Hispanic Society of America in New York commissioned Sorolla to paint Vision of Spain, completed in 1919 and installed in 1926. The 14 panels depict rural life and traditions of Spain. In order to be as authentic as possible Sorolla painted people in situ in their fields and at their homes. He often bought the clothing off the wearer’s back so he could paint it in finer detail later (That is how many of these piece came to this collection). The exhibit was conceived by chairman of the Institute, Oscar de la Renta and curated by Vogue editor André Leon Talley.

Below are the top ten most asombroso things I learned about Spanish dress:

1.        One of the first objects that struck my fancy was a 19th century provincial mans hat that was mitered and had a piece jutting off the side. It reminded me of the surreal high heel hat Elsa Schiaparelli first created. I read on to discover the sidepiece was originally created so men could hear the shrieks typical in Gallegan music. I find that really strange since Gallegan music can probably be heard from the moon.

 2.       The farmers wore wooden platformed clogs to avoid mud and puddles. They reminded me of the platforms Venetian royals once wore that were so tall (to avoid the floods of Venice) that they had servants support them on either side.

3.         In certain regions of Spain they played bagpipes and wore tartan shawls just like the Scottish. A little research (and the help of Emily at the Institute) shows that the region of Galicia can trace its Celtic influence from its early history and they cultivated their own tartan traditions.

 4.      The jewelry worn with the traje de vistas alluded to the adornment of statues of the Virgin Mary.

 5.      The Montehermoso cap is amazing. For the unmarried woman there is a mirror on the front to check her look before meeting a suitor. For the married women the mirror is taken away and for widows the hat is trimmed with black yarn. As over the top as it is it was actually worn by the working class on a daily basis.  Gaga ain’t got nothing on this headpiece.

 6.      Castilian jewelry is just bonkers. Harlem jewelry shops don't have anything on some of these pieces. It is a mix of Tony Duquette meets Lil Kim.

 7.      The women of Aragon had the oldest regional styles. For certain formal occasions they would wear up to three dresses all at once weighing nearly 100 pounds. Imagine a summer wedding?

 8.       Bullfighters wear pink socks, one because they are considered lucky and two because they show off the quick movement of the legs.

 9.       The traditions of Spanish dress can be seen today in various collections from YSL to Stefano Pilati and even Ralph Lauren. Remember Lacroix’s last show featured a wedding dress inspired by the Virgin del Rocio the Patron saint ofAlmonte.

 10.      Matador means 'killer' in Spanish. Sorry PETA. 

Joaquin Sorolla & The Glory of the Spanish Dress is on until March 10, 2012.