Think: hemlines shrinking at Courrèges in the mid-’60s, as birth control became more widely available and The Feminine Mystique could be found on many a bookshelf. “There’s been a symbiotic relationship between women gaining greater access to the public sphere and the way they dress their bodies,” says Cassidy Zachary, a fashion historian and co-host of the podcast Dressed: The History of Fashion. However, the attack on bodily agency rippled into the sartorial world a few months later, with spring 2023 collections-from Rick Owens to Prada-featuring sheer, nipple-baring looks that both celebrated and called attention to the female form.Ĭoincidence? History begs to differ. Wade, fashion was, understandably, the last thing on anyone’s mind.
As protesters took to the streets last summer, decrying the overturn of Roe v.
