Museo del Traje: para vestirse con los ojos

It is not the most central museum in Madrid although it is well worth going to it to Moncloa, from where you just have a short walk to get there. Firstly, it is well worth visiting for its permanent collection, which is not so permanent as its name might imply because it is renovated every so often.

This part of the Costume Museum, or Museo del Traje in Spanish, offers a tour back in time and history’s relation with costumes, since before the 17th century until today. Meanwhile, exact replicas of outfits such as the funerary trousseau of Princess Maria, daughter of King Fernando III, who died at the age of five. It travels through other times such as Classicism or social classes like the bourgeoisie and it reaches costumes made by prestigious designers like Paco Rabanne, Cristóbal Balenciaga or samples by lesser-known yet experienced designers such as Philippe Laporte.

Founded as such in the year 2004, the museum programmes different temporary exhibitions such as Golden Cages (Jaulas Doradas) from February 19th, which tries to show the evolution of the female silhouette configuration, a ‘victim’ throughout history of different corsets, crinolines and bustles. It also reflects upon the role of the bird woman, a metaphor for the woman who lived in a cage, a golden cage but a cage nevertheless. The only thing that was asked of her was to be a precious object in the high spheres of 19th-century society.

With its own funds albeit organised as a temporary exhibition, The vision of a genius, the technique of a master can be visited until April 5th of 2015. It shows some of the most representative designs of the Basque designer Balenciaga and key pieces of his career such as one of his first bridal dresses from 1933, like the one he designed for Princess Grace of Monaco.

There is plenty to see in this exhibit and the cost is just 3 euros for a standard ticket. However, if you want to enjoy Madrid’s modern fashion, nothing better than booking a room with a terrace at Hotel Moderno and watch how people walk by the Puerta del Sol.

Categories: Cultura Madrid, Exposiciones Madrid