The Golden Age of Haute Couture at the Museo del Traje, Madrid.

Museo del Traje Madrid: The Golden Age of Haute Couture

The phenomenon of Haute Couture or Alta Costura was at its height in Spain from the 1920s to the 1970s, just as in other countries. Although Paris was the centre of the fashion world, Spain also made an important contribution during the ‘golden age’, with a series of famous designers.

The collection includes designs by Cristóbal Balenciaga, Pedro Rodríguez, Asunción Bastida, Carmen Mir, Santa Eulalia, Pedro Rovira, El Dique Flotante, Elio Berhanyer or Manuel Pertegaz, and by other designers who are now largely forgotten. The collection comes mainly from Barcelona, but also includes items from Madrid, San Sebastian or Paris, with examples of models from the leading members of the Cooperativa de Alta Costura Española and its immediate forerunner in the 1920s and 1930s: the Salón del Arte del Vestir.

The Antoni de Montpalau textile collection includes around 1500 items, mainly 20th century fabrics, creations, photographs and sketches. Some 80 items have been selected for this exhibition, including evening and cocktail dresses, gala and bridal gowns, or day wear such as tailored suits and coats, with the overall aim of showing how fashion evolved in all its different aspects, represented by a wide range of typologies and trends.