What to wear?

The act of getting dressed is more involved than what it seems at first sight. Disseny Hub Barcelona reflects on self-identity in terms of the question, What to wear? the title of an exhibition comprising some fifty pieces selected from the Maria Brillas endowment, all of them made by Pedro Rodríguez, a great master of 20th-century haute couture.

The exhibits on display are part of a collection donated by Hilda Bencomo, Maria Brillas’ granddaughter, to the Museu Tèxtil i d’Indumentària, which comprises 341 pieces, 183 dresses and 158 accessories. The ensemble re-creates the rich, original world of references which Pedro Rodríguez used to conceptualise his oeuvre, much of which belongs to the mainstream of Spanish fashion design. His brilliant career, spanning Barcelona, Madrid and San Sebastián, ran from 1919 to 1980. The story of Maria Brillas, as told by her dresses, created by Pedro Rodríguez, is part of Barcelona’s history and belongs to the cultural heritage of Catalonia and Spain.