What to Wear? Maria Brillas' Wardrobe by Pedro Rodríguez

The act of getting dressed is more involved than what it seems at first sight. Museu del Disseny de Barcelona (formerly the DHUB-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.

By re-creating the everyday act of standing in front of the wardrobe and deciding on the garments we wish to wear, this display aims to focus on contemporary issues by providing a rare insight into the role of garments in constructing our own identity. It also explores the various factors we consider when creating our image, as well as the autobiographical nature our wardrobe is likely to take on during our lifetime.

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.

Credits

Idea and development: Sílvia Ventosa
Co-ordination of the exhibit: Àngela Cuenca
Exhibition Design: Olga Subirós
Graphic Design: Anna Subirós
Documentation: Sílvia Rosés and M. Carmen López Soler
Preventative conservation: Silvia Armentia
Audiovisual: La Chula Productions
Set up construction: Equipo 62
Mannequin dresser: Alicia Preciado
Lighting: Toño Sainz
Text: Miren Arzalluz
Translation and Correction: Montserrat Pérez, Mariam Chaïb
Photographs: La fotográfica