Museo del Traje

The Museum of Costume is a genuine hidden gem, a relaxing place, attracting few visitors but exhibiting a wonderful collection, including pieces by Balenciaga and others. The feel is somewhat similar to the Balenciaga museum in Getaria in the Basque Country near Donostia/San Senastian. And it is FREE to visit this September and October…

I enjoyed this museum quite a lot. The descriptions were good for the pieces, and they were arranged in chronological order with historical context for each section. Some of the exhibits are dark -- which is by design. Light is extremely damaging to textiles, and the low light is necessary to preserve the items. The low light of the rooms is to prevent a harsh glare on the glass of the exhibits, making it easier to see the items in the low lighting that is required. The only thing I personally wish was included was more information about the people who made the garments, as well as the processes of making the materials & garments. It was a nice relaxing way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

We visited the Museo del Traje again over the weekend, and it continues to be one of Madrid’s hidden gems. Despite its location on the edge of the city, it wasn’t very busy—which actually made for a peaceful and enjoyable experience. It’s a perfect option if you’re planning to spend time in nearby parks or looking for a quieter cultural stop away from the city center. This time, we went specifically for the seasonal exhibitions, and admission was free. The exhibitions were well-curated and offered a fresh perspective on fashion and design. The museum staff were all very friendly and attentive, which added to the overall positive experience. There’s also a nice café on site where you can relax with some food, coffee, or a drink—ideal for a break during your visit. Don’t miss the gift shop downstairs either. It has a great selection of fashion-related books and unique items that are definitely worth browsing. All in all, the Museo del Traje is a wonderful blend of fashion, history, and calm atmosphere—definitely worth a visit whether you’re a fashion enthusiast or just looking for a quieter cultural outing in Madrid.

Small and amazing museum. Great place to bring your family!

This is one of the national museums where you can explore the history of Spain's traditional clothing and fashion. The building was built in 1973, but the current museum opened in 2004. It houses more than 160,000 items of clothing, accessories, and textiles. Because it is relatively quiet, it is easy to obtain an annual membership to the national museums. There is a beautiful garden nearby, so you can enjoy a leisurely walk.

The day was one of those frigid windy winter days in Madrid that chill you to the bone, especially if you walk there from the metro station- a good 10 mins away on wide avenues which only act as wind tunnels....When I arrived I was greeted by an impressive über-modern "container- looking" building - the only drawback was the equally impressive set of cement stairs that lead up to the main entrance(*). I am sure they had a wheelchair accessible elevator from the ground up but I didn't have time nor the inclination to look for it!! Now as a veritable human popsicle I was greeted, -after trudging up the stairs- by a large but well heated foyer (which was appreciated instantly). It was sweetly staffed by welcoming people who chuckled commiseratingly at my thankful antics. It is an easy museum to navigate (all on one floor) and the collection here was far fuller (in regards to the male clothing) than the one in Barcelona. It is amazing how, as a society, the man has been pressured from wearing intricate and delicate embroidery with beautiful floral patterns to a stark simple dark clothing with no embellishment excepting, perhaps, the cut. The only nod to a more changeling offer for the guys was the modern and future clothing, which was interesting. The female showcase was very prevalent throughout the ages and explains pretty well what the intricacy of the layers were. The most amazing is to consider the fact that the apparatus to enhance the "derrier" was ever worn... Most of the clothing was representative of the high society so I really enjoyed the great collection of what the less "economically proud" wore- which shows far more useful logic in its design. There is also a modest lineup (13?) of clothing designed for the blind to be able to touch and get a feeling of the changes in clothing (mostly female, one male) during the ages. I found this wonderfully inclusive. They could offer a taped explanation (or on tablets in Braille?) of each piece (in the "sighted" part) for those that are recently blind but remember colors and textures? I would have liked a bit more info of each: the materials used, the name of the designer (if known), the price it might have cost (translated to nowadays euros). One thing that was commendable is that all the explanations, that were there, were translated into English. I would suggest they look into using l.e.d. lighting for those windows where light was very dim so not to damage the cloth...what is the use if you can't see it?! Overall a great museum! Doable in one hour or so (since it has few placards), with a couple of didactic screens to explain some of the displays... (*)Oh there is also a lovely looking cafe and a temporary collection (they were announcing "Jeans") both of which are at ground level but I didn't have the time to visit. I highly recommend it (but dress -ha!- well if coming from the metro in winter time!) P.S. I asked if they ever staged a real "runway"(pasarela) of modern designs (they could be students' creations?!) but they didn't understand my question and seemed eager to close...

Half of the exposition has been closed without reason or prior notice. Bring your own headlight, because most of museum is covered in darkness.

Such an interesting museum learning about Spanish history through clothing across the years. We really enjoyed our visit, especially on a hot day in Madrid.

I enjoyed everything about this museum! It's so well curated and organized beautifully! Admission is free on Sundays. I went when it was nice and quiet, there were only a few people in the museum. They have stunning pieces from different decades and interesting props to make the clothes pop more in the showcases. My only downside was this museum was very dark. However, I think this is necessary for the preservation of the fabrics. The grounds are beautiful as well and they have a nice cafe where you can have a bite to eat. This place makes for a nice day out to a lesser known museum in Madrid!

Everyone has different opinions right? Well for me, I very much enjoyed this museum. First things first: - Yes you can indeed finish this museum in 10 minutes. It's one floor, one circle. - hey, did you know that you can see this entire museum on their website? You can take "a virtual tour" and walk through the entire museum. - so it's free online! - it's free Sundays. It's free Saturdays after 2:30pm - it's also free on certain days, like World Heritage Day (April 18, 2015, which was when I visited) okay that's actually a million things first. ========= Here's why I enjoyed it ========= The museum kept true to the Spanish culture and history. Sure, France and Italy started much of the country's fashion influences, the museum emphasizes on the SPANISH history -how they dressed, how they were influenced, what they kept from the Spanish ancestors, what they added from the French, etc. The museum organizes its collection from earliest to today's fashion (2015). It's like a history book with lots of pictures!! I love history books with lots of pictures!! (because I fall asleep reading textbooks) The museum included old furniture and accessories relating to dressing, ex. mirrors, drawers, even fashion dolls. Fun fact: how did fashion magazines start? Fashion designers created mini mannequins with beautiful clothes and sent them to the rich people. By mannequin, I'm talking about vintage dollies. With vintage clothing on. This was what the rich people received as their "catalog"!!! The poor people received sketches and papers. Well... the rich people ALSO received these papers. So as more catalogs and sketches were produced, and more people want to know what other people were wearing, and they wanted to know what people in other countries were wearing.... these fashion sketches became very popular. Fashion sketches became fashion magazines. What happened to men fashion??? Well men were into business and etc. so they just dressed professionally (and blandly). Women need to look good. The more extravagant they look, the richer the husband pretends to be. And all of this I learned here at the museum because the information is bilingual!! Yay!!! There are leaflets in each section/room that tells you the name and dates of what you're looking at. Eventually the dates look like numbers (uhhhh 1930s.. 1920s...) to me. But for the first half of the museum, I was like, "ZOMG THIS IS ##### YEARS AGO!" For the 10 minutes that most people could finish this museum, I stayed here for 2 hours reading every single (English) description. Like a book. ========= So it's up to you ========= I like learning about how we evolved from day 0 to year 2015. So this was a great museum, I loved it to bits. I couldn't work their old computers though, it's all in Spanish and the rolling ball mouse is weird. ========= Atmosphere and venue ========= I visited on the Saturday morning and it was very quiet. There was a tour group ahead of me, but they weren't loud. A security person patrols these rooms very often. During my visit, there was an exhibition!!! An exhibition of old printed fabrics, very elegant. The exhibition room is very small. Hopefully your visit features an exhibition too! The museum is located in a quiet area with trees and nature and this small body of water. So it was a peaceful Saturday morning for me, thank goodness. Can't deal with crowds. The museum is comfortable to walk around in, it's dark (to preserve the fabrics), but spacious. Neatly displayed and never overwhelming. I hate when museums display the artifacts like, "Ha, look at me! Look at all these things I have!!" and it's mess!! Not this museum :) so I'm happy I visited.

I went on their Sunday "free admission" day and it was wonderful! It wasn't crowded and better yet, it wasn't teeming with tourists and summer camps. I came across this museum from a shopping guide placed in our hotel room and SO glad that I did. I'm by no means fashion obsessed but it was a great way to spend an afternoon perusing and learning about how clothing transforms/influences society, customs & traditions. I loved that they incorporated the local fashion/design institute and showcased up & coming fashion designers!