Museo del Traje

This museum is a must for those interested in any aspect of clothing. The collections comprise over 160,000 garments covering six centuries of Spanish fashion, though there are some much older items, among them fragments of Coptic cloth and Hispano-Muslim pieces. The permanent exhibition shows up to 600 items at any one time, rotating them frequently both to protect them and to allow returning visitors to appreciate the breadth and diversity of the collection. It is arranged chronologically, in 14 spaces, among which are two outstanding monographic rooms, one covering regional costume, the other containing pieces by Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo, son of the painter, whose creations were worn by the likes of Isadora Duncan.

Other rooms cover costume from the Enlightenment and the 'castizo' (Madrid's working classes); early 19th-century French influences, Romanticism, belle époque, the avant-garde, post-Civil War fashion, and the modern era. A room is dedicated to the great couturier Balenciaga and another to Spanish haute couture.

The museum also organises workshops for children, guided visits and very interesting temporary exhibitions. Facilities include a reading/Internet room, a bookshop, and a cafe-restaurant that are worth a visit in their own right, as well as a pleasant summer terrace that's open from May onwards.