Dear Diane, dear Shaded Viewers,
The Canal de Isabel II exhibition space in a 19th century massive brick water tower always opens the fashion season in Madrid showing a monographic exposition of a designer. This year is the turn to Manuel Pertegaz, the couturier that decided not to work for Dior -it’s said- to make it under his own name.
He’s one of the best designers of XX Century in Spain but I wasn’t at all impressed by this exhibition lacking the most elemental information about the dresses -date, materials, owner, etc.-. Even if the pieces selected were very couture the narrative was too plain -if at all present-. The dresses were great but the curatorship was very little impressing.
Still, dedicating one show a year to fashion designers in this magnificent space -that normally holds photography shows- is a great initiative from the local government of the Comunidad de Madrid.
Kindly,
Mario.
P.S.- On the top floor of the water tower there was a very interesting 360ª fashion video by Eugenio Recuenco that brought the poetry to the world of Pertegaz that I sincerely didn’t find in the lower floors. This audiovisual piece is worth the visit.