Santa Eulàlia: 180 years of fashion at Palau Robert

Until January 22, the Palau Robert in Barcelona hosts the exhibition Santa Eulàlia. 180 years of fashion. A journey to the golden age of Santa Eulàlia haute couture; the emblematic store on Paseo de Gràcia, which opened in the 19th century as a specialist in fabrics, until it consolidated itself as a loudspeaker for the latest trends.

An exquisite exhibition of about forty dresses and hats, from between 1930 and 1990, lent by their clients or relatives, who wanted to preserve these works of art due to the unique ties and the unbreakable emotional connection they maintain with these pieces; memories in the form of wedding dresses, a dress to be presented in society, or for a special trip... A legacy they wanted to preserve, preventing it from ending up in the trash, as Lluís Sans, president of Santa Eulàlia, explains.

Santa Eulàlia was a pioneer in offering the first fashion show in 1926 in Barcelona and, during the 50s and 60s, had a frenetic activity, with 750 tireless workers in the workshops, to be able to live up to what that golden age of couture demanded. And who did they dress? Well, as Lluís Sans, fourth generation of the family that owns the store, says, toute Barcelona, the Catalan, Spanish and part of European bourgeoisie, who came here fleeing the excessive prices of Paris. Barcelona was a trendsetter and one of the epicenters of the continent. They were unique pieces made for each client; day pieces, evening pieces, cocktail pieces... However, currently there will not be more than 300 people in the world who always dress in haute couture.

The secret of the emblematic store, the oldest on Paseo de Gràcia, has been precisely the fact of adapting to the times. From selling fabrics, to haute couture, to prêt-à-porter and finally to being a leading luxury multi-brand store, which currently bills 20 million a year.

The exhibition at Palau Robert is distributed into four different types of dresses: Street and day, Cocktail, Evening and Coming-out and brides. Outfits lent by clients, as we have mentioned, and from the establishment's archive, as well as from cultural entities such as the Design Museum of Barcelona, ​​the Costume Museum of Madrid, or the Textile Museum of Terrassa.

A free exhibition, to travel back in time, to get emotional and to let the imagination go. Magic, delicacy, and pure art that, after the explanations of Lluís Sans, who emanates emotion, evoke a phrase from American designer Marc Jacobs who said: "clothes mean nothing until someone lives in them." And this is what we find in the Palau Robert: An exhibition of works of art with lives of their own. Join us on the visit we made to the exhibition through this video.