Costume Arts RD, a collective of local artists and designers, is captivating audiences at Quinta Dominica on Padre Billini Street in the Colonial City with a sweeping exhibition dedicated to the history of dress, spanning from ancient Egypt to the 19th Century.
The exhibition is open to the public from Tuesday to Friday, 9am to 6pm, and on weekends from 12pm to 9pm. Costume Arts RD first previewed their project during the 2017 Book Fair. The initiative has since grown into this comprehensive historical showcase. The free-access exhibit runs until 28 November 2025 at the Quinta Dominica.
The Costume Arts RD presenters are a “multidisciplinary ensemble that brings together all disciplines of art,” explains Ana María Cordero, a spokesperson for the collective. It features a diverse range of talent, including designers, couturiers, artists, and publicists, many of whom are graduates of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo’s School of Industrial Fashion Design and the Faculty of Arts.
A Museum of Fashion
The core objective of the project, Cordero noted, is to create a museum of fashion to tell history through garments. The exhibition today showcases meticulously researched pieces that recreate the styles of various pivotal eras, including Ancient Egypt, Rome, Greece, the Renaissance, the Baroque, and the Gothic period.
Highlighting the intricacy of the featured garments, Orfila Rodríguez detailed two Renaissance-era pieces currently on display. “One represents the Italian Renaissance with German influence, and the other is the Spanish Renaissance, where the guarda infante (farthingale) appears,” she explains. She draws a direct connection to famous artworks: “We can perfectly relate it to Las Meninas by Velázquez.” These period costumes are characterized by horizontal lines, volume, heavy fabrics, and highly elaborate, decorated work.
The historical journey continues all the way to the 19th Century, specifically the period of eclecticism, according to Rodríguez. Visitors can observe iconic elements such as crinolines, bustles, corsets, and ruffs. The show also features a piece inspired by Charles Frederick Worth, widely regarded as “the father of haute couture.”
The collective, which includes designers like Vanessa Albuez, Erika Sena, Willian de Oleo, and Rodian Asistís, also incorporates detailed men’s fashion designs throughout the historical timeline.
Dedication and detail: The craftsmanship
The pieces are the result of rigorous research and extensive labor. Cordero emphasized the academic nature of the work: “It’s not fashion just for the sake of it; it’s fashion that is telling a story.” The group, which currently comprises around 30 designers, ensures each piece has been elaborated in detail.
Rodríguez underscored the demanding process, revealing that some garments require 100 to 200 hours of work, some of it by hand.
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El Nacional
19 November 2025