The Balenciaga: Spanish Master exhibition opened its doors earlier in November at the Queen Sofia Spanish Institute on Park Avenue in New York.

The clothes themselves come from all over: Balenciaga’s archives in Paris, Hamish Bowles’ personal couture collection, the Brooklyn Museum, the Met and even Texas University.

It’s split into two floors, the first of which focuses on his love of the royals, and the inspiration he drew from the Spanish masters like Goya and Velasquez. Almost every dress is paired with a painting and a caption that actually tells a story.

The exhibition on 648 Park Avenue runs until February 19th, 2011.

Read the original blog post here on Elle.