Sheath dresses have never been a go-to garment choice for me due to their unflattering appearance on my non-rectangular figure. Despite being a misfit for my natural shape, I have always envied the look of a classic sheath style. Especially stunning are the Lilly Pulitzer dresses in their tropical prints and cool, neon hues.
Lilly Pulitzer
In a past issue of Julie’s Picks, a certain collection of fabrics caught my eye. It was titled, “Winter In Palm Beach”. Amid the blue-toned fabrics was a NY Designer swatch that made me believe it was once used for a signature Lilly dress. Curious, I emailed Fabric Mart and inquired about my hunch. As it so happened, the fabric wasn’t Lilly Pulitzer; it was J. McLaughlin.
When I found an image online of a dress made out of the exact fabric I had purchased from the swatch club, I was stunned.
J. McLaughlin Carly Dress in Mini Scribe
More shocking was the price. A similar style dress in the same Catalina Cloth™ as my own deadstock yardage ran upwards of $200. Decidedly, I made it my mission to create the look for less.
With the success of my Santa dress, I knew the Tessa Sheath pattern would be a perfect fit in its full length for my attempt at the upscale knockoff.
Did I make adjustments to the pattern ?Yes. In addition to lengthening the pattern by an inch, I experimented by blending sizes at the hips, but didn’t like the results. Rather, I graded out from the hip to include an extra 1″ seam allowance to the hem and sewed the prescribed 3/8″ seam allowance. This worked beautifully !
I also learned how to add fisheye darts to the back of the dress to bypass the painfully tedious process of cutting and splicing the pattern to make my mandatory swayback adjustment. Going forward, I intend to employ this method when making garments as it took away the hassle of back pattern alterations and gave me better-than-anticipated results.
And that perfectly notched neckline ? I followed the instructions from an article online and watched a video about how to mark and sew the notch all together with the facing. But the real secret was PerfectFuse Light interfacing used on the front and back facing pieces and decreasing my stitch length to just 1.2mm at the bottom point of the notch.
The deadstock J. McLaughlin fabric I purchased was under $10 a yard and I used less than two yards for the entire dress. So, for less than a tenth of the price of a store-bought designer dress, I had my very own luxury piece at a fraction of the cost. Plus, the fun I had while recreating this design and the inner glee I felt in revealing its sophisticated origins gave me a feeling of utmost delight.
I was first introduced to Puccini’s operetta, La Rondine, as part of the Met’s free nightly streams during Covid. The stars were Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna. Notoriously, the performance marked one of their last engagements before their infamous divorce proceedings in 2009. Remembering how captivated I was by the glittering sets, jaw-dropping costumes, and the soapy heartache I endured as the final scene played out made my most recent trip to the theater a much anticipated one.
Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu in La Rondine / Metropolitan Opera (2009)
A due share of my attraction to La Rondine is the theme of true love over riches and fame. As a courtesan, the disguised Magda cannot forgive herself when Ruggero wishes to marry her at the end of the opera. She has deceived him about her identity and virtue and cannot continue her lie into marriage and motherhood. In the 2009 performance, the breakup ripped my heart out. But due to a lack of chemistry between the two leads in the 2024 revival, I missed out on the emotional catharsis I was so eagerly expecting. For an operetta whose entire success depends on the strength of chemistry between the leading lovers, I was left unmoved and unsatisfied.
Jonathan Tetelman as Ruggero and Angel Blue as Magda in La Rondine / Metropolitan Opera
Rondine represented an opportunity for me to sew an artsy dress from the 1920’s, which stoked my creativity like an open flame. Looking through different designs of patterns with geometric influences, I aimed to have something similar in my dress that would be appropriate for the Art Deco era. A vintage construct from Lekala fit the bill.
Lekala 1920’s dress pattern
What made this pattern one of interest were the simple, yet striking, details. Having previously struggled with bias cuts of fabric and worse, sewing blocks together at inverted angles, I was a bit intimidated to tackle another slippery nightmare. The sparse instructions didn’t help. However, I was wholly surprised to find that the pattern came together so quickly and so easily.
The pictures don’t do this fabric justice ! I used a rayon/nylon shimmer satin from designer Maggy London in a dusty grape/mauve color. As with most of my fabric purchases, I bought this beauty from Fabric Mart Fabrics.
Confession: I don’t always accurately estimate the amount of fabric I need for each project. Such was the case with this dress. Therefore, I had to piece the lower back portions together and finished the new back seam (and side seams) with French seams. Piecing is period correct, correct ?
My mother was proud of her hairstyle for this one and I loved it. So elegant !
In order to make my flapper headband, I went to Joann Fabrics and found some odds and ends that seemed suitable: black sequin elastic on clearance, a brooch for $3.50, and plumage in the floral section. Shockingly, the headband only took me 10 minutes to fashion and that includes warming up the hot glue gun.
What’s a lady of the house to do without her strings of pearls ?! Accessorizing with lustrous orbs can never be out of vogue.
It truly is a pity that the operetta seen in theaters was without its springing passion. While many denounce La Rondine as being far from Puccini’s best work, it is filled with splendid music that aches for the true, soul love wealth cannot bring.
Toi, Toi, Toi,
Mary Martha
Casts and Credits
La Rondine ─ Giacomo Puccini (1917) Live in HD air date: April 20, 2024
Cast: Magda ─ Angel Blue Ruggero ─ Jonathan Tetelman Lisette ─ Emily Pogorelc Prunier ─ Bekhzod Davronov Rambaldo ─ Alfred Walker
Credits: Conductor ─ Speranza Scappucci Production ─ Nicolas Joël Set Designer ─ Ezio Frigerio Costume Designer ─ Franca Squarciapino Lighting Designer ─ Duane Schuler Live in HD Director ─ Gary Halvorson Host ─ Julia Bullock
I love pearls the way a bear loves honey. They’re classic, a Southern staple, and compliment almost any outfit. When I came across a particular swatch of stretch poplin shirting, replete with strings of pearls across a pale sky blue background, I knew I had to have some.
My intention with the pearl poplin was to finish my long-awaited “perfect” blouse from the fit and sew virtual class I took in September 2021 with Katrina Walker.
Unfinished projects irk me. Unfortunately, they happen all too often in my life. When I first began working on the “perfect” blouse in 2021, I had cut the pattern pieces out of inky black silk charmeuse. A lack of proper starching resulted in distorted facing pieces and collar points that had already been sewn and clipped before a detrimental flaw was noticed. The mistake was devastating and I relegated the project to File 13. Although my momentum was abated, I reasoned that a sturdier, easier-to-sew fabric (like poplin) would provide a confidence boost, just in case I one day decide to try my hand at a charmeuse blouse again.
My pattern pieces were already altered from when I took the class in 2021, which made for an expedited experience.
And after a relatively quick sew, my blouse was completed with pleasing results.
Fisheye darts at the front and back made for elegant shaping along the midsection…
…and ¾ sleeves added sophisticated flair.
With most store bought shirts, one of my biggest complaints is the pooling of fabric at the small of my back. Applying a swayback and full bottom adjustment on the paper pattern piece gave me a smooth backside. Hooray !
If there was one thing I would change, it would be to double up the pearl buttons down the front since I feel at times that my top button is an inch too low.
Thanks to the lessons of Katrina Walker and a forgiving fabric, I now have the confidence to sew fitted blouses with numerous darts. And the best part is… my pearls match ─ perfectly.
Scrolling through my daily e-mail from Fabric Mart Fabrics, I spotted something that grabbed my attention in addition to the day’s latest sales. A new class offering had been posted for Fringy Bias Skirts with Pamela Leggett using her favorite bias skirt pattern. So chic, so bohemian, so… unique ! I knew I had to sign up for the virtual class.
As per Pamela’s suggestion, the skirt was best suited for a softer linen fabric so that the strips of linen bias would “bloom” when washed. However, I had a resolution to use up some of my unfathomable fabric stash and unearthed a fawn colored linen, which I bought from a “Julie’s Picks” swatch mailer some years prior. It was crisp ─ not ideal ─ but it would have to work. And since my yardage was inadequate for the full length skirt, I was rendered one solution: to make the knee length version.
Soon before the first class session, my friend, Chris, had sent me an e-mail with an outrageously priced Nieman Marcus skirt that was fashionable, but beyond the point of reason to even consider making a purchase. “Who would pay that for a skirt ?!” she wailed. At that moment, I showed her the class example that I was going to make and she was hooked. Intuitively, Chris selected a soft linen/rayon blend in a bright navy for her midi length skirt. Her choice of fabric was perfect; after two washes, the blended material far “outfringed” mine that had been washed and dried close to 10 times. Mawhh-velous !
Custom fitted in our fringy bias skirts, we had fun during a photo shoot at Chris’s elegant home.
Interestingly, Pamela revealed during the first session of class that she got the idea for the fringed skirt from an old Soft Surroundings catalog and wanted to make a knock-off version for herself. I laughed as I had done the same procedure when I attempted to recreate a Soft Surroundings gown for one of the Met concerts.
My Soft Surroundings Knock-off
The Fringy Bias Skirts episode was a win-win-win: Chris didn’t have to cancel her Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra subscription to pay for the skirt, I gained a new client, and we both ended up with two stylish and flattering skirts ! Thank you, Pamela !
It may be apparent by now that I am an alliteration advocate. As much as I try to suppress my affection, there’s just something about starting a succession of words with the same alphabetical letter that tickles my fancy. Inadvertently, my new summer creation was an alliterative delight: a striped seersucker shirtdress !
Here’s how it began…
McCall’s 6891 Shirtdress
Originally purchasing this pattern to sew for a new Met production of Die Zauberflöte (which was subsequently canceled), it sat shelved, along with the yards of white chambray linen I bought for the project, without a hope except for the fact that I did very much like the pattern.
Nadine Sierra in Die Zauberflöte (Opéra National de Paris)
The idea of sewing a shirtdress never strayed too far from my mind, but it wasn’t until an issue of “Julie’s Picks” swatch club popped in the mail that the romanticized idea rose to the forefront as a planned reality. Could it have been a coincidence that the pattern suggestion for a dandy red stripe cream seersucker be none other than the McCall’s (reprinted as Butterick) shirtdress pattern I bought for the scrapped Met project ? Whether you believe in coincidences or not, I had my sign: I was making the dress !
“Julie’s Picks” July 2021 issue, Page 3
With this pattern being a Palmer and Pletsch design with extensive fitting instructions, I spent a good week perfecting the fit with the adjustment lines on the pattern tissue. My only substantial tweak was taking out ½ inch at the shoulder blade level to eliminate a gaping armhole in the back.
I wish there would have been more fitting tips besides the most common ones because I then needed to alter the sleeve pieces to compensate for the reduced armhole length. The attempt was in vain. As a result, my sleeve cap was gathered more than I had intentioned…
But, no matter !
The dress (a combination of Views C and D) turned out in tip top fashion and gave me the feel of a 1950’s waitress/housewife. I especially love the red “jelly” buttons that appear like hard candies on the peppermint stripe cotton.
I loved nearly everything about this dress: the American made fabric, the fit, the retro vibe, the color scheme… the list goes on. And while it wasn’t imperative that its descriptors start with the same letter, the fact that my striped seersucker shirtdress was an alliterative creation was just the icing on the cake.
“Viva Italia !” my friends and I exclaimed when we heard that the location of the upcoming concert for Diana Damrau and Joseph Calleja had been moved from exotic seaside Malta to the Palazzo Reale in Caserta, Italy. On record as the world’s largest royal residence, the grand venue was ideal for the cinematic transmission of the latest Met Stars Live in Concert series.
The Palatine Chapel in the Royal Palace of Caserta, Italy
The combination of Diana Damrau and Joseph Calleja was a bit odd, especially when considering their “polar opposites” repertoire. The normally floating trills of the German soprano felt strained during the heavy Tosca numbers (“Vissi d’arte” was downright painful), which were salvaged by the charming apropos acting in a literal libretto location.
Diana Damrau and Joseph Calleja singing excerpts from Tosca in the Met Stars Live in Concert series
Calleja’s hearty voice squelched Damrau’s on more than one occasion, but most notably during the finale duet of “Ave Maria” where they each took turns with versed lines. In the past, I have always enjoyed Diana Damrau due to her ability to make me feel her characters with a voice of sweetly scented femininity. However, it was during this last selection that I wished she would just stand silent and let Calleja fill the cavernous chapel with his rich tone.
Joseph Calleja and Diana Damrau singing “Ave Maria” / Metropolitan Opera
The best part about the concert was guessing which wrap Diana would wear next ! For each musical number, she would emerge from the wings of the palace chapel with a new accessory to play off her strapless black velvet gown.
Diana Damrau and Joseph Calleja in the Met Stars Live in Concert series from Caserta, Italy
The Cuisine
Let’s talk about the food ! While we all struggled with the idea of Maltese cuisine (rabbit, anyone ?), the Italian switcheroo rendered the culinary preparation a breeze. Since the palace in Caserta was part of the Campania region (think Naples), Chris volunteered to make Neapolitan meatballs…
…and I was assigned the classic Caprese salad.
Anne brought the antipasti platter…
…and Jayne provided the Prosecco !
Our feast was complete… and delicious, too. We cleaned our plates !
The Clothes
When I first saw this concert on the lineup, I knew EXACTLY what I would wear, even after the location change. Years ago, I remembering thumbing through a catalog for Soft Surroundings and “oohing” and “ahhing” at the vibrant colors and relaxed refinery of the clothes. One dress, although simple, always jumped out at me along with the styling of the photo:
Santiago Boatneck Dress / Soft Surroundings
Something about the floor length knit dress in the earthy colors with the rustic jewelry just seemed so casually elegant. Coincidentally, I had several long necklaces that would look perfect with the dress. But when I checked the Soft Surroundings website, it appeared the boatneck style of dress had been discontinued. Even though I wanted to make my own dress, it would have been helpful to have more detailed pictures of what the website could offer. Nevertheless, I searched for knit maxi dress patterns and found a promising one from Hallå Patterns.
Agnes knit dress from Hallå Patterns
With a “just right” paprika colored French Terry knit, which was found in my October 2020 edition of Julie’s Picks swatch club, I sewed the pattern with the one tweak of lengthening the hem by 1½ inches, just in case. It was a perfect adjustment, but I do believe I would have allowed more width in the shoulders.
The dress was just what I desired ─ fall color, Old World jewelry, and casual stateliness for my imagined Neapolitan holiday. Best of all, I didn’t have to pay upwards of $100 ! It was a win-win-win !
Toi, Toi, Toi,
Mary Martha
Cast and Credits
Met Stars Live in Concert: Diana Damrau and Joseph Calleja Cappella Palatina of the Royal Palace of Caserta Caserta, Italy Live broadcast date: October 24, 2020
Diana Damrau ─ soprano Joseph Calleja ─ tenor Roberto Moreschi ─ piano
Oh, Bess… You is definitely my woman now… at least for the duration of an afternoon at the theater ! The creation my 1930’s feedsack frock for Porgy and Bess involved methods that would have left ingenious housewives of the Great Depression tickled pink.
Let’s begin !
Starting off, my inspiration images were of the sundress worn to the “Kittiwah” Island picnic in Act II of the opera…
Angel Blue as Bess in Porgy and Bess / Metropolitan Opera
Don’t you love the floral print pattern of the material ? I did. So much so that I scoured the web in search of my perfectly matching feedsack print. (More about that in my post about the opera and my guest article for Fabric Mart’s blog.) While researching, I learned how the flour and sugar sacks back in the 30’s and 40’s used to be sold with colorful motifs stamped on them so housewives could sew clothes for their families after using the dry goods inside. Clever ? Yes !
Promotional poster for printed flour sacks
The Porgy and Bess dress had several attributes I wanted to replicate in my own frock. Namely, the underbust gathers, square neckline, and mid-calf hem. I thought of drafting my own pattern from scratch, but what’s the point when a commercial pattern with the same style will do the same ? Seeking simplicity, I perused through my mother’s pattern box and fingered over a never-before-used jumper pattern.
McCall’s 3154
View A, here I come ! Since I only needed the bodice portion of the jumper, I traced its outline onto tissue paper, made the appropriate markings, and rotated the dart from the side to the waist. I also drafted an ascending waist yoke… very vintage.
The original pattern and the new patterns made
My muslin mock-up indicated some impending flaws. The back gaped and the gathers were thick and unflattering, especially when taking into consideration that the muslin was already thin. I ditched the idea. Using some of the same ingenuity from the Depression-era, I experimented with small pleats in place of the gathers, which were much more efficient and comely. I marked ½ inch lines along the area of the waist dart as a guide for the pleats…
…and pinned them in place.
Pleats pinned in place
Attaching the waist yoke came next. First, I sewed a row of piping along the bottom seam line of the bodice…
…and then clipped the curves along the seam allowances.
The yoke was now attached !
Time to work on the skirt…
When I assembled my mock-up, I traced a basic A-line skirt pattern and altered the waist measurements to line up with those on the lower portion of the waist yoke. The pattern was straightforward and needed few adjustments once sewn. Two back halves were cut as well as one piece on the fold. I also added a pair of inseam pockets because… well, who doesn’t love pockets ?
The inside of the skirt
Now for the zipper ! Sewing over two rows of piping and seam allowances can be tough on sewing machines… but not for my Baby Lock ! A zipper foot certainly aided in gliding over the hilly terrain.
Sewing the zipper
All that was left was to line the bodice, which also included the waist yoke. The easiest way to go about this was to cut identical pieces of the waist yoke (and remembering to close the dart of the front bodice piece before cutting !), sew them together with the bodice pieces along the seam lines, and then fold under the bottom ½ inch along the lower edge of the waist yoke. Here’s what the inside of the bodice looked like after I “stitched in the ditch” of the bottom row of piping from the front:
The dress basically finished, it was time to add the bows onto the front.
Cutting the right size and shape for a fabric bow can be a toss of the dice. Eyeballing a flat paper pattern piece can at times be tricky when gauging how the pattern will translate into fabric. Because I had such success with the tie bows for the baby clothes I had sewn recently, it followed in my logic that the same pattern would work again.
First attempt at the bows
It didn’t work out. Too long, too flat, too thin ! Back to the drawing board… this time with a free pattern I found online.
Pattern copyright: Simple Simon and Company
Close, but no cigar. However, by modifying the pattern just a bit (and swapping out the pocket lining material for the floral stretch poplin), I felt I could have a winner on my hands…
Success !
The additional ¼ inch seam allowance created a perfectly fashionable bow, which was pinched together in the center and sewn with a folded rectangle of fabric for the knot.
The bows were just subtle enough sewn down the front of the bodice, but too stiff for the tops of the shoulder straps.
Show time !
I wore a curly 30’s style wig and carried my mother’s Nantucket basket purse for my sundries.
Every project has a flaw and in this dress, it was the shoulder strap placement. I hypothesized that along the way in the multiple manipulations of the original pattern, the shoulder strap became deformed, was cut too wide, and as a result, wanted to slide off my shoulders. Therefore, I found myself constantly checking to ensure the dress concealed my bra straps. As evidenced by some of the pictures, that wasn’t always accomplished. Oh, well !
The dress had flaws, Bess had flaws. Perhaps the old line was more pertinent than I realized─ “Bess, we two is one !”
“The dynamic husband-and-wife duo of tenor Roberto Alagna and soprano Aleksandra Kurzak give a concert of arias and duets, accompanied by string quintet, from an outdoor terrace in Èze, France, with a spectacular view of the Mediterranean.”
Two for the price of one ? A string quintet ? A château on the French Riviera ? Count me in ! If the description for the third installment of the Met Stars Live in Concert initiative wasn’t appealing already, the set list for Aleksandra Kurzak and Roberto Alagna’s concert was the icing on the cake. Favorites from Puccini and Verdi seamlessly mixed with adorable folk songs from Mexico and Italy, all richly accompanied by the Vienna Morphing Quintet. Below is an abbreviated video of highlights from the concert:
Aside from being a technical feat, the vistas overlooking the pelagic Mediterranean Sea were arresting. Several times during the concert, I found my eyes floating over the floral garlanded railing to espy sleek motor yachts and nearby barrier islands as Aleksandra and Roberto charmed me with their singing and effortless chemistry. Their intuitive camaraderie led to dynamic and touching duets, which also included an overflowing dose of mirth. In what is rapidly becoming the duo’s calling card, the hilarious “love potion” duet from Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore involved a clever prop and crafty English ad libs ─ I was rollicking with laughter watching the two perform !
Aleksandra Kurzak and Roberto Alagna singing “Caro Elisir” from L’Elisir d’Amore in concert / Metropolitan Opera
There were more serious moments as well with Aleksandra singing Desdemona’s “Ave Maria” followed by a melting rendition of the love duet from Otello, in which the darkening sky serendipitously played a role in one of the final lines. Singing “The Pleiades are low in the heavens”, the pair turned to face the azure sky and motioned to the stars just as they were beginning to illuminate. Chills !!!!
Aleksandra Kurzak and Roberto Alagna singing the love duet from Otello in concert
The Cuisine
The concert locale, above all else, provided the best (and most straightforward) watch party theme: Rolling on the Riviera. Provence, with its uniqueness of sights and senses was the central inspiration behind our small gathering at Chris’s home. Each of us chipped in to make the get-together unforgettable. Jayne knew of a terrific French sparkling rosé wine while I was elated to try out Ina Garten’s Provençal Potato Salad, which was chocked full of Provençal ingredients: black olives, capers, haricot verts, cherry tomatoes, scallions, red onion, lots of fresh herbs, flaked tuna, hard cooked eggs, and anchovies. The freshness was equivalent to lounging on a sun-soaked beach chair with the sea mist brushing across your face. In the words of Ina Garten, “How bad can that be ?” The salad is so gorgeous that it was featured as the cover image on the original Barefoot Contessa cookbook from 1999.
The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook and Jayne’s sparkling rosé
I highly recommend the wine and the niçoise-inspired potato salad for an instant summer getaway.
Anne sure knows how to arrange a cheese platter ! Roquefort, Boursin, and Brie, oh my ! And of course, my favorite prosciutto…
Even Chris, our gracious hostess, made blackberry sorbet to be accompanied with chocolate covered French cookies. Bon appétit !
The Clothes
Imagine partaking in a leisurely promenade along one of the coastal towns of the Riviera… what would you wear ? For me, the answer was obvious: beach pajamas !
Made popular in the 1930’s, beach pajamas (or pyjamas) were all the rage on the Riviera where the rich and famous would rendezvous. Women would wear flowy fabrics with grace, oftentimes to dressier occasions spanning into the evening hour. Casual and comfortable, while still oh-so chic, I knew I wanted to sew a set of these beloved beach clothes.
Seeking a two piece style, I contemplated designing my own set until I came across a FREE pattern online from Gertie’s Charm Patterns brand. With a complete sew-a-long tutorial on YouTube showing the details of making the pajamas, the pattern was just right for my needs. With this being my very first “Gertie” pattern, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but found that the pattern was accurately sized with differing cup sizes for an even better fit.
Using a soft rayon challis I bought in June from Julie’s Picks swatch club mailer, I paired it with an equally sumptuous berry-colored material from Fabric Mart’s gorgeous selection of rayon/nylon shimmer satins. Softness and style united as one.
I loved wearing my 1930’s beach pajamas to what transpired as a joyous afternoon in Provence. From the cliffs of Èze to the rolling hills of central Florida, the pleasures of the French Riviera were abundant ─ an uplifting concert, delicious food, and lively conversation… what could be finer ?
Toi, Toi, Toi,
Mary Martha
Cast and Credits:
Met Stars Live in Concert: Aleksandra Kurzak and Roberto Alagna Château de la Chèvre d’Or Èze, France Live broadcast date: August 16, 2020 (Date seen: August 20, 2020)
Aleksandra Kurzak ─ soprano Roberto Alagna ─ tenor
The opera that catapulted Handel to stardom in 1709 certainly didn’t appear to possess any of the typical semblances of its Ancient Rome setting. TV news reporters, business suits, smartphones, and rather raunchy physical comedy could all be taken in during the Live in HD performance of Sir David McVicar’s staging of Agrippina.
So why did I decide to attend ? After all, I don’t like modern productions… or do I ?
A scene from Agrippina / Metropolitan Opera
A course taken on 18th-Century Opera from edX the previous summer softened my ossified resolve on the idea of attending a Baroque opera in a Y2K setting. It was worth a shot… and that shot was fired with poignant accuracy─ I laughed harder than I have ever laughed at any opera, nearly falling out of my seat on innumerable occasions ! The antics were well-timed, especially from Joyce DiDonato’s saucy Agrippina and her hellion son, Nerone, played to utmost perfection by a tattooed, skinny jean wearing, cocaine snorting Kate Lindsey in a trouser role.
Kate Lindsey as Nerone and Joyce DiDonato as Agrippina / Metropolitan Opera
As a scintillating counterpart to the opera’s R-rated comedy, the singing was sublime. With many scenes being accompanied only by the deft strings of maestro Harry Bicket’s harpsichord, the singers were exploited for their talent and technique alone, which was all the more appreciated after the insightful edX course.
The question remains to be asked: was the radical redux of the Met’s oldest opera in the repertoire worthy of my stalwart traditionalism ? Resoundingly, yes ! Call it sacrilege if you please, but if Agrippina had been staged in its original setting of the infancy of A.D. history, I think it would have been an absolute snoozefest ! Sorry, Handel.
Joyce DiDonato and Matthew Rose in Agrippina / Metropolitan Opera
Realizing the modern-dress style of the opera could very well lead into a fashionable sewing project, I envisioned a specific mode ─ an overall perceived attitude ─ for the styling of my outfit: Italian couture. Fittingly, Agrippina is centralized in Rome and while Ancient Rome is a completely different entity from the country of Italy in existence today, I still couldn’t resist aligning the two nations in my quest for haute couture. Perusing pictures and watching video clips from previous renditions of the same McVicar production (extant since 2000), I chose to model my outfit after the Agrippina standing on the stairs in the picture below.
Sarah Connolly as Agrippina, circa 2009 / Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona
Up close, the blazer was not just one solid color; it was subtlety patterned in a diamond motif. Satin first popped into my mind until I spotted the perfect fabric, which arrived in one of my monthly swatch club mailers from Fabric Mart Fabrics.
Taking the plunge: Wool, Dry Clean Only, $20/yard… Agrippina pushed my boundaries in more ways than one !
To sew my very first blazer, I used a PDF pattern from Lekala. Although not without flaws, I learned in strides how coat construction comes together. Styled with a “business bun”, Whiting and Davis purse (my mother’s), cat eye sunglasses, and gobstopper pearls (thank you, Aunt Countess !), I was poised to take on the world in sleek, corporate couture fashion.
The classic, Chanel-esque cocktail dress, which employed pattern and alteration techniques from the Corset Academy, was the perfect base garment for my “cutthroat corporate” ideal. Here was my inspiration dress:
Circa 1995 Chanel silk slip dress / via 1stdibs.com
The ponte knit dress was customized with a mesh upper lining and built-in underwire bra…
Did I mention this was an Italian couture outfit ? Everything, from the damask weave crepe challis wool of the blazer to the black ponte knit of the cocktail dress, was sourced from Italy.
Even the gold shank button was from The Boot !
Italian couture and a ruthless Roman matriarch… a match made in heaven ? You be the judge ! The taste for high-end fashion and the delicious vocalities of Handel’s breakout opera left me as hungry as the titular Empress herself, salivating over her next scheme.
Toi, Toi, Toi,
Mary Martha
Cast and Credits:
Agrippina ─ George Frideric Handel (1709) Live in HD air date: February 29, 2020
Cast: Agrippina ─ Joyce DiDonato Nerone ─ Kate Lindsey Poppea ─ Brenda Rae Ottone ─ Iestyn Davies Pallante ─ Ducan Rock Claudio ─ Matthew Rose
Credits: Conductor ─ Harry Bicket Production ─ Sir David McVicar Set and Costume Designer ─ John Macfarlane Lighting Designer ─ Paule Constable Choreographer ─ Andrew George Live in HD Director ─ Gary Halvorson Host ─ Deborah Voigt
I was touched ─ I really was ─ when I was invited with a handful of others to a private concert being given at the clubhouse of a quaint little neighborhood community nearby. While different from my usual opera outings, I figured it would be a welcome change to expand my musical horizons. And for $15, it was a fair deal. Consisting of a husband and wife duo, Acoustic Eidolon blends classicism with the folkloric adding a healthy smattering of rousing blues and lyric verses. Hannah, with her “chocolate” cello, played with both tenderness and gusto while at times accompanying the pieces with her angelic voice ─ sometimes in French. Hypnotic and melodic, she could justly be described as a siren without the impending danger. Joe, simultaneously picking and strumming his inventive “guitjo” (a double-necked guitar with banjo capabilities), was the pragmatist ─ the frank one ─ of the two. Often times he would provide the punch line at the culmination of one of Hannah’s soulful stories such as the time when her cello was severely damaged during airport baggage handling. “United [Airlines],” Joe sneered with mock surprise. “But you probably knew that before I said it.” Snickers bubbled from the audience. Their set list was unique. Joining covers of Simon and Garfunkel’s eerie “The Sound of Silence” and Queen’s stupendous “Bohemian Rhapsody” (their “opera piece”, Joe claimed) were original compositions from the couple’s various albums over the years including some with global flavors. In particular, my favorite of these was “One Ol’ Wreck”, a bustling bluesy tribute to Joe’s love of cars complete with Hannah’s uncannily realistic “honks” manufactured by the skill of her bow. It had my skinny stiletto tapping in time on the floor. Vroom, vroom !
Any event, no matter how small or informal, is an excuse to dress up for me. And that’s just what I did. During my opera off-season the previous year, I had made a handkerchief hem skirt using Vogue 7766.
Vogue 7766
Initially, I intended to use this pattern for my Valkyrie skirt, but aborted the idea in favor of an alternative approach. While the plan was jettisoned, the pattern was not and I was elated to have a chance to put it to good use, proudly outfitted in a bold striped sateen from Fabric Mart Fabrics. It mingled well as a dressier look: sheer gloves, glitter stilettos, and my mother’s classic Robert Scott sweater from the 70’s/80’s all coordinated in a chic statement.
Meeting Hannah and Joe after the concert was a treat ! They were personable and Hannah especially remarked on how much she appreciated my effort and style in fashion: “When I saw you walk into the room, I said to myself, ‘Now there’s a woman after my own heart ─ the shoes, the skirt, the gloves, the matching purse… !'” How could I not blush ? I was flattered.
Costume Closet Couture 