Silk – Costume Closet Couture

Madama Butterfly: East Meets West

Published on May 13, 2024June 27, 2024 by operazhenshchina14 Comments

It is already known how Madama Butterfly played a significant role in my life. In 2016, I taught myself to sew as I was preparing for my first outing to Puccini’s immortal tragedy. Because of that climactic moment, I hold a great reverence and affection for the opera.

My first sewing project ever ─ an authentic kimono for Madama Butterfly ─ in 2016

This particular Live in HD Butterfly was probably the best iteration I’ve seen. Much of the weight of that statement is credited to Asmik Grigorian, the Lithuanian soprano with a vast voice, making her long-awaited Met debut. Although I didn’t feel she had the prettiest voice, her acting had me believing that I was Butterfly. When the character was scared, I was scared. During her moments of wild hope, my skin tingled. Vulnerability and despair coalesced into a perfect portrayal. Brava !

Lucas Meacham, Jonathan Tetelman, and Asmik Grigorian in Madama Butterfly / Metropolitan Opera

Japanese garments being the central focus of Madama Butterfly, my goal for my third time seeing the opera in theaters was to embrace a more modern, accessible approach to costuming by creating something that could be described as “East Meets West”. For this, I turned to Folkwear Patterns and their 129 Japanese Hapi and Haori pattern.

129 Japanese Hapi and Haori ─ Folkwear Patterns

While the authentic appeal of the lined haori attracted me, my practical reasoning knew that dealing with the hanging furisode sleeves would be a nuisance in the long run. The hapi it was !

Choosing the fabric was fun. At first, I looked for old bolts of kimono fabric on eBay, but wasn’t thrilled with the prices or inadequate yardage. Quilting cottons were suggested for the hapi so I checked around on my usual fabric sites. Searching through beautiful prints on Style Maker Fabrics, I found my fabric: a vibrant butterfly print on a teal background. Even more serendipitous, it was made in Japan !

To set off the busy material, I chose a diminutive turquoise cotton from my local quilt shop to serve as the neckband fabric. A striking contrast, don’t you think ?

Designed to be worn over western clothing, the hapi was a stylish topper over a persimmon colored camisole and wide-legged pants, the latter of which was sewn from a beige silk noil. So earthy, so luxe !
To make the pants, I used the Harlow Pajamas pattern, which I first sewed for the Kurzak/Alagna Met concert.

Wearing a cross necklace was indicative of Butterfly’s conversion to Christianity before her marriage to Pinkerton. Thank you, Faith !

Carefully, I threaded my handmade kanzashi hair stick (original to my 2016 outfit) into the chic geisha bun my mother styled for me. Why don’t we wear these more often ?!

Those straight cut, modest sleeves were not a problem at all !

And look at how cute this purse is ! Bought at Cracker Barrel, my mother gave it to me for Easter. Little did she know it would be flying off to Butterfly with me.

Now that the 2023-2024 Live in HD season has wrapped, I can breathe a bit and begin to work on projects for next season, which promises to be a delight. See you there !

Toi, Toi, Toi,

Mary Martha

Cast and Credits:

Madama Butterfly ─ Giacomo Puccini (1904)
Live in HD air date: May 11, 2024

Cast:
Cio-Cio-San ─ Asmik Grigorian
Pinkerton ─ Jonathan Tetelman
Suzuki ─ Elizabeth DeShong
Sharpless ─ Lucas Meacham

Credits:
Conductor ─ Xian Zhang
Production ─ Anthony Minghella
Director and Choreographer ─ Carolyn Choa
Set Designer ─ Michael Levine
Costume Designer ─ Han Feng
Lighting Designer ─ Peter Mumford
Puppetry ─ Blind Summit Theatre
Revival Stage Director ─ Paula Williams
Live in HD Director ─ Gary Halvorson
Host ─ Anthony Roth Costanzo

Der Rosenkavalier, Circa 1911

Published on April 17, 2023April 17, 2023 by operazhenshchina14 Comments

Richard Strauss must have had an unusual sense of humor. While Der Rosenkavalier is not as much of a cerebral conundrum as Ariadne auf Naxos, the wild comic relief of the former opera is enough to cement its composer as a farcical magician. Offsetting Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s risible libretto, Strauss’s music melts into euphoric rhapsody. Those Viennese parlor strings throughout the opera whisk me away to paradise like a celestial chariot racing towards the clouds.

Although Rosenkavalier is a longstanding favorite of mine, I was especially elated to hear such a wonderful cast. When Lise Davidsen is performing, it’s always a treat and I looked forward to seeing her as the Marschallin with Samantha Hankey as her teenage lover, Octavian. Both sounded superb. However, the gap in stature between the two made for awkward visuals on stage.

Samantha Hankey as Octavian and Lise Davidsen as the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier / Metropolitan Opera

The supporting cast more than contributed to the performance’s success. There is not a better Sophie, nor Baron Ochs, than Erin Morley and Günther Groissböck, respectively. Bravi !

Erin Morley as Sophie, Günther Groissböck as Baron Ochs, and Samantha Hankey as Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier / Metropolitan Opera

Besides the intriguing triple role play of the character Octavian, I am most fascinated by the Marschallin in the opera. She’s clever, foreseeing, a lady of means, and sings some of the most achingly beautiful music in Act I. When I think of Der Rosenkavalier, it is she who first comes to mind.

Lise Davidsen as the Marschallin / Metropolitan Opera

Wisely, Robert Carsen’s smart production is set in 1911 Austria, the year the opera premiered, and is a departure from the original 18th century dictates. However, the updated setting feels so hand-in-glove that I don’t long for the panniers and pompadours of old. With the year of the production as a fountain of inspiration, my objective was to create an outfit that was strictly 1911 in its silhouette and mode. I learned much of the fashion trends of the time from this article: http://thevintagesite.com/?p=1399

A skirt suit with pleats and an endless supply of buttons seemed en vogue for the year. When I found a 1911/12 reproduction pattern on Etsy, I bought the PDF file and taped the printed pages together. Because I was concerned that a vintage pattern would be significantly smaller than my own measurements, I made a mock-up, which turned out fine. Time to cut the fabric !

Choosing the right material was key. After much deliberation and research, I found a sumptuous raw silk chevron suiting from Folkwear that was just the perfect color of cream to pair with some leftover black wool suiting that I intended to use for the collar and belt of the dress. With a modest price tag for 100% silk, it was a steal.
Lastly, I used Elsewhen Millinery’s Imogen hat pattern for a voluminous “bird’s nest” hat straight from the 1910’s. The result was pleasing (albeit, my finished hat was a bit too snug).

And, ta-da… an Edwardian lady !

The instructions for the dress were sparse, yet adequate, but I didn’t follow them precisely. Instead, I scrutinized photos from a blog post of a lady who had sewn the pattern for a garden party. Her descriptions and detailed construction photos helped tremendously.

On purpose, I didn’t sew the back skirt pleats over the darts since I was concerned about the skirt being too tight. Gracefully, they fell in loose folds into a slight train at the back.

And a secret: I used Velcro to close the dress ! Although it was never my desire, time constraints forced me to do the unthinkable. Sometime, when life isn’t so busy, I plan to make things “right” with this dress and sew buttonholes or a more proper closure.

Wearing my comfy silk dress with it’s sharp black accents, lace chemisette, hat, and leather gloves made me feel like a First Lady ! So elegant and regal was the ensemble… why don’t women dress like this anymore ?!

A rambunctious romp, wistful reflection, and a silk suit dress worthy of a lady… Der Rosenkavalier makes for an artful trio.

Toi, Toi, Toi,

Mary Martha

Cast and Credits

Der Rosenkavalier ─ Richard Strauss (1911)
Live in HD air date: April 15, 2023

Cast:
Marschallin ─ Lise Davidsen
Octavian ─ Samantha Hankey
Sophie ─ Erin Morley
Annina ─ Katharine Goeldner
Italian Singer ─ René Barbera
Valzacchi ─ Thomas Ehenstein
Faninal ─ Brian Mulligan
Baron Ochs ─ Günther Groissböck

Credits:
Conductor ─ Simone Young
Production ─ Robert Carsen
Set Designer ─ Paul Steinberg
Costume Designer ─ Brigitte Reiffenstuel
Lighting Designers ─ Robert Carsen, Peter Van Praet
Choreographer ─ Philippe Giraudeau
Revival Stage Director ─ Paula Suozzi
Live in HD Director ─ Gary Halvorson
Host ─ Deborah Voigt

Art Deco Rigoletto

Published on January 31, 2022January 23, 2023 by operazhenshchina112 Comments

Even if you’ve never seen the opera Rigoletto, you are most likely familiar with the Verdi work by its famous, hummable aria, “La donna è mobile,” heard everywhere from TV commercials to Italian restaurants. While I had the chance of watching a Rat Pack, neon-bedecked, “Vegas” Rigoletto during the Met’s free streaming at the time of their shutdown, I still felt the need to see the opera “in person” at the theater, this time set in the Weimar Republic of the 1920’s. Talk about a departure from 16th century Mantua !

What struck me the most about the new Bartlett Sher Rigoletto were the parallels to Sher’s Met production of Otello: blocky sets that felt closed off to the audience and gave the appearance of hazardous movement among the singers (watch out for the columns !). Another exasperating comparison was the inability to distinguish the lead characters from the rest of the crowd. Both the Duke in Rigoletto and Otello wore the clothes of their compatriots, with little, insufficient distinction. The costumes for the men looked to be the same in both productions ─ perhaps the budget was snug ? Overall, I felt the Weimar production was too garish and dark and was left questioning… “What’s wrong with 16th century Mantua ?!”

Repurposed costumes ? Bartlett Sher’s *Rigoletto* and *Otello* / Metropolitan Opera

I always knew what I would wear before I ever had a 20’s themed opera to attend. A few years back, a friend gave me a vintage black cashmere sweater with a cream fur collar and rhinestone buckle at the waist. The tag indicated its pedigree: “100% Cashmere, Made in Scotland.” It was an instant love affair. Musing over the garment brought to mind the Silent Film era and its actresses I had seen in movies. My vision of a pale pink charmeuse gown and a black wool cloche was the surest way to bring the sweater’s former glory back into the limelight. A flapper would agree…

Since I knew that I was going to wear a cashmere sweater, the last thing I wanted was a long sleeve dress. That narrowed down the field of patterns. Ultimately, Folkwear’s Tango Dress fit the bill of a sleeveless, Art Deco design for my Silent Film Star look. Mary Pickford, here I come !

Silk charmeuse and a gorgeous wool suiting tangoed their way to 1920’s perfection ! This was my first time making a real hat, not one out of cardboard or headbands, and Elsewhen Millinery’s pattern was just perfect. A silk taffeta band decorated the supple cloche. With expensive fabrics and elegant finishes, these garments and accessories definitely classified themselves as ‘Couture’ pieces.

The hardest part was working on my 1920’s “slouch.” (Ouch !)

Bundled in the warmth of the sweater, I was set for the cold January day. Only my feet were chilled. To fashion a Mary Jane style shoe, I safety pinned sewn strips of black linen to the inside of my regular black pumps. Effective, cheap, and temporary ─ no need to buy new shoes !

Nearly everyone I meet fawns over the fan purse I crocheted specifically for this opera. And the best part ? The cotton lining material is printed with opera glasses ! How neat is that ?!

An Art Deco Rigoletto allowed me to venture into a decade that has never suited my fashion tastes. But as with most bouts of historical costuming, I gained an appreciation and greater attraction to the bias-cut drop waist dresses of the time. I can’t say that the same treatment applied to Rigoletto was as appealing.

Toi, Toi, Toi,

Mary Martha

Cast and Credits:

Rigoletto ─ Giuseppe Verdi (1851)
Live in HD air date: January 29, 2022

Cast:
Rigoletto ─ Quinn Kelsey
Gilda ─ Rosa Feola
Duke of Mantua ─ Piotr Beczała
Maddalena ─ Varduhi Abrahamyan
Sparafucile ─ Andrea Mastroni

Credits:
Conductor ─ Daniele Rustioni
Production ─ Bartlett Sher
Set Designer ─ Michael Yeargan
Costume Designer ─Catherine Zuber
Lighting Designer ─ Donald Holder
Live in HD Director ─ Gary Halvorson
Host ─ Isabel Leonard