Mattie Ullrich, Costume Designer for The Two Foscari starring Placido Domingo, recently appeared at Bloomingdale's, Beverly Center for an event called Dress the Fantasy, a pre-season opening fundraiser and costume installation celebrating the glamour and opulence at LA Opera.

She was part of a panel discussion about fashion inspiration for the stage and its close ties to the runway and street fashion hosted by Bloomingdale's. Seen above looking relaxed and stylish in Helmut Lang.

Mattie's footwear was Kork Ease, shoes she says she can walk in all day long.

Joining Mattie on the panel were Stephanie Solomon, Vice President of Fashion Direction for Bloomingdale's (l) and Nancy Lueck, Regional Director, Public Relations, West Coast Bloomingdale's (m) in their iconic black attire, standard for all Bloomingdale's employees!

Mattie explained how the opera costume helps the performer as storyteller, letting them tell an inner monoluge and reveal specific things about the character. Her most important responsibility to Placido Domingo and his role as Francesco Foscari is to understand the history of the character. During fittings she said you can see a singer physicalize the costume and that's when she knows she's hit the mark.

Stephanie shared how fantasy makes fashion fun, that it should be unpredictable. She referenced theaterical influences like Annie Hall, Moulin Rouge and Rent and how they helped to push boundaries of street fashion.

After the discussion, guests were treated to one-on-one sessions with Bloomingdale's shopping experts and the makeup artist team from Chanel as well as a preview of the LA Opera costume installation now on view through Sep 16 (Dresses, Level 2.)

Queen of the Night from The Magic Flute

From La Traviata

From The Grand Duchess

Sneak peek at more of the costumes for The Two Foscari through Mattie's sketches.

The Two Foscari starring Placido Domingo opens Saturday, September 15 for 6 performances only. Learn more about this rare Verdi opera and its highly anticipated revival at LA Opera.

Marina Poplavskaya as Lucrezia dominates the stage visually in this dazzling gown designed by Mattie Ullrich.  Her dramatic updo reminds a little of Adele.

Placido Domingo as the tormented Doge of Venice.  Mattie's design establishes his prominent status with the rich fabric and color of the outer piece while the soft and simple undergarment reveals a more vulnerable side of Francesco Foscari. 

(Photos: Robert Millard)

The Two Foscari opens Saturday, September 15.  Read more about this exciting revival of Verdi's masterpiece.

As the staff, cast, crew and guests prepare for tomorrow night's opening of the 2012/2013 season and premiere of The Two Foscari, we take a moment to pause and review past Gala fashion as a guide to how to be best dressed at LA Opera.

Last year's ARIA Chair, Emmy Rossum looked elegant in this Piaget gown that was perfect for sitting during the performance and the outdoor after party. The trick is to select something comfortable, appropriate for the occasion with some thought about the environment.

Emmy and her cast mates from "Shameless" hit the dance floor in varying lengths of dresses.  Short is not out of the question for a formal evening in L.A. But, because the season opening night is also the LA Opera Gala, it provides the perfect occasion to go all out in black tie and formal gowns.

Black is always a classic and timeless choice as this couple so elegantly proves.

September in L.A. doesn't bring fall weather and tomorrow's temperature in DNTLA could exceed 100(!) so comfort is key when it comes to dressing formal.  These two whimsical gowns designed by Sue Wong are what she envisions as "operatic" and we think they are perfect for the IGNITE! theme.  Ms. Wong will be joining us on the red carpet along with a live display of her new ethereal designs. 

LA Opera staff take advantage of the occasion to show off their own personal style.  A fashion care package came for one staffer all the way from Brooklyn.  We can't wait to see what else was in this box!

In the searing heat of late Los Angeles summer (the day topped off at 100 + degrees!), guests of the LA Opera 12/13 Season Opening Night Gala handled the weather with style.

 Designer Sue Wong arrived in a dazzling form fitting gown draped with long silky feathers.  She is seen here with models wearing elegant, weather-appropriate gowns from her new collection. The stunning, show-stopping jewelry on all the ladies comes from Joe Vilaiwan, Ms. Wong's jewelry designer.

Thanks to support from Bloomingdale's who features the Sue Wong dress collection, a display of her new creations greeted guests as they entered the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

These three gowns were particular standouts for the LA Opera staff who noted the expression of glamour and opulence often seen on the opera stage.

Mattie Ullrich (r), costume designer for The Two Foscari , went for a 70's Halston look in this one shoulder column gown and romantic, side-swept updo.

Accessories are often an important part of a performer's costume so we took a closer look at the variety on display at the Gala.

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ARIA Chair Stana Katic (l), Christoph Waltz (c) and Anna Gunn (r). Although all three have illustrious careers on the big and small screens, they also have past relationships with the theatre stage. We found them backstage looking so good together, one might think they coordinated wardrobe for the evening.

Weeknights draw a different kind of chic to the opera house and the first KCRW Night (9/28) of the season was no exception.  Although black tie isn't necessary on a weeknight, style is the name of the game. 

All photos courtesy of Julia Mafalda Photography

Short and sexy in light fabrics for the win.

So, you've got this long, sheer flowing gown that makes you look all ethereal and you've got no place to wear it...or do you?

L.A. isn't without its theatrics and at LA Opera, we like our drama.  These examples do the trick. 

Ildebrando D'Arcangelo, the star of DON GIOVANNI is flanked by KCRW DJ Jeremy Sole and his lovely girlfriend who provided sweet vocals to the after party.

Dressing up sometimes means dressing down or at least leaving the sparkles and studs for another occasion.  These two statuesque beauties really toned it down and managed to stand out in the crowd.

Don Draper would be a tad jealous. There's something about a crisp white shirt, a well-tied tie and a man toting champagne.

Weeknights in L.A. are chock full of interesting and culturally stimulating things to do.  So, put on that jacket or dress that makes you feel like a super hero (like these guests clearly did) and make a night of it! In case you were wondering, black is always fashionable in L.A.

It is ok to ignore what your mother or grandmother told you about matching your bag with your shoes.  Here the "this-doesn't-match" accessory makes the look.  We like the white handbag and the leopard pumps.

 In honor of Vogue Magazine's 120th anniversary, they've put together a quick shopping guide of Vogue-vetted fashion and accessories for Fall, under $120.  We are especially fond of the Baroque selection including Givenchy brooches and eShakti's Flame of the Forest dress (owned by yours truly). 

Even from the view of the farthest seats, the stunning gowns in The Two Foscari add startling splashes of color to the dark mood and eerie lighting effects of the opera. 

Seen here moments before taking the stage, drama is as much in the backs of these gowns as in the front.  Modern embellishments, jewelry pieces and make up palettes bring another layer of sophistication to Mattie Ullrich's designs and to the entire production. Makes one wonder if stars known for their wardrobe theatrics like Lady Gaga aren't lurking in the back row at the opera looking for inspiration....

(Geraldine Farrar as Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly, 1908. Photo from Everett Collection)

Following the 1898 short story Madame Butterfly by John Luther Long, Giacomo Puccini made Cio-Cio San famous with his opera in 1904.  The beauty and mystery of Japan's geisha culture have been the fascination of the western world for more than two centuries.  The origin of the geisha dates back to the late 600s and there are still modern geishas working in Japan today having studied the same traditional instruments, songs, calligraphy, dances, tea ceremony, literature and poetry of their predecessors. 

Cio-Cio San being 15 years old when we meet her in Madame Butterfly, could have been a geisha apprentice or maiko.  The maiko was easily identified by her colorful clothing, heavy makeup and elaborate hair style and hair pins. 

The young maiko would also have very subtle differences in her makeup application from a full-fledged geisha. Red around the eyes, shortened eybrows and lipstick mixed with crystallized sugar applied only to the bottom lip are hallmarks of the maiko.  This look has come to be the Western ideal of what a geisha looks like.   

(Geraldine Farrar as Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly, 1916. Photo from Corbis)

Vogue Italia has put together a lovely photo restrospective of the geisha from traditional images dating back to 1890, through the evolving culture in the 1950's to modern film and fashion.  Click here to view the album. Then see the beautiful Oksana Dyka as Cio-Cio San in a beautiful and classic production of Madame Butterfly opening November 17. 

Christian Sirano, winner of Project Runway, revealed his Fall 2013 collection theme last week -- dressing for an evening at a Russian opera.  Inspired by a book on Russian opera houses, he created a wardrobe complete with day looks, cocktail dresses, performance night attire right down to the glamorous shoes.

We love the theme of course and surprised to find the shoe collection seen on the runway coming to Payless Shoe Source of all places. Just in time for Carmen this fall!

Jezebel provides a lovely slide show of the collection.