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.