Fashion Designers At The Opera

The most theatrical of arts inspires the most visionary fashion designers to create extraordinary costumes for extraordinary productions: a glorious book for fashionistas and opera fans. Fashion and opera are natural arenas for collaboration. In 2009–2010 alone, Viktor & Rolf, Miuccia Prada, Emanuel Ungaro, and Christian Lacroix made successful sorties as costumers for operas in New York, Baden-Baden, Naples, and Berlin. In this sumptuous new book, leading figures in the world of fashion— Giorgio Armani, Marc Bohan, Christian Lacroix, Karl Lagerfeld, Ottavio and Rosita Missoni, Miuccia Prada, Zandra Rhodes, Emanuel Ungaro, Gianni Versace, and Viktor & Rolf—are profiled, together with illustrations of their costume designs. Helena Matheopoulos’s interviews with many of the designers illuminate the journey that led each to the opera and the challenges of working in a demanding new medium. Costume designs for many well-loved operas—including Don Giovanni, Lucia di Lammermoor, Carmen, Aida, Thai¨s, Agrippina, Cosi` fan tutte, Attila, and The Magic Flute—are featured. The opera houses commissioning the costume designs include La Scala, the Metropolitan Opera, the The´a^tre Royal de la Monnaie, the Are`nes de Ni^mes, the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, and the San Diego Opera, among many others. Hundreds of color illustrations include original designers’ sketches, photographs of the finished costumes, and images of the actual productions, many of which feature breathtaking stage sets as well.

Costume Design for Performance offers a detailed insight into the creative process behind designing costumes for the performing arts, including theatre, opera, dance and film. Guiding the reader through the essential steps of the designing process, Bettina John combines extensive knowledge of the industry with insights gleaned from leading experts in the performing arts. Featuring over 200 original artworks by more than thirty designers, this book gives a rare insight into this highly individual and creative process. Topics covered include script analysis; in-depth research techniques; practical techniques to explore design; basic drawing techniques; character development; the role of the costume designer and wider team and finally, advice on portfolio presentation.

In The Art and Practice of Costume Design, a panel of seven designers offer a new multi-sided look at the current state and practice of theatrical costume design. Beginning with an exploration of the role of a Costume Designer, the subsequent chapters analyse and explore the psychology of dress, the principles and elements of design, how to create costume renderings, and collaboration within the production. The book also takes a look at the costume shop and the role of the designer within it, and costume design careers within theatrical and fashion industries.

Opera has been around ever since the late 16th century, and it is still going strong in the sense that operas are performed around the world at present, and known by infinitely more persons than just those who attend performances. On the other hand, it has enjoyed periods in the past when more operas were produced to greater acclaim. Those periods inevitably have pride of place in this Historical Dictionary of Opera, as do exceptional singers, and others who combine to fashion the opera, whether or not they appear on stage. But this volume looks even further afield, considering the cities which were and still are opera centers, literary works which were turned into librettos, and types of pieces and genres. While some of the former can be found on the web or in other sources, most of the latter cannot and it is impossible to have the whole picture without them. Indeed, this book has an amazingly broad scope. The dictionary section, with about 340 entries, covers the topics mentioned above but obviously focuses most on composers, not just the likes of Mozart, Verdi and Wagner, but others who are scarcely remembered but made notable contributions. Of course, there are the divas, but others singers as well, and some of the most familiar operas, Don Giovanni, Tosca and more. Technical terms also abound, and reference to different genres, from antimasque to zarzuela. Since opera has been around so long, the chronology is rather lengthy, since it has a lot of ground to cover, and the introduction sets the scene for the rest. This book should not be an end but rather a beginning, so it has a substantial bibliography for readers seeking more specific or specialized works. It is an excellent access point for readers interested in opera.

Unbuttoned: The Art and Artists of Theatrical Costume Design documents the creative journey of costume creation from concept to performance. Each chapter provides an overview of the process, including designing and shopping; draping, cutting, dyeing, and painting; and beading, sewing, and creating embellishments and accessories. This book features interviews with practitioners from Broadway and regional theatres to opera and ballet companies, offering valuable insights into the costume design profession. Exceptional behind-the-scenes photography illustrates top costume designers and craftspeople at work, along with gorgeous costumes in progress.

"She is the most wonderfully inventive and brilliantly talented designer" Dame Judi Dench on Clancy. Deirdre Clancy is one of the most experienced and accomplished costume designers in the business. In this book, she gives her inside knowledge of designing for stage and screen, which includes television, film, theatre and opera. She includes a brief illustrated history of costume design – from the Greeks to Lady Gaga – an invaluable guide for students and current designers. Part Two takes the reader through the design process: how you go about doing it, and the different strands of costume design – from contemporary clothes through to period costume, how to communicate with the audience, designing on paper and with Photoshop or on an iPad and how to share and communicate your ideas and well as mood boards and collages for inspiration. Part Three is about the world of costume design – what it involves and how to get into the field, who does what and the differences between working for stage and screen productions. Clancy advises on budgets and improvisation and covers all the practicalities and behind-the-scenes tips. Part Four looks at period costume from the Dark Ages up to the twentieth century, encompassing authenticity and feasibility. Finally, Part Five looks at individual case studies in depth, including opera and Shakespeare productions. Packed with great drawings and case studies, this is an essential book for any student or professional costume designer looking for additional inside advice. Whether you are a designer for the stage or screen, this book has something new for you with advice from one of the best in the business.

From the catwalks of Paris to the sweatshops of South Korea; from Seventh Avenue glitz to Tokyo new-wave... The sophisticated brokings of the fashion conspiracy have generated a powerful new force in the world economy; designer money. Nicholas Coleridge presents a fascinating portrait of the jet-setting matrons who are the gurus and tyrants of the fashion press; of fashion legends like Paloma Picasso and Tina Chow; of the top store buyers who command $700 million a season. He probes the incredible world of the designer billionaires like Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Yves St Laurent whose fashion empires are richer than entire Third World countries. Here are the jealousies, the glamour, the buccaneering, the espionage and the razzmatazz in a witty and penetrating guide to an extraordinary world.

It takes more than raw talent and passion to make it in today's global apparel and accessories markets-excellent computer-aided design skills are a prerequisite. CAD for Fashion Design and Merchandising allows students to immediately begin creating digital fashion presentations using Adobe Illustrator® and Photoshop®. This book takes an integrated approach, allowing students to master the three-dimensional benefits of combining the two software programs. Colorful illustrations accompany easy, step-by-step tutorials that are geared toward students at the beginner and intermediate levels. Because the book uses fashion photography rather than hand-drawn illustrations as a basis for demonstrating the proportion of fashion croquis, instructors will be able to evaluate students' mastery of digital illustration regardless of their hand-drawing skills, and students will benefit from a seamless transition from creative thought to digital rendering.