LULU 1998
costumes designed by Bob Mackie
Lulu’s bringing sexy back! Bob Mackie is known for his jaw dropping gowns and exquisite beading… sultry singers would slay on the red carpet in this dress.
Celebrities who would die to wear it:
Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Britney Spears
Eilana Lappalainen as Lulu
Mackie's design
LUCREZIA BORGIA 2011
costumes designed by John Pascoe With yards and yards and yards of chiffon, this gown created for the incomparable Renée Fleming is the perfect picture of love, power and despair. Multi-layered and complex—like the original femme fatale herself—this is a showstopper both with and without the simple little evening coat.
Celebrities who would swish by you in it:
Kate Winslet, Helen Mirren, Meryl Streep
Renee Fleming as Lucrezia Borgia
Pascoe's design
CAPRICCIO, 1990
costumes designed by Gianni Versace The late Gianni Versace was an artistic genius, a fashion whiz and a pop culture icon. His designs for San Francisco Opera were done at the height of the Versace vogue. His bold unmistakable stylings can still be seen on the Versace runways today.
Celebrities who would brag about “Vintage Versace” while wearing it:
Lady GaGa, Cher, Catherine Zeta-Jones
Hanna Schwartz as Clarion
Versace's design
Kiri Te Kanawa as The Countess; Versace's design
I CAPULETI E I MONTECCHI 2012
costumes designed by Christian Lacroix Lacroix! Sweetie! With the bubble skirt, Christian Lacroix defined a decade and became a fashion superstar. Revisiting the iconic look was a natural for Giulietta as it mimicked a budding flower.
Celebrities who would rock it:
Paris Hilton, Kendall and Kylie Jenner, Lana del Rey
Nicole Cabell as Giulietta
Lacroix's design
GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG 2011
costumes designed by Catherine Zuber
Tony Award-winning designer Catherine Zuber used a fantastic orange to illustrate Texan wealth and arrogance. Cinching the waist and emphasizing the bust certainly helped to define Gutrune’s shallow lustful look.
Celebrities who would fill it out:
Christina Hendricks, Sofia Vergara, the late Anna Nicole Smith
Melissa Citro as Gutrune
Zuber's design
THE MAKROPULOS CASE 2010
Costumes designed by Frank Philipp Schlössmann
Where would a 350 year-old opera star shop in the 1950s? Dior, of course.
Designer Frank Philipp Schlössman opted for opulence when choosing a historic couture evening gown to recreate for the chic Emilia Marty.
Celebrities who would adore Dior it:
Charlize Theron, Jennifer Lawrence, Gwyneth Paltrow
Karita Mattila as Emilia Marty
Schlössmann's design
RODELINDA 2005
Costumes designed by Buki Shiff
Designer Buki Schiff transported us to the glory days of film noir with this exquisite beaded gown. Paired (of course) with a white fox fur and opera length gloves, this beauty heralds the golden age of Hollywood glamour.
Celebrities who would stare you down in it:
Joan Crawford, Angelina Jolie, Divine
Phyllis Pancella as Eduige
Shiff's design
SALOME 2009
Costumes designed by Bruno Schwengl With a modern feminine reinterpretation of a biblical gown, Salome gives us an ample preview of what’s to come in the dance of the seven veils.
Celebrities who would make the Best Dressed list in it:
Sandra Bullock, Halle Berry, Cate Blanchett
Nadja Michael as Salome
Schwengl's design
L'INCORONAZIONE DI POPPEA 1998
Costumes designed by Robert Perdziola
This sumptuous red gown by Robert Perdziola is fit for a queen. Antique gold lace, opera length gloves and a sweeping train will command attention upon any entrance. The fact that Ruxandra Donose is literally, “dripping with jewels” doesn’t hurt.
Queens who would grace you with their presence in it:
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Queen Sofia of Spain, RuPaul
Ruxandra Donose as Poppea
Perdziola's design
MACBETH 2007
Costumes designed by Marie-Jeanne Lecca Sometimes a simple black dress can be anything but… Lady Macbeth shows us why her husband can’t refuse her most insane demands.
Celebrities who would need double stick tape for it:
Jennifer Lopez, Salma Hayek, Donatella Versace
Giorgina Lukacs as Lady Macbeth
Photos by Marty Sohl (Lulu, L'Incoronazione di Poppea); Cory Weaver (Lucrezia Borgia, I Capuleti e i Montechi, Gotterdammerung, The Makropulous Case, Salome); Larry Merkle (Capriccio); Terrence McCarthy (Rodelinda, Macbeth).