Period Corsets® at the Metropolitan Opera in "The Tempest"

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Over the years Period Corsets® has had the priviledge of collaborating with The Metropolitan Opera on several artistically challenging and innovative projects. This year we were delighted to work with them on "The Tempest" a new Robert LePage World Premiere.The costume designer for this international endeavor was Kym Barrett.  The opera was a co-prodution, being built in tandem with Opera Festival de Quebec.  Period Corsets part was to make corsets and petticoats for each singer in the cast. Making one set of costumes to fit two casts of singers, for Quebec and the Met was quite challenging.  The required head scratching  and  perusing of measurement charts was well worth it! This time our corsets would not be undercover but showcased as the central element of the design.

Photo: The Metropolitan Opera

 As with many of our custom projects, we started  our design discussion with creating a prototype.  We sent two mock-ups (see below) to the Met team for their input. The finished corsets were required to be customized to each individual Met performer's measurements and alterable to their counterpart in Quebec.  To accommodate as much flexibility as possible we added another alteration point at the center back to allow 6 inches extra to work with.  Ms. Barrett started with our basic c. 1860 Julia Corset shape.

Period Corsets Julia corset with the
designer's changes and primary research

As you can see on the left, the designer wanted more fullness in the bust with added bust gussets. We made two styles; they chose the style which required under-wires. Bust cups! 60 sets of bust measurements! We came up with an elaborate system  to accommodate so many varying shapes. That 6 inches of alter-ability plus the lacing in the back came in very handy.  No two women's shapes are exactly the same.



photo: Period Corsets mock-ups for The Tempest corset



photo: Period Corsets

 The final corsets were made in brilliantly  liquid linen fabrics glazed with either copper, silver or gold.  Select members of the cast's corsets were made in custom dyed chenille with glittering metallic patterns.


photo: Period Corsets

The costumes each had a custom five ruffle petticoat made in ivory taffeta. It seemed like miles of ruffles! The cast wore them in the first half of the perfomance. They were rigged to be easily taken off for a quick change in to the slimmer  silhouette in the second half.

Photo: Period Corsets

Here they are! Our corsets and petticoats are under the lights in performance at the Metropolitan Opera.  These  production stills  are from The Tempest.
For more photos click here
 For  video click here

Period Corsets® on stage at the Metropolitan Opera

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Isabel Leonard as Miranda in The Tempest wears a custom made bodice by Period Corsets.



For more  about the corsets we made for  The Tempest click here

Silk Petticoats for The Metropolitan Opera in New York

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These petticoats are for "The Enchanted Island", a new opera  which opens December 31st at The Metropolitan Opera. "In one extraordinary new work, lovers of Baroque opera have it all:..."

These two pettiocats are our 18th c. petticoat shape. Just add a silk taffeta, a dupioni and a black and gold rose brocade ruffle and you have your custom petticoat from Period Corsets.

These petticoats are  patterned and made to fit over our Full Pannier for the dramatic hip silhouette of the late 18th century. If you were to attend the court at Versaille you would need to have your hips at least 36" wide. These will do the trick!

A peek of Period Corsets® Petticoats at the Met's curtain call of La Sonnambula 2009

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photo:compliments of operatictypepad.com


Period Corsets® petticoats peek out when the dancers kick up their heels in the curtain call number of the Metropolitan Opera's La Sonnambula. Most of the action takes place about 2:10 minutes into the clip!

See if you can pick out the Period Corsets® petticoats used as rehearsal skirts on some of the chorus ladies. Many of our petticoats are hanging on the rack on stage left. In the final scene of act one, the chorus members rip petticoats off the rack and proceed to fling them across the stage in a furor. A veritable petticoat storm ensues. Quite exciting!

Period Corsets® reach new heights in the New York Times

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The Metropolitan Opera announced its upcoming 2009-10 season in the New York Times Sunday edition, April 5th. Period Corsets® adds drama to the death defying heights in this new staging of Puccini's classic opera. Karita Mattila, as Tosca wears our c. 1905 Mae Corset and Late 19th c. Petticoat.



The Met's new production opens September 21st, James Levin conducting.
Photo by Brigitte Lacombe, courtesy of The Met.






Full page spread in the Sunday New York Times













Period Corsets®
on the streets of New York City.
( Love the taxi cab in the reflection!)













Photo by Jay SchwartzCoffey

Period Corsets® Petticoats are featured in HD! In the Metropolitan Opera's "La Sonnambula"

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April 1st, 2009 at 7 pm
Attend the performance!
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The chorus and ballet women wear these petticoats which we custom-made in our Seattle workroom in the final scene of the opera.

An intro to "The Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD"
In the past year or so, the Metropolitan Opera has been broadcasting its productions throughout the US in movie theatres--the goal is to bring opera to a wider audience. The latest broadcast is "La Sonnambula". Period Corsets® is very much honored to have featured garments in this performance.
more about La Sonnabula in HD
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