The creations viewed up close gave me shivers. They are that beautiful.
Italian costume designer Massimo Cantini Parrini has become synonymous with movie magic in my book, ever since I watched his collaboration with Matteo Garrone, the film based on the Neapolitan fairy tale collection Tale of Tales in Cannes in 2015. Those strong pigeon-blood ruby reds and dark, gold embroidered gowns which Salma Hayek wore simply lived in my heart and soul for many moons to come. I can still picture them as I’m writing this down.
In fact, no other film captured my inner fashionista’s imagination quite like it, not that year and not for many years to come.
Until this fall, when I rewatched Pablo Larraín’s Maria at a special London screening and started to covet wearing a long lavish wool robe — a dressing gown — like the one Cantini Parrini designed especially for Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas. There is something truly magical in that one garment, which gives the film an extra touch of deliciousness, and nostalgia, and I’m completely baffled, personally, by the BAFTA voting body overlooking my fellow Florentine’s work. Jealousy is an ugly beast, methinks.
The sketch for the wool robe worn by Angelina Jolie in ‘Maria’
Anyway, for those who fell in love with the costumes in Maria, there is a special treat at the Royal Opera House in London this weekend. Alas, if you haven’t booked your slot for a walk-through you may be out of luck, because the upcoming event, taking place on Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 18th was sold out in a matter of days — shortly after it was announced.
But luckily, I got a sneak peak, and my tour was conducted by a woman who is a wonder herself, RBO guide Freyja Westdal, who walked us through the immense building, up and down elevators and back stairs and finally brought us to the Linbury theater in the basement of the Royal Ballet and Opera House in Covent Garden, to gaze up-close at two of the costumes that were designed by Cantini Parrini for Larraín’s film. And there, in front of those masterpieces of the sartorial art, the word “magnificent” doesn’t even begin to do them justice!
The tour itself features rare behind-the-scenes access and insight into Maria Callas’ real and operatic life, along with the special viewing of the two costumes from the film. As the release for the special event pointed out “Maria Callas had a storied career on the Royal Opera House stage. From making her Covent Garden debut in Norma in 1952 to performing her last ever opera to a packed London audience in Tosca in 1965, Callas’ performances at the Royal Opera House are still revered as some of the best of all time. Describing her own time at the Royal Opera House as a “love affair”, Maria Callas’ story is not complete without mentioning her iconic performances on the Main Stage.”
In fact, we even got to sit in the Director’s Box, right across from the Royal Box inside the main theater and I took a shot looking out at the hall’s magnificence, which can hold up to 2500 people on one night — seeing what Callas herself would have seen from the stage. Much for intimidating of course, as her view would have been filled with people.
Following a quick backstage tour, we went up to the RBO’s Hats and Jewelry Department, where La Divina Callas’ tiaras would have been designed back in the day. Her collection of jewelry, both real and costume, was legendary and in Maria there are a few pieces which shine through, like the long gold necklace she wears with a YSL ensemble.
Franco Zeffirelli kisses Maria Callas, photo used with permission
Wandering through the corridors of the Royal Opera House, I spotted photos of Italian filmmaker Luchino Visconti, whose work there included productions of Don Carlos, Il trovatore, and La traviata. Also immortalized on the walls were images of Franco Zeffirelli, who famously joked that opera existed in terms of “BC and AC — Before Callas and After Callas.” As always, the great Italian auteur was right, as La Divina managed something magical with her voice that was both a blessing — for her audiences — and a curse, for her. Her slow upper “vibrato,” so celebrated in her younger years, ended up being her undoing, creating a “tremolo”, a shake in her later singing. So what we love about her voice, that slow warmth she exuded ended up also being her undoing, as is often the case with so much in life.
One cute anecdote that our guide Freyja shared was about another opera Diva, the Australian Joan Sutherland. The young Sutherland, who was singing Clothilde to Callas’ Norma in the RBO production of Bellini’s Norma, was so impressed by the Greek Diva’s singing that she refused to sing the title role herself for more than a decade. It was not until 1963 that the Australian coloratura soprano finally sang as Norma, in Vancouver. The original production at the RBO featuring them both was in 1953.
Finally, a word about sustainability and how big theaters and great films should do it. Both the RBO and Cantini Parrini use the power of recycling, as the Opera House in London has just concluded a run of a production of Cinderella, the Sergey Prokofiev ballet choreographed by Frederick Ashton. The sets and most of the costumes for the production are the same as those for the 2023, which means less waste. And the Italian designer used vintage fur for the trimming of the midnight blue velvet Tosca gown, pictured below. For those who, even on our tour, turn their nose up at the use of real fur, vintage authentic fur is a hundred times more sustainable than faux fur. Faux fur is made from plastic-based fibers that come from fossil fuels, which have a significant impact on the climate, plus it breaks down into microplastics that can end up in landfills or in the ocean and an take hundreds to thousands of years to break down, releasing emissions into the atmosphere and microplastics into the ground.
So good on the RBO and Massimo Cantini Parrini for their efforts in helping our planet be a better place!
The Medea gown, hand painted on silk — it took nine tries to get it just right, according to our guide! — is also featured in the tour this weekend and is a wonder to view up-close.
Famous last words belong to the Florentine Oscar-nominated designer:
“I re-created her entire wardrobe with extreme passion, trying to put myself in the shoes of the [icon],” said Cantini Parrini on the Netflix site. “Clothing is a status symbol, a nonverbal means of communication. I wanted Maria to appear true. I wanted her immortal distance — between being a woman and a diva at the same time — to shine through her clothes.”
Mission accomplished I’d say.
Maria is in UK cinemas now, and on Netflix in the US.
Top image courtesy of Studiocanal, used with permission.