Fantasma De La Opera

Pieces for sale will include everything ranging from complete “merry peasant” and “medieval courtier” costumes to individual pieces such as capes, hats, shoes and fans. Highlights of the collection include a number of “diva dresses,” stunning hand-crafted gowns worn by LA Opera’s leading ladies including Carol Vaness (La Traviata, Don Giovanni, The Merry Widow and La Rondine), Jennifer Larmore (L’Italiana in Algeri), Maria Ewing (Fedora), Verónica Villarroel (Idomeneo) and Karita Mattila (Jenufa), as well as costumes worn by superstar tenor Plácido Domingo (Un Ballo in Maschera and Idomeneo). From what I hear, there is only one latex Fly costume so get in line early if you want to nab that one!

Prices will range from $10 for accessories to $20 for hats and masks, complete costumes from $150 all the way up to $5,000 for couture pieces. Cash, check and credit cards are all accepted.

LA Opera is the fourth largest opera company in the United States. The Company’s Costume Shop is staffed by dozens of highly skilled employees, including master tailors, cutter/drapers, seamsters and craftspersons, who create hundreds of costumes by hand every year for principal artists, choristers, dancers and supernumeraries appearing in LA Opera productions at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Sturdily constructed to last and often highly detailed, the costumes are built to fit singers of every size, from robust Wagnerians to petite Mozartians.

The costume sale will be held in the parking lot of LA Opera’s Costume Shop at 330 South Alameda Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013.

Parking is available on the street, and there is secured pay parking in the Little Tokyo Galleria parking structure at 333 S. Alameda Street, directly across the street from the Costume Shop.

Happy hunting!

Anyway, a short set of bullets, all from blogs written by people I’ve actually met in person…

• From Adam Chester, who I met years ago at a J Keith van Straaten show. From his blog “Please Don’t Eat Sushi! Love, Mom!”, Adam’s Mom warns him of the dangers of not checking to see if the trick-or-treaters at your door are actually children: Children at the Door

• From cyn3matic, a wonderful lady I met last week whose kid is going out for Halloween as Yoda: Everything I Needed to Know About This Election I Learned From My Kid and Star Wars

• From the17thman, who I met this past weekend at BarCampLA6,  predicts a potentially popular Halloween costume to be seen on the streets of WeHo this year: Got Speedo, Then You Have Your Halloween Costume

• From the lovely Siel (greenlagirl), who I met at a Nintendo DS party for girls, with her last minute tips for a less-orangey holiday: The Procrastinator’s guide to a green Halloween

• From the wonderful noirbettie, who I met through blogging.la (that’s what it was called back then, dammit!). Her sister asks for suggestions for a costume: Conversation with my sister

Photo from I don’t know where, but dang!!!