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aneacostumes

@aneacostumes

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Dress historian, costume maker, Scandinavian, eternal traveller. More at:

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I recently visited @kulturenilund in Southern Sweden to see their exhibition on historical fashion. Using highlights from their collection they show changing silhouettes in Swedish female fashion from 1730-2000. They have implemented a few rotating platforms to show certain garments from all sides, as well as effects like ‘looking glasses’ to direct visitor’s attention to specific details, and mirrors for faces. Many cool highlights, including THAT white Rococo dress with delicate blue embroidery. 🤩
The exhibition is called ‘Uppklädd – kvinnligt mode 1730–2000’ and was curated by Charlotte Åkerman and Anna Sanfridsson.
#historicalfashion #dresshistory #fashionexhibition #kulturenilund by @aneacostumes

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4 days ago

Copenhagen’s ‘Little Dancer of Fourteen Years’ has - like her many sisters around the world - gotten a new skirt. 💫
The Little Dancer is an iconic work by Edgar Degas. It was first presented in 1881 as a wax sculpture with real skirt, a waxed bodice and ballet slippers, and a real satin bow in the wig. The mixed media, pointing towards both stark realism and to wax sculptures of saints in Catholic churches, combined with what was deemed an unworthy subject - a young dancer of the lowest rank - caused a scandal. The little dancer was mocked and called ugly. Which is so hard to grasp today.
This exact version of the sculpture was cast sometime between 1921 and 1931, and has been a part of Glyptoteket’s collection since 1949. Its original (?) skirt, seen in photo 6 and 7, had turned black and was so brittle and fragile it had to be replaced.
I’m not gonna lie, I loved the old look. There is a beauty in ageing as well, and something pleasing in the ‘bronze look’ of the old skirt. But I absolutely accept the current version is closer to what Degas originally presented, and as such a more faithful representation. She would originally have had a crisp, bouncy white skirt, that’s one of the things that made the sculpture stand out. The conservators has done a beautiful job and it’s an absolute beauty.
The sculpture was modeled after young dancer Marie van Goethem, of Belgian origin but born in Paris in 1865 and training at the Parisian Opera. Her life story is know up until she was admitted to the Corps de Ballet at the opera in 1880. She is mentioned a few times, but disappears from history in 1882. Yet, she lives on in what is today one of Degas’ most celebrated works. If she only knew! ❤️
#edgardegas #marievangoethem #littledanceroffourteenyears #glyptoteket #nycarlsbergglyptotek taken in Glyptoteket by @aneacostumes

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Last Phantom of the Opera post for a while, I promise 😅 A glimpse of some fabric samples I have from original costumes, next to the same style they were used for.
1️⃣. It’s hardly noticeable in photos, but the original wedding dresses on Broadway 1988 were floral: Cream satin with silvery floral embroidery. I was gifted a scrap of these long ago and I adore it. So rich. And the bodice worn by Sarah Brightman in the photo truly look like a Victorian piece.
2️⃣. Most of the US dressing gowns have ruffles made of burned-out velvet. It’s light-weight and flowt, but create amazing texture. Here exemplified by Ali Ewoldt on Broadway c. 2016.
3️⃣. That legendary silk! Based on 18th century patterns, and made of blue silk with printed white and black floral and stripy pattern. Said to be unique for this specific dress, but have made sneak appearances in The Forsyte Saga, The Piano and Dangerous Liaisons. The dress worn by Colby Thomas in Hamburg c. 1992 is contemporary with my piece. She wore a dress with stunning beading in bodice front. Still a favourite.
4️⃣. The peach Aminta costume with its rich black embroidery. Always machine embroidered, often in chain-stitch. Here exemplified with Valerie Link’s crisp Hamburg dress c. 2013, contemporary to my fabric sample. Also, HER WIG.
All costumes were designed by late Maria Bjørnson, and she also had a hand in picking all the fabrics and materials.
#phantomoftheopera #mariabjørnson #christinedaae #costumedesign by @aneacostumes

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…and finally to the somewhat sad last installment: The never-finished Christine Daaé wedding gown. I love the materials and a lot of what is going on in this costume. But I gained weight while making it and now it doesn’t even remotely fit me. So here’s a hint of the dress that never got to play 🥺
The bodice is made of a silvery/offwhite ribbed silk, with sequinned and beaded details, and front buttoning. The skirt is made of cream satin with diagonal lace flounces with hint of iridescent sequins as well as white rosettas. Missing is the pleated basque on the bodice, and the wateefall backdrapes.
And yes, I even made the veil, I just never photographed it attached to the floral base 💫
And yes: Another beauty designed by late Maria Bjørnson.
#phantomoftheopera #mariabjørnson #christinedaaecosplay #aneafiles by @aneacostumes

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Aminta, my peachy love 🍑
This was the first Christine Daaé costume I made where I had Maria Bjørnson’s costume design at hand. Rather than basing my costume on a specific stage version, I tried to work from what I saw in the design. Which was a lovely way to work. It’s also - to date - my most well-tailored piece.
It was made with silk dupioni accented by black lace, and with white and red details to make it pop. There is a hint of flamenco and a hint of Rococo, it’s absolutely flirty, and I love it!
The photos here shows the dress worn for an even in Copenhagen (photo 1-7) and Las Vegas (13-16). Both events will stay with me forever, absolutely epic. And the people - oh, all the awesome people ❤️💫
The last three photos shows additional details I’ve added in more recent years, including a removeable apron, a dash of beading, and more fringes.
The design is, as always, by Maria Bjørnson - designed to utter perfection (slide 8). And one day I’d love to try out a white apron as well, just to reflect on the design as much as possible.
#phantomoftheopera #mariabjørnson #christinedaaecosplay #pointofnoreturn #aneacostumes by @aneacostumes

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8 days ago

Third last installment of the Christine Daaé costume bonanza…! This time the Wishing dress, or the Mausoleum dress. This is the only personal non-costume dress we see the leading lady wear in the show.
The original dresses has all - with an exception of maybe 7-10 versions - been made of a striped blue silk with floral details. In the years before big companies printing on demand, this was the ultimate dream for many a fan, and also fostered lots of creativity.
My fabric was a deeply personal choice, as I had just lost my mother and used her curtains for my replica. Apart from being beautiful on its own it also feels right to reuse them into a costume where the leading lady sings about longing for those she’s lost. 💙
I grew out of the original bodice (slide 1-4), but had enough fabric to make a second bodice (slide 4-7). For this version I tried out another idea for the stripe matching, and I went all in on heavy beading for the velvet details. The bodices are, despite the same materials, rather different in style, and I enjoy that. 💫
The skirt and drapes could luckilly be re-used, so technically it can be worn for both bodices today. It’s made to be adjustable, fitting different people. The model in photo 4, 5 and 7 is my wonderful colleague @bettinebroen . There is also the mandatory hooded navy cloak and red scarf. The design is, of course, by late Maria Bjørnson.
#phantomoftheopera #mariabjørnson #christinedaaecosplay #wishingdress #aneacostumes by @aneacostumes

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The madness continues…! And this one is cheating, because I am wearing an actual stage-worn skirt. It comes from the original Hamburg production c. 1993 and is beautiful beyond words. 💫
This is Christine Daaé’s New Years Eve fancy dress costume, a silver star-studded ensemble in pink and blue colours reminding of a sunset. The ombre effect of both bodice and skirt underlayers is stunning.
On her head she wears a crescent moon tiara, and either sky blue or silvery boots. The costume is lovingly nick-named ‘The Star Princess’.
I made a full replica back in the days, including a skirt. But when taking these photos in 2016 I had gotten the Hamburg skirt, and just had to wear it for the photoshoot. But the bodice with dip-dyed silk and crystal beading, the tiara, the mask and the boots is my own work. I even made two different tiaras; one blue and one silver. The silver one is closer to Maria Bjørnson’s design, while the blue one offers a nice pop of colours. The latter was a design introduced in West End around 2022.
…and the lst photo needs no explanation… 😅
Staircase photos: @leila_h_photography
#mariabjørnson #phantomoftheopera #christinedaaecosplay #aneacostumes by @aneacostumes

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10 days ago

Oh Phantom. You’ve brought me endless joy. As have all the amazing people I’ve met. Happy 40th anniversary 💫🎭🤌
#phantomoftheopera #thephantomoftheopera by @aneacostumes

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Did I mention mint green? 😬
Still a play within a play: The Rooftop costume is what Christine Daaé wears when taking over the lead role in the mock opera Il Muto, in the musical The Phantom of the Opera. 🎭 The costume - or rather the top half - is often photographed, as it’s worn in the sweeping love ballad ‘All I Ask Of You’.
This is an interesting costume. It’s still 18th century seen through a Victorian lense, but it’s also a costume designer Maria Bjørnson never seem to have been fully satisfied with. She wanted a costume that looked like moonlight, towards the star-lit Parisian night sky. So she had the costume makers try out blue, white, pink, gold, purple, mint, and wild multicoloured versions. It’s somewhat ambiguous colour can be seen in the costume design in slide 5. To this day the costume still appears in all possible shades and patterns.
I went all in on this one. Up close it is way too much, even for me 😅 But in evening light and in flash it glows from within. I enjoy the effect. I haven’t worn this a lot, but had a hoot at the Oslo Opera Ball in January 2020. Lots of dramatic cloak swirls that night. 😁
I also love the sepiaed last photo, taken by @leila_h_photography 💫
#phantomoftheopera #christinedaaecosplay #alliaskofyou #mariabjørnson #aneacostumes by @aneacostumes

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11 days ago

Many moons ago I made the Sylvan Glade ballet costume from The Phantom of the Opera. Simply because: If leading lady Christine Daaé had remained a ballerina, she would have worn this 🥸
I never wore this costume myself. But it has been styled and worn to utter perfection by two different owners:

@miss_13th (photo 1-3)
@wheelxezcosplay (photo 4-5)

This too is a part of the mock opera Il Muto. In sync with the other costumes I kept it very mint green - though to be fair, those are the typical colours of the costume. It was accented by pink and dusty gold. And did I mention mint? 😅 The design is by late Maria Bjørnson.
#phantomoftheopera #mariabjørnson #mariabjornson #aneacostumes by @aneacostumes

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Another Christine Daaé quick change: From maid to lover in disguise. A good ol’ pant role, with a girl playing a boy playing a girl. The role is named Serafimo, in the mock opera ‘Il Muto’ - which director Hal Prince and designer Maria Bjørnson shaped after Mozart’s ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ - complete with a huge Marie Antoinette-inspired bed on stage.
These stage costumes has been made in all possible colours, blue, pink, orange, black/white, green. I chose the latter, as I love mint green. But there is also a solid dose of black, white and pink involved, making it a proper lace monster 🥸
The skirt is made of a dark golden brocade covered with mint silk ribbons, and with a draped white lace apron. Underneath mint brocade breeches with black and gold decorations. Worn for both is a spotted white blouse/shirt with lace collar and lace cuffs. In addition a lace mob cap and mint leather shoes. Did I mention mint, by the way? 😅
#christinedaaecosplay #phantomoftheopera #mariabjørnson #mariabjornson #aneacostumes by @aneacostumes

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