Virtual Opera costume sale
Annual event showcasing ensembles from shows to be held online over 3 days
With a vibe somewhere between the mayhem of Black Friday shopping and the reserved scouting of an auction preview, the San Francisco Opera Costume Shop sale is one of the most anticipated events in the Bay Area for the many people who want to take home a piece from beloved productions worn by favorite performers.
In previous years, lines have stretched around the block at the China Basin facility where the sales were once held, and you’ve had to move quickly through the throngs to snatch pieces that caught your eye.
“The reactions to what’s available have run the gamut,” says Randy Laroche, who with his husband, David Laudon, has bought items from the past two sales.
With its history of drawing crowds that vie for prized items, the costume sale is the kind of event that is the antithesis of coronavirus precautions. Which is why the San Francisco Opera has moved this year’s sale online, taking place Friday through Sunday, Nov. 1315. Instead of browsing through the racks and displays, get ready to log on and scroll through more than 500 costumes ranging from rich velvet robes to knights’ armor and bustled gowns that come from productions including “The Merry Widow,” “Die Fledermaus” and “Tannhäuser.”
“It’s nonstop, generally, when we’ve had inperson sales,” says Galen Till, senior costume production supervisor at San Francisco Opera. “We have people who are huge opera fans who want a piece of history or from a designer they admire. We have people who are going to Burning Man who want bits and pieces to add to their looks. We have people who don’t follow opera who just want looks for Halloween. There’s so many periods represented in the sale. You can do a Ren fair, Edwardian ball, Gatsby summer afternoon — there’s so much variety in the costumes and the people who come.”
San Francisco Opera General Director Matthew Shilvock says that the costume sales serve multiple purposes. On the practical side, the costume shop, in the basement of the Veterans Building on Van Ness Avenue next to the Opera House, needs to clear items from productions no longer performed to make room for new costumes. There are also financial considerations — the last costume shop sale in 2014 netted roughly $ 350,000, a sum most arts organizations can’t afford to ignore during the financial strains brought on by the pandemic.
Proceeds from this year’s sale will help the Opera meet financial commitments it has made to keep paying out of work employees some salary and benefits during the pandemic. But the sale isn’t just to help bring in revenue.
“We also have a desire to share the art of San Francisco Opera through the sale,” Shilvock says. “To be able to touch something that was on our stage can be an emotional experience for many people. This is a way we can continue to bring people the artistry of the opera, even now.”
In addition to seeing what goes onstage, Shilvock knows the riches of the costume shop on a personal level: The white tie and tails by Giorgio Armani that he has worn to the Opera Ball every year since taking over as director in 2016 were originally used in a production of “Lulu.”
Past years have seen elaborate fantasy dresses from “The Bonesetter’s Daughter,” matador ensembles from “Carmen” and ornate gowns from operas by Verdi and Puccini on the racks. Valkyrie breastplates hung near Elizabethan corsets, and you could find Victorian suiting as easily as Pagliacci ruffles.
During a recent photo shoot at the Opera’s offices, a pink and teal plaid taffeta party dress in the style of the 1960s from the 2013 production of “Dolores Claiborne” was on display next to a Renaissance doublet and breeches made of bronze leather for “Lucrezia Borgia” in 2011. An icy blue and lavender gown from 1990’ s “Die Fledermaus” features flowers hand painted on the apron by designer Thierry Bosquet.
Moving the sale online isn’t the only change this year. Instead of selling individual items, each costume will be sold as an entire ensemble. “Since people won’t be able to pull through racks and see things individually, we wanted to curate things for convenience,” Till says.
Prices will range from around $ 75 for children’s costumes from “Tannhäuser” to around $ 1,200 for some of the evening gowns.
Several of the pieces purchased at the costume shop sales have managed to find their way back to the Opera House on occasion. In 2019, Randy Laroche and David Laudon wore matching velvet tunics from “The Flying Dutchman” and feathered hats from “Prince Igor” to the Opera Ball. The spouses were keeping with the Elizabethan setting of “Romeo and Juliet,” which was the opening night opera. Other productions they have bought pieces from include “Don Giovanni,” “Otello” and “Turandot.”
“Some of the ladies want the diva outfits; we look for items in pairs,” Laudon says. “There’s such a huge collection to pick from. We’ve spent hours just looking at stuff.”
Laroche and Laudon plan to log onto the sale this year, even if only to observe. In previous years, they’ve managed to stock up on costume pieces they’ve used for everything from Halloween to
special events organized by the Opera.
“We’re pretty open to the possibilities when we shop,” Laroche says. One of his most unexpected purchases at the sales is a gold velvet caftan used in a production of “Turandot.”
“We get a lot of really positive feedback after the sale,” Till says. “It’s definitely a morale booster in a year like this. Being able to have the sale is a really great way to connect with people we haven’t been able to see this fall” with the season canceled.
And, Till’s advice for firsttime shoppers: “Get your measurements ready to go and look at our size chart,” and if you’re struggling for an occasion to wear your new purchases, remember, “You can go to an outdoor dining venue in your new outfit and then go to the drivein or go watch an opera at home. There’s nowhere in San Francisco you can’t wear a costume.”