This might not be the right blog for this, but Opera Memphis is selling dresses, robes, and pantaloons from its famed costume stock. And it’s just in time for Halloween.
I hit the preview sale yesterday, and I have to say … it was amazing.
They are only selling a fraction of it, but Opera Memphis’ costume collection includes more than a million pieces. (Ed.’s note: It’s a closet the rivals only my own.) It has costumes from at least 13 shows, a lot of them made in Europe, and the pieces date from 1940 to the present.
Costumes for sale include those from shows, such as La Boheme, which the opera has half the costumes for, and some are one-offs, period pieces that were used to fill in the chorus but don’t go with any particular set.
“We have so many costumes and we only have so much space to store them,” said director of development Christiana Leibovich. “We really love the idea of people being out in the community in really amazing costumes and being like, ‘I’m wearing an original opera costume.’ These are costumes you couldn’t rent for the price we’re selling them.”
Some of the costumes are so well-traveled they even have passport stamps.
(More after the jump.)
