This project asks you to explore the significance of dress code in opera today, and to
develop an alternative style guide influenced by historic and contemporary references of
what dressing up could look like today. You need to consider a contemporary audience,
and activities that would lend themselves to ensure the audience would be comfortable in
building new characters. This is an open brief for you to define how you can communicate
the style guide and which is an appropriate medium and narrative. The art of dressing up
and dressing for context needs all to be taken into account.
Tasks
Research the history of Glyndebourne and grasp an understanding of what it was and how it is today.
Quiz sent out to see others depictions of Opera today.
Research the history of Opera dressing.
What do people wear today?
Interview with my Grandparents, filmed and written up.
Research into stylists for my photoshoot.
Shoot moodboards, mindmaps, generating ideas and inspiration.
Shoot edited and made into a zine.
Conclusion.
Rough plan
Week 1 - 31st January project briefing. Select brief.
Week 2 - 7th February field trip to Glyndebourne. Collect images and start research process.
Week 3 - 14th February History of Glyndebourne, Quiz to grasp others thoughts, Opera dressing then and now (references).
Week 4 - 21st February Interview questions planned, find a date and continue historical research.
Week 5 - 28th February Plan made for final outcome, shoot moodboards and mindmaps start to look for garments I can use.
Week 6 - 7th March Research into black tie, stylists I feel inspired by and brands to reference within the shoot.
Week 7 - 14th March Furthering research, working on blog, outfits sourced.
Week 8 - 21st March Interview filmed, written up and images gathered.
Week 9 - 28th March Shoot week, images edited and put together composition for zine. Conclusion and wrap-up the project.
Week 10 - 4th April Class presentations (voiceover over blog as internship starts).
History of Glyndebourne
‘Glyndebourne’s founders, John Christie and wife Audrey Mildmay, opened the first Festival here in 1934.’ ‘Today our world-renowned auditorium and standards of excellence are testament to John’s original ethos: Not just the best we can do but the best that can be done anywhere.’
’In the years that followed, Glyndebourne continued to be headed by the Christie family, George Christie following in 1962 and then his son Gus, now Executive Chairman, in 2000.’
‘Early years of the Glyndebourne Festival revolved almost entirely around Mozart’s extensive repertoire of operatic works before gradually expanding to include works by other composers such as Benjamin Britten, with whom Glyndebourne has enjoyed long association, as well as Giuseppe Verdi, Gioachino Rossini and many others.’ ‘By the 1990s it was clear that Glyndebourne needed an even larger auditorium so in 1994 a new opera house was built to seat 1,200, opening with a performance of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, a fitting tribute to the Festival’s origins.’
‘Glyndebourne Tour was founded in 1968 to enable the company to take operatic productions around the country, making opera more accessible to people all over the UK.’
‘The education department was established in 1986 and since then has undertaken an array of projects with the local community and schools around Sussex and Kent, often visiting the opera house for performances and workshops.‘
‘Glyndebourne has the long-term aim of becoming carbon neutral in its direct operations and has been working hard to tackle all aspects of its environmental footprint.’ ‘In 2012 we launched our own wind turbine.’ ‘Originally the theatre was built to seat 300. It was enlarged and improved many times in subsequent years to hold larger audiences; such was the demand for opera at Glyndebourne.’ ‘By 1977, it held 850 people.’
‘Today Glyndebourne reaches around 150,000 people a year with over 120 live opera performances.’ ‘Its continued employment of inspirational directors, world-class orchestras and performers, and the ongoing drive to commission new work, now go hand in hand with digital innovations such as online streamings to reach new audiences.’
Glyndebourne. 2022. A brief history of Glyndebourne - Glyndebourne. [online] Available at: https://www.glyndebourne.com/about-us/a-brief-history-of-glyndebourne/ [Accessed 14 February 2022].
My thoughts and inspiration from Glyndebourne trip
After going to see Glyndebourne in real life it helped me to grasp a stronger understanding into what the Opera world is really like. We unfortunately weren’t shown the proper archive or the theatre, which would have been beneficial (they are saying they want to make Opera more accessible, but are they actively trying?!) but the grounds and rooms we were shown were spectacular! You could feel the grandeur of the place and even though it is something I was not originally all that invested in, I wanted to find out more.
From the initial thought process I am going to send out a questionnaire to friends (not at uni) to see what people my age feel about Opera and its significance today.
Age range: 19-22
Location: U.K.
Questionnaire results
A clear vote of who had heard of Glyndebourne and who had not. I was surprised as the majority of our class, including myself had never heard of Glyndebourne.
A few people had been to Opera performances, I presume with parents or grandparents - The Phantom of the Opera is not an Opera, totally different it is a musical!
Opera tickets usually range from £45 upwards when looking previously on Glyndebourne’s site.However, Glyndebourne currently has tickets ranging from £525 - £595 for their upcoming Summer season shows.
I am in agreement with the £50 - £150 statement the most, you have to remember Glyndebourne is a loss making business, they dont make a profit (relying on their loyal donors to keep Glyndebourne alive). All the extra costs that should be taken into account that help keep Glyndebourne alive and flourishing. From looking at their website and declarations Glyndebourne relies on donations from their customers - at the end of the day they make no profit on the performances, but rely heavily on their donors.
I agree that Opera is still relevant today, it is definitely not for everyone but for classical music lovers it is perfection! The stories are also special and like someone said it is good for life lessons, in my quiz. I think its more the inclusivity that is the issue given the limited knowledge of my group of younger survey-providers of Opera and their comments as below.
I am on the fence about the whole society aspect (modern Britain) that surrounds Opera. It is definitely (especially in the past) aimed at middle - upper class white people, with a typical demographic of 60 - 90 year olds judging by what I could see online. I feel that this can easily be changed when the next generation steps through and starts putting a different spin on things. Opera does need to be more diverse and inclusive from a society aspect, there is a long way to go but it is within reach.
These statements all seem correct and accurate, the answer to making it more accessible definitely lies within targeting the younger generations and working on the appeal.
With the existing audience demographic, there is not a dress code as such for Glyndebourne but I get the sense you should dress up and there is a pressure to look smart.
If I was to go to the Opera I would definitely dress up, I am constantly looking for an excuse to dress up because I enjoy it! However, I feel if you are spending a certain amount of money on an event surely you can afford to go dressed in nice clothes? [not if you are a student and spent all your money on a ticket]I like there being no dress code as such as these can add extra pressure and stress to an event when you have a dress code that you feel you have to abide by.
Smart dress that fits with your own personal style.
Survey results
From gathering my survey results it seems that Opera is not seen in a negative way which is great, it does appear clear that work needs to be done to attract the next generation and broaden Opera's appeal, making it more accessible. Something that I will try and address throughout this project, next off I am going to gather some insights into Opera dressing past and present to answer the question of what do people wear.
The history of Opera codes
I put together a timeline as such of different Opera accessories and when they were invented. It was fascinating to see just how long some things have been around for. Womens dress has definitely changed rather significantly over the years in comparison to mens, where a suit has pretty much stayed the same.
What Glyndebourne says about dressing
John Christie who founded Glyndebourne in 1934 encouraged guests to wear formal dressing (“smart clothes as might be worn at work; business dress”) to show respect to the singers and musicians. Nowadays Glyndebourne allows you to wear whatever you want, there is no dress code. Despite the lack of dress code now, there is still a conformity from the audience to dress up, you can see from these images above a significantly younger audience than I idealised. Glyndebourne staff do love to see formal, vintage or contemporary clothing, however, From the photos of Glyndebourne you can see that everyone there does dress up, it is that sort of occasion… no code but the clothing is very codified.
1991 Glyndebourne
My grandparents first went to Glyndebourne in 1991 to see Mozart’s Don Giovanni. They are frequent goers, but cant remeber how many times they have been since! Upon chatting with them it has really helped me to grasp a greater understanding as to what Glyndebourne was like then vs now. I have decided to conduct an interview with them as I feel they have valid opinions and outlooks on the Glyndebourne world. From the photo you can see just how smart of an occasion Glyndebourne really was (and still is!)
2022, Saturday 26th March
My grandparents today.
The interview
My interview with my grandparents aims to generate a greater understanding about Glyndebourne. I asked them about what they observed of what people wore, how accessible Glyndebourne is and what it is like as a guest. it was fascinating to hear about it from an 'insider' point of view and have a clearer vision on what it was like for everyone who attends. It seems it has always been a very glamorous and special occasion where 'everyone' gets dressed up and has a fabulous time [define this more]. My granny has kept many of the bags she used when she went to Glyndebourne and some pearls, she is going to kindly lend them to me to use for my shoot at the end.
The programme
Here are some images of the 1991 programme for the Mozart Don Giovanni Opera. It is rather spectacular, 181 pages, the first half is bursting with advertisements ranging from Louis Vuitton travel bags to the finest Tattinger champagne. The other half features beautiful hand drawn images of the costumes that were created by David Fielding, paintings and sketches from the show and various articles about Glyndebourne and what the organisation had been up to. I selected some of my favourite pages to include.
Initial ideas and plans
After my interview and chatting extensively (particularly with my granny) I have decided to do a shoot with Glyndebourne inspired looks. I don’t want to do a style guide as I feel you should wear what you want, that is up to you. I am going to look deeper into some designers and dress styles that I feel inspired by to build up my vision for the shoot. I am going to centre my shoot around inclusivety and what young people could wear, in hope yo spark interest with younger generations.
Moodboards and inspiration
Here I was having a look at some further inspiration of Opera dressing from around the time of Glyndebourne opening. Within my final shoot at the end I know I want to pull references from previous looks I have seen and then execute them in more interesting ways. Moving forwards, I am going to look into black tie dressing and what it means. For men Opera dressing really hasn’t changed all that much over the years, its become slightly more casual but still pretty basic formal attire.
The black tie dress code
Black tie is a commonly known Western semi-formal dress code. Originating in Britain and America in the 19th century, the uniforms principal element is a dinner suit or dinner jacket. The first dinner jacket can be traditionally traced back to 1865, worn by the then Prince of Wales. ”The dinner suit is a black, midnight blue or white two- or three-piece suit, distinguished by satin or grosgrain jacket lapels and similar stripes along the outseam of the trousers. It is worn with a white dress shirt with standing or turndown collar and link cuffs, a black bow tie, typically an evening waistcoat or a cummerbund, and black patent leatherdress shoes or court pumps.” For ladies black tie is considered an evening gown or any fashionable evening attire. Although Glyndebourne has no dress code, it does appear that black tie is most people’s go to.
Ellie Grace Cumming
Ellie Grace Cumming is a London based Stylist, Consultant and current Fashion Director of AnOther Magazine and Another man. She has produced work for publications such as Italian Vogue and Dazed. Styled runway shows for brand such as Fendi Couture, Vivienne Westwood and Dior. Ellie has worked with brands and clients from all over the industry which gives her work a diverse, rounded feel. I have been a fan of her work for quite some time and felt she would be perfect for me to take some inspiration from. I like her take on layering and tailoring that enable her to push silhouettes and gender norm boundaries.
Celia Arias
Celia Arias is a Spanish-born London based Stylist and Creative Director. Since moving to London at the age of 17, Celia has worked across Editorial, Commercial, Film and Music within her projects. Given Celia’s arts background it has helped her to create powerful visions and stories within her work. Here are some of my favourite shoots Celia has done, they are all elegant, sophisticated yet powerful.
Shoot Moodboard
For my initial shoot moodboard, I wanted to create something glamorous, timeless and elegant. I took inspiration from a range of vintage gowns and furs, with some more modern twists too. I like the idea of creating a more traditional look to go alongside something younger and more modern.
Shoot mindmap
The Vampire’s Wife - Look 1 inspiration
The Vampire’s Wife, founded by Susie Cave is a British luxury Womenswear brand. Renounced for their rich fabrics, florals and dramatic silhouettes it is a popular brand regularly adorned by the likes of Florence Welch and Kate Middleton, The Duchess of Cambridge. I feel their gowns and dresses are very Opera appropriate, and probably popular amongst the ladies of Glyndebourne. For the first look of my shoot I am going to be pulling inspiration from this brand in hope to create a classic, timeless and elegant look.
Samuel Cirnansck SS12 - Look 2 inspiration
Samuel Cirnansck is a Brazilian Womenswear designer, best known for his bridal dresses. I came across this show on TikTok and was immediately drawn to it. The details, fabrics and silhouettes are enchanting... I truly have never seen anything like it. I had a vision from it to create an all white look for the shoot, something younger, more interesting that could contrast against the other darker more traditional look.
Sourcing for the shoot
To ensure I was using genuine vintage pieces, I contacted Angels and Berman to see what they had available. Emails in they said it would be £250 minimum per costume, which is absurd! I had heard a few people saying that the Kingston Antique Shop rent their vintage clothing pieces to students, so I approached them. A week before the shoot they turned around and said they have never done that before, in a mad panic I scavenged through my wardrobe to see what I could pick out.
Look 1 deck
For the first look, I found this long black lace dress that immediately felt very Opera like to me. Pairing it with a black fur shrug, blue tweed hat, silk gloves and black patent heels. For the accessories my Granny gave me one of her old fans, cigarette holder and some bags that she has used to attend Glyndebourne. This look felt traditional, glamorous but I felt the accessories could make it appear a bit more interesting.
Look 2 deck
This look excites me, Enny from fashion design let me borrow one of her creations which is this white ruffled shirt with a headpiece. I decided to pair it with some lace tights, silk gloves, pearls and a parasol if I could get hold of one. I wanted to create a more youthful, exciting look that people my age would appreciate and find more appealing. Contrasting against the black dress, which in my opinion is very overdone and I just find it a bit dull. I am looking forward to seeing how this look turns out.
Look 1 images
With the first look, I decided to keep it very much all black. I feel one could easily go to the Opera in this look and no one would think you look out of place. I like the all black with just different fabrics and textures, it exudes luxury and sophistication. But, this is not a youthful look, which I will try and emulate within my second look. With shooting in the studio, it allowed me to have more control and not worry about the weather aspect, so that was a bonus.
Look 2 images
I started off doing full body shots, I liked how the look appeared from the side (was rather revealing so I had to be careful!)
For some images I added a giant red hat, this tied in nicely with the different colour flowers and broke the white up a bit. I love how you can see one eye peaking in this shot.
I also tried out including my ballet shoes in close ups. although Opera of course is not a ballet, I felt they fitted in with this story I was creating. Using lots of broken pearls and flowers throughout added a more lavish aspect to the shoot.
With the main body of images complete, I played around with the editing at the end. Changing the opacity of the photos to appear more ghost like -which added an ethereal feel I felt. They layered nicely over each other, and this will aslo give me some scope when I start to think about my zine and what to include.
After I had started playing around with layering, opacity and the placement of different images, I felt a single image would not be fitting. Instead I wanted to create a story using a range of different imagery to do so. For my zine I am going to look at some composition inspiration to see the best ways in which to put mine together.
Layout inspiration
I had a look on Pinterest to gather some inspiration together for my zine. I want to create something more simple, where it is all about the imagery. Here are some examples I like, they each have their own ways of creating interesting layouts. I like the ones with words too, perhaps I could include some quotes from my interview?
Zine link
Zine pages
Here is the finished zine (does look like a proper zine if you open the link!) I decided to play around with the different images, wording, sizes and layouts to create something more artistic. I am happy with the outcome I like the simplicity to the layout, lots of white space but there is still enough to look at on each page.
To conclude
This project has been rather an adventure, I was unsure at the beginning how I could produce something new and exciting that went against the typical Opera look and feel. It was great to have my Grandparents insights into what Glyndebourne is really like and that helped me round my opinion on it. It seems Glyndebourne is the best of the best when it comes to Opera, rooted in tradition and not all that willing to change. There are and will always be people who love to attend these events for their sheer joy of the music and experience, but of course, people who feel the need to be seen at establishments like Glyndebourne.
Glyndebourne is moving in the right direction by encouraging younger audiences to attend the Opera, however it will be interesting to see how many people that can attract. I am positive that post-Covid there will be no problem in filling the seats.
For my shoot and zine I was happy with the outcome I was able to pull together. There were quite a few challenged along that way, but it all came together in the end. The zine in particular I feel is something new and would hopefully attract or at least spark an interest in younger generations to consider attending Glyndebourne.
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