Galliano, Lacroix, Lagerfeld, & Chanel Design for Met Gala

Three of the world's top fashion designers will create costumes for Renée Fleming for the Metropolitan Opera's opening night gala on Monday, September 22.   Fashion legends John Galliano, Christian Lacroix, and Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel will each design costumes for the star soprano, who will sing three of her most acclaimed roles in fully staged selections from Verdi's La Traviata (Act II), Massenet's Manon (Act III), and Strauss's Capriccio (final scene).

"Working with the design masters Galliano, Lacroix, and Lagerfeld is an absolute thrill.  Their sense of poetry in motion is a total complement to the music that I will be singing," says Renée Fleming.

The gala performance marks the first time that the renowned designers have designed costumes for the Met.

French-born designer Christian Lacroix will create two dresses for Fleming in the role of Violetta, one for each scene in the second act of Verdi's La Traviata.  Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel will design the dress for Manon.  For the final scene from Capriccio, Fleming will wear a creation by John Galliano.

Tenors Ramón Vargas and baritones Thomas Hampson and Dwayne Croft will join the soprano for this performance, conducted by Music Director James Levine, Marco Armiliato, and Patrick Summers.  The performance will be shown live in high-definition in movie theaters throughout North America as part of the Met's Live in HD series.

Although it is now noteworthy for fashion designers to create costumes for the Met stage, there is a long tradition of prima donnas wearing costumes made for them by the great couturiers of the past. Such legendary divas as Nellie Melba, Marcella Sembrich, Emma Eames, Rosa Ponselle, Lily Pons, and Helen Traubel engaged the famous fashion designers of their day (such as Worth of Paris, Valentina, and Adrian of Hollywood) to create special costumes for their Met appearances.