Valentine’s day celebrates the rainbow of love feelings between the family, lovers and friends. Let’s celebrate with chocolates, wine, champagne and dinners, fuzzy bears and lingerie. Turn this day into the happiest after the New Year, and just another relationship celebration with a kiss, hug, a masquerade party and last but not least a gift.
On your Valentine’s day, you want to look special, right? Thinking out of the box, by throwing the Love Day’s Opera Masquerade Party with related costumes will only magnify the pleasure of this celebration. Thus, for all ages of feminine gender, it is the time to dress in red and pink flowing gowns, (why not) sexy pajamas, high heel shoes and lingerie, adornments like red roses, bows, hearts and fancy laces. Wanna be femme fatale, go Bizet’s Carmen, the seducer way. What colors would the men wear though? As babies, boys wear blue. The grown-up ones are encouraged to wear any color or opera characters’ costume that makes the heart of the loved ones tick.
Since Valentine’s day is mostly about romantic love, let’s check the heroines of the late 18th century and early 19th century operas and ballets, make them happy if they were not! Back then, that period of time was labeled “Romanticism” because of the emphasis on emotions of love, glorification of the past and nature. Folk art was the source of many opera lyrics and the tunes were played by idyllic characters. Romance and drama were loaded with love, rivalry, jealousy and the ultimate drama…you know what, let’s not mention it here.
Giselle for example, the talented dancer from a medieval German village is presented as a “harvest queen” because she was a country girl of a queen-ish beauty. Dressed in a beautiful red tutu ballerina costume, next to Duke Albrecht’s flashy medieval suit, she is ready to dance. She had joined this fraternity on women who know how to dance the men to…exhaustion. Sounds familiar? Ok, back to the opera, in the end, her spirit becomes the symbol of unconditional love and forgiving her lover, betrothed to another woman.
Bizet’s Carmen is a gypsy heroine of 1820’s, a spellbinding, fearless seductress of a corporal (as military rank, not body mind you) and a dashing bullfighter. This romantic setting is in the exotic town Seville of Spain. If that’s what you want to be, and it’s your party, play the Habanera and Seguidilla arias and dance. You’ll instantly get the appreciation deserved to the striking, flashy Flamenco dancer. And think about the opportunity of your partner to accompany you as a Spanish corporal or toreador.
Our next favorite is Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, one of the funniest and melodious opera compositions. Figaro, the clever barber, finally falls in love. His master though, Count Almaviva had also set his wandering eye on Figaro’s bride to be. The tangled funny, charming story makes fun of the mild sins of jealousy, lust and folly. What wins? You guessed on this Valentine’s day, the faithful, romantic love and forgiveness.
Last but not least (you may carry on with these opera masquerade party ideas), in Donizetti’s 1832 comedic opera “The Elixir of Love”, Nemorino falls in love with the beautifully rich (sorry, beautiful and rich) Adina. Inspired by the legend of Tristan and Isolde he spends his last pennies on a magic love potion (mind you to win Adina’s heart). It’s too late though, ‘cause Adina is about to marry a charming soldier. But wait, the elixir apparently works, as lots of ladies flock to get his attention. Turns out that his inherited money is the cause for it. Yes, the money is the elixir. Seeing all the feminine attention, Adina realizes that Nemorino deserves her attention too. So, for our Valentine’s day costume, a 19th century Italian richly brocade jacket for either the lady or the man will do at the masquerade party.
We have not touched on the steampunk sexy outfits, basically because we don’t know of such an opera. We’re calling for a rally though for a composer to take on the challenge. 🙂 In the meanwhile, check our steampunk costumes as well.
May your Valentine’s Day be filled with creative fun and love!
