Rows of costumes stood arrayed in neat, silent lines on the ground floor at the Opera Bastille, like rows of dancers in a corps de ballet waiting for the curtain to rise. Voluminous ball gowns stood next to military uniforms and jewel-encrusted robes. Diaphanous tunics shimmered near braided folk tale dresses. A row of potbellied fat suits stood sentry at the entrance, flanked by breastplates and helmets.
On the other side of the opera house’s glass facade stood another line — this one of people patiently waiting for the doors to open, fanning themselves in the 93-degree heat.
It was Friday afternoon, an hour before the start of a three-day public sale of costumes at the Paris Opera. On offer: about 5,000 costumes and 2,000 accessories from opera and ballet productions from the 1960s to the present, priced from 2 euros ($2.30) for accessories like belts and scarves to 800 euros ($935) for elaborate outfits.
At 5 p.m., the curtain rose. (That is, the security guards opened the doors.)
The ticket holders, who had booked the coveted two-hour opening slot for 10 euros ($11.70) on the Paris Opera website, streamed in and began to peruse the rows of garments, each neatly labeled with the name of an opera or ballet, its director or choreographer, costume designer, year of production and — sometimes, fascinatingly — the name of the person who had first worn it.
Sophie Boissel, 43, who was sorting through a row of voluminous dresses, said, “I find it moving to see these costumes that remind me of shows I’ve seen — I definitely want to buy something.” Would she wear one of these elaborate brocade dresses? “Maybe just to put on in my living room, twirl around and sing an aria,” she said.
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