operafantomet:From design to costume: Madame Giry’s chatelaineChatelaine, once a sign of who w
operafantomet:From design to costume: Madame Giry’s chatelaineChatelaine, once a sign of who was the mistress of the chateau, then an ornamental clasp for your necessities, and finally a fashion statement used for whatever items could add a little flair to your attire. I guess with Madame Giry it’s a bit of each? From her chatelaine we can spot everything from keys, pencils and spoons to needle cases and scissors. The clasp vary from almot non-existant to highly ornamental. Often it looks like they’ve used a period base, but added items to the chains. Some of them are sewn on, and some chatelaines have also been stitched to a separate panel. It means they are easier to switch around on different skirts, and also stays put. The chatelaine can be seen on most US Madame Girys, as well as the Canadian and Aussie/World Tour ones. It’s seldom done in Europe and Japan, with the exception of the Swedish revival (going by World Tour design) and some Madame Girys in the original Hamburg production. For more info, the book “Chatelaines: Utility to Florious Extravagance” is great read. Also, this website is most interesting read.From top left: Leila Martin on Broadway, Rebecca Spencer in Las Vegas, Linda Balgord on Broadway, Melina Kalomas in the World Tour, Maria Bjørnson’s design (detail), Nancy Hess in the US Tour, Maree Johnson on Broadway, Marilyn Caskey on Broadway, Ellen Harvey on Broadway -- source link