Thursday, July 28, 2005

One week's paycheck

This blouse was featured in the July issue of Vogue as one of the "pefect ten" pieces for Fall. It absolutely took my breathe away. (Believe it or not, it's from the Donna Karan Collection.)

I saw other pieces from the photo spread today at Fashion Addict Diary (I also adore the purple gown and the cigarette pants), and was reminded of a funny conversation I had about the blouse. At the pool one day last month, I showed the collection to Doug Fitch, our Turandot director and designer. We oohed and aahed (ooh'd and aah'd?) over the issue, and when we got the page with the DKC blouse, he agreed that it was exquisite. He said, "You should have this. You deserve to have this! How much is it? Only $1600?! Oh, you can do that. Just set aside a week's paycheck."

At which point I burst out laughing!! (I was right there with him until that last sentence, as I am so enamoured of this piece that I would pay $1600 for it if I had that kind of disposable income.) The fact that he had NO IDEA of how little we Apprentices were paid just cracked me up. I enlightened him as to the facts (we get about $317 a week after taxes, sometimes as much as $450 if it's a big week for overtime), and the look on his face was priceless. All jobs in opera are not created equal, that's for sure.

I dream of the day when I'll have the kind of paychecks where I can put one week aside and get myself a couture blouse...

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow. That IS a stunning blouse. I even have that mag sitting by my oboe stuff because I bought it on the off chance I'd have time during Les Mis to peruse it. (Hah! That's far too busy a book to read anything other than notes.)

But ... my first reaction to the blouse when I saw it at your site: "A singer could wear this. An oboist could not."

Go figure. Is that pathetic? I wonder.

We oboists. Sigh. Such nerds. Such fashion "nothings".

But what do others think? Am I so into stereotypes that I can't buy something I think is stunning? Probably so.

Perhaps I could change, but I fear that at my age it is far too late.

Still ... I say to you: "Go for it!" In the long run what's that amount of money? Heck ... not much, really. So what if you treated yourself and then did without for a while, huh?

Or maybe not.

But I still say, "Go for it!" :-)

Love your blog. Wish I could get to Santa Fe. I'd love to see the Sellars production and, of course, hear you sing!

Opera Gal said...

I'll make one for you - I'm a former costumer...

~wod

Anonymous said...

the shirt is pretty but we like yours better! glad we found your blog!

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