Phantom costumes - real and replicas 1

MasqPhan wrote:Thanks! I'm so excited to have a real mask. And of course like a dork I had to try it on a few times.

You only tried it on a few times? I would probably wear it for the rest of the day! Haha. Again, congrats with a fantastic item, crack or not.

Aaaaaaaarrrrgggggh!!!

I've been dying to tell you guys this... I just didn't dare to jinx it, in case the deal fell through. But it seems I now am the owner of two more costumes from the Hamburg production of Phantom. I got the confirmation yesterday, that the costumes has been shipped. I've been like *bounce*bounce*bounce* for two weeks, and I've been about to burst so many times. I'm so happy! Like, so insanely happy! The items are:


THE SLAVEGIRL COSTUME

Anna Maria Kaufmann ca. 1990 to the left, Julie Collins' costume to the right.

Worn by dancer Julie Collins. She started in the corps de ballet in Hamburg ca. 1992, and had become principal Meg Giry by 1993. She remained that for a year or two, but had left the cast by 1995. The costume was thus worn by her between 92-95 sometime. In style it corresponds more with what Anna Maria Kaufmann (to the left) wore in the show's first years, than the heavy-gold-collar ones Colby Thomas worn in the mid-90s. So Julie Collins might have gotten a hand-me-down costume, or they were still made in this style when she joined.

It is without gems on the collar and belt, and also without beads on the shoulders. This might be due to the deco being worn out and meant to be replaced, or them removing it for recycling before auctioning it off. But the overall bodice and skirt is complete, even with a green velvet slip to wear underneath. The costume is a bit stained here and there, but a lovely item from a lovely production.


THE STAR PRINCESS SKIRT

Colby Thomas ca. 1993 to the left, possibly the same skirt to the right.

Worn by Colby Thomas. She started as Christine understudy in Hamburg ca. 1992. Became principal in 1993, and remained so until the Hamburg production closed in June 2001. She obviously went through a lot of costumes, even though they're made to be worn "forever". But being the principal, it means slightly worn-out items might be kept as a backup or for understudy use, while the principal gets her dresses renewed now and then. The skirt in question seems to date from her early run. This is based on the massive amount of stars on the skirt - it was done in both Hamburg, Vienna and other places until the mid 90s sometime. After this fewer strings of stars were worn. At some point - ca. 1995 - she also seems to have worn a skirt without the tabs at the hem, but from what I can tell they went back to wear tabbed skirts in the skirt. But, as mentioned, with less stars in the skirt. So I would guess this skirt is from 92-95 as well. I'm pretty sure it's the same as in the stage photo of her (left), from ca. 1993.

The skirt is in fairly good shape. Some of the strings of beads and stars are damaged and crudely repaired. There's also some random blue beads here and there, and some of the stars has lost its deco. But the fabrics seems to be fairly undamaged, and everything is attached to a broad, sturdy waistband. The skirt is long - longer than most newer versions, but it's tiny in size in the waist, due to it's tiny-waist-wearer... It has blue layers underneath, so that when Christine dances on stage the skirt echoes the two colours of the bodice.


These items were sold in an auction at Neue Flora Theater in the mid or late 90s. I have to find out more about this auction. I suspect it's the same one as where the Renée Knapp Wishing gown was auctioned off, as it also dates from the early 90s, but don't quote me on it. Anyhow, I am now the insanely happy owner of three authentic costumes from the Hamburg production (if I'm allowed to count the Star Princess skirt as one costume). I'm so happy I wanna scream! The items were owned by a woman working in the costume department at Neue Flora sometimes in the 90s, and she contacted me and asked if I were interested in buying them. I think I responded "YES!!" in five different languages...


While I'm on this costume high, here is the Hamburg Wishing dress as well:

THE BLUE WISHING DRESS

Colby Thomas ca. 1994 to the left, the Renée Knapp "twin dress" to the right.

Worn by Renée Knapp. She was the original Hamburg alternate when the show opened in 1990, and had become principal Christine by 1992. I think she went on to be Colby Thomas' alternate in 1993 and 1994 (a bit sketchy on the details), and moved on to being a visiting alternate (I think?) in Melbourne, Australia (which I would assume was in 1997, and not 1990). I've read she was at the time one of Hal Prince's favourite Christines, and that's why she repeated the role in Australia, though I've never heard him comment on any favourites. In total she played Christine around 1000 times, according to her official site.

The dress is in remarkable good shape, apart from severe fading in front. Especially the bodice is faded, to the point of becoming pale mint green instead of intense blue. However, the silk is very reflective and it's rarely seen in photos, unless you directly compare the faded areas to the unfaded ones. I've never seen a picture of Renée Knapp in the dress (though her name is in the inside tag), but there is one of Colby Thomas wearing the "twin dress" (left). They are recognizable by the fantastic beadwork on the faux vest and collar, and also cuffs. They also have lots of tassel trims, and the bodice is long with a clearly defined waist. More about it here:
http://aneafiles.webs.com/original.html

I will eventually make such sites for the slavegirl + Star Princess items as well, when I receive them.

Anea that is such brilliant news!!!!!!!!!! So happy for you. You must be just floating around right now on such a costumer's high. So great that they're going to such an appreciate fan too.

MasqPhan, I am still euforic! I think only Phantom fans can understand how much this means to me.

operafantomet wrote:MasqPhan, I am still euforic! I think only Phantom fans can understand how much this means to me.

I'm so jealous but so totally happy for you operafantomet! I'm sure all of us can say you will take loving care of all these costumes and truly appreciate them!! Again, many congrats! Can't wait to see more pictures after you get them....now it's the waiting game to get them in the mail. Can just imagine you'll be rushing to check it everyday now...hehe :-)

Devon wrote:Can't wait to see more pictures after you get them....now it's the waiting game to get them in the mail. Can just imagine you'll be rushing to check it everyday now...hehe :-)

That's EXACTLY how it is! Hahaha! Thank you for the nice words. I'll do my best to share these costumes with you guys. So far I've dug out all my Hamburg brochures to find pictures of reference to the sites each item will get, and I've found out interesting stuff:

1. Julie Collins is, from what I can tell, the Meg in the cool Hamburg videos recently posted. I haven't checked the actual video yet, but I've checked the brochure with pictures from that video, and it's definitely Collins.


So if I'm lucky, she's wearing "my" slavegirl costume in the video, when Colby Thomas sings "Think of Me", and I'll be able to do screenshots if she's in view (or present).

2. The auction in Hamburg was in 1995 or 1996, according to the owner. I think this corresponds with when the Renée Knapp Wishing dress was auctioned off. Anyhow, all three Hamburg costumes was made/worn between 1992 and 1995 sometime, and it's quite bizarre that I've ended up with THREE costumes from this auction/time span/production. Bizarre in a good way! I'm definitely not complaining.

Anyhow, I've started on a page for each costume. I'll be moving the Wishing one, but keep the old as a shadow site so people already linking to it won't get an error page. Here are the new links:
http://aneafiles.webs.com/hamburg/slavegirl.html
http://aneafiles.webs.com/hamburg/starprincess.html
http://aneafiles.webs.com/hamburg/wishing.html

You now own a piece of theatre history! Congrats, operafantomet!
Thanks for the pictures!

It's great to have those new pages to look at for your new costumes. Thanks.
Just wanted to let you know that picture no 9 on the hannibal slave girl page features Tua Åberg and not Inger Olsson Moberg. And it's from 1989.

Phantomlove wrote:It's great to have those new pages to look at for your new costumes. Thanks.
Just wanted to let you know that picture no 9 on the hannibal slave girl page features Tua Åberg and not Inger Olsson Moberg. And it's from 1989.

Thank you! I changed the choice of picture in the very last second, originally I had this:
https://2img.net/h/i638.photobucket.com/albums/uu101/potocostumes/slavegirl/swe1imo.jpg

But I forgot to change the writings under the picture. Thanks for pointing that out! It would probably be there for a long time if you hadn't said anything.

Klavirista, thank you! It really is a piece of theatre history. Now where's that maaaaaaaaaaaail....

The Wishing fabric might have been made for Phantom originally, but it has appeared elsewhere. Like here, at 4:22, in a Victorian dress with engageant sleeves. Very pretty dress too! This one was first spotted by Josefine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=finOmiPaPaw

A golden version of the fabric was used in the movie "Dangerous Liaisons", though only by a supporting character (when they leave church, I seem to remember it was early in the movie). It's a full-scale Robe a la Francaise, and the fabric becomes the dress very well. Didn't bother to browse through YouTube in search of a clip, as you can't see the dress too well there anyway, but here's a picture:
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/operafantomet/originalwishing/dangerouslfabric.jpg

Congratulations on the new acquisitions!! I'm so happy they went to a dedicated fan like you. Awesome additions to your collection!

Phantom on a Budget wrote:Congratulations on the new acquisitions!! I'm so happy they went to a dedicated fan like you. Awesome additions to your collection!

Latest news was that the parcel had just left Germany. =still some days of waiting. WAAAAAAAAAAAH! But I'm so looking forward to eventually receiving them. Thank you for your nice words! My collection might not be huge, but to me it's a super awesome one! And "dedicated fan" is an understatement...

Hey, operafantomet, do you know how many costumes there were? I would be seriously amazed if you ended up with the entire set of ladies costumes! How cool would that be? I wonder if there is a list of other costumes that were auctioned off.

Will you be refurbishing the costumes, too?

ML6--Some of the costumes were parted out at that auction. My Phantom suit is from that auction, but is pieced together from the wardrobe of three different Phantoms.

On another note--The mail has finally delivered my new treasure! So without further delay:

Right out of the box....



Had to try it on....




And now Bob gets to wear it a lot more than I ever will....



And just for fun....

Boys and their toys.

Phantomfett, loooooove!!! And judging from your grin, you love it too... No broken jaw either, the London production should have bought it... The mask is so detailed and cool up close, congrats with a wonderful item. Looking forward to some new pictures of full RD ensemble.

Hey, operafantomet, do you know how many costumes there were? I would be seriously amazed if you ended up with the entire set of ladies costumes! How cool would that be? I wonder if there is a list of other costumes that were auctioned off.

Will you be refurbishing the costumes, too?

I must admit I'm toying with the idea of adding gems and beads to the slavegirl costume. It would be a reversible action, so it wouldn't damage the original item, but at the same time it would give an idea of how it looked when new. I'll study it and see how much trace there might be of previous deco. I assume it was removed before the auction, either because it was worn out and meant to be redecorated, or because they were to re-use the deco. As for the Star Princess skirt, it looks pretty intact, I don't think I'll do too much to it.

I too wonder how much was really auctioned off. And I wonder how many costumes there were in total, and how many other items there were. Props? Experience packages? And I wonder if they featured the show's auctioneer! THAT would be too cool. I would bid just to get a response from him... All I know is that the auction was in 1995-96 sometime.

The Triton costume is as good as done. Some issues with the skirt still, and I lack bells/stars in bodice front, but other than that it's finished! Which of course means new photos.



The manneristic arms is because of the backdrape - an attempt to show it off. The backdrape is attached to both front and back of the shoulder straps, as seen in the design. Very happy with how that turned out. It flows so nicely as well. The skirt "belt" is still a mess, but I'm getting there...

Wow! That mask looks AMAZING!

Anea, you looked like you just stepped off the stage of the production! I love your replicas. <3

Belated congratulations, Anea! You're so lucky and those will be fabulous additions to your collection! And of course, thanks to your awesome website, everybody here will get to benefit from them as well! Congrats, again!


And congrats to Phantomfett, too. The mask looks spectacular. Gotta love that last red-tinted photo! I have a question for you. In the photos, it looks as though the upper teeth increase in size from left to right? Is that the case or just a trick of the angle?

Loettchen wrote:Belated congratulations, Anea! You're so lucky and those will be fabulous additions to your collection! And of course, thanks to your awesome website, everybody here will get to benefit from them as well! Congrats, again!

That is my goal, I just hope I'm able to share the details people want to see. Thank you for your kind words! Ditto for you, ML6.

And I'm really sorry to occupy this thread with all my costume chat, but you guys... I got the parcel today! WAAAAAAH!!! Not only are the actual items drop dead gorgeous (the slavegirl one in particular), I also got several unexpected items: slavegirl wristbands, Star Princess boots, a signed original Hamburg brochure, another square Hamburg brochure which I've wanted for ages... You can only imagine my face as I unwrapped the content. I kid you not, I had to take a break between each item.


The first sight of the costumes. Almost fainted.


Wrapping aside the silk paper. Squeed, then lost ability to breathe.


The star Princess skirt unwrapped. It does not fit me at all in the waist (Colby Thomas' waist = my thigh), but an awesome feeling nonetheless to actually try it on. The stars are in pretty bad shape, but OH so shiny!

OK, no I promise to not post in this thread for.... hours... **bounce off to costume-la-la-land**

I also got several unexpected items: slavegirl wristbands, Star Princess boots, a signed original Hamburg brochure, another square Hamburg brochure which I've wanted for ages...

Oh my! That is so amazing! This woman was ever so kind to you. <3

ML6 wrote:

I also got several unexpected items: slavegirl wristbands, Star Princess boots, a signed original Hamburg brochure, another square Hamburg brochure which I've wanted for ages...

Oh my! That is so amazing! This woman was ever so kind to you. <3

I agree, the lady was so nice to have included those great extra goodies! Very happy for you!!

Really happy for you, Anea! Those costumes couldn't have found a better owner!
Who were they with so far anyway, do you know? Someone who worked for the production?

Awesome items, everybody! I'm very jealous

R.

So happy for you! I don't think you could ever post too much here about costumes. More, more, more. It's like gold and beads....can never have too much.

MasqPhan wrote:So happy for you! I don't think you could ever post too much here about costumes. More, more, more. It's like gold and beads....can never have too much.

Thanks! I felt like I was hijacking the whole thread there for a while...

More detailed info and pictures on each item has been added to the sites:

SLAVEGIRL: http://aneafiles.webs.com/hamburg/slavegirl.html
STAR PRINCESS: http://aneafiles.webs.com/hamburg/starprincess.html
WISHING: http://aneafiles.webs.com/hamburg/wishing.html

If there's anything you'd like to see more of or read more about, feel free to make suggestions!

These "Victorian" boots are awesome!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/VICTORIAN-LACE-LACE-UP-CALF-BOOTS-GOLD-IVORY-BLACK-/390238289343?pt=US_Women_s_Shoes&var=&hash=item99ab8a9ef6#ht_500wt_881

Ive been offline for a while...due mainly to school
but I have been productive!
I present my La Carlotta as Elissa Doll (still unfinished nut nearly there)
https://2img.net/h/i346.photobucket.com/albums/p434/littlelotty004/Dolls/IMAG2230.jpg
https://2img.net/h/i346.photobucket.com/albums/p434/littlelotty004/Dolls/LaCarlottaback.jpg

and a mock up of a dressing gown:
https://2img.net/h/i346.photobucket.com/albums/p434/littlelotty004/my%20costume%20replicas/IMAG2228.jpg
https://2img.net/h/i346.photobucket.com/albums/p434/littlelotty004/my%20costume%20replicas/IMAG2226.jpg

Sam displaying her new headgear:

Some gears, clockwork and steel constructions, and she is totally steampunk!

Haha, congrats with a cool item.