The legacy of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has inspired cultural poets of all kinds since her death in September 2020. He also hosted an exhibition of mementos of justice at the New York Historical Society, an upcoming children’s picture book, and an Off-Broadway. Drama written by Diane Nora. But the latest tribute, a new work from the Washington National Opera, may be the most fitting yet.
Running November 6–14 at the Kennedy Center, “Come Home: A Celebration of Return” features marquee opera singers such as David Butt Philippe and Isabel Leonard performing songs based on themes related to Ginsberg’s life and work: Freedom, equality, perseverance. It will be the first in-person production by the Washington National Opera since its inception. COVID-19 lockdown, and it features not only songs from “Fidelio,” “Carmen,” “Macbeth” and “William Tell,” but New York Fashion Week designer Bibhu Mohapatra’s costumes.
Ginsberg was an opera fan (the art form played a major role in his friendship with his ideological counterpart, Justice Antonin Scalia), and a longtime supporter of the Washington National Opera. In 2016, the young judge played a small, non-singing role for only one night in the company’s staging of “The Daughter of the Regiment.” Glowing throughout her performance and wearing an embellished chartreuse gown and dramatic headpiece, she erupted in applause.
However, as much as she loved opera, Ginsberg was also well entwined with fashion, famously adorning her court with collars in various styles and materials, such as delicate lace, colorful beads, and shells. Was. Once upon a time, she grabbed the internet’s attention at the White House wearing a stunning pair of “Wizard of Oz”-esque heels. So it was only fitting that when it was time to create the costumes for “Come Home,” the opera turned to a designer well-versed in colorful, flashy fashion: India-born and New York-based Bibhu Mohapatra.
“this is My His vision,” said Mohapatra, whose clothes are worn by former First Lady Michelle Obama and actress Gwyneth Paltrow.
The opera’s artistic director, Francesca Zambello, said Mohapatra was chosen because of her work with a previous production of “Aida” in 2012, for which the designer gave a gorgeous take on Egyptian fashion that drew from her NYFW collection. Zambello wanted a similar emphasis on clothing for “Come Home.”
“I thought it was important to have a visual thread of costume for all the actors involved,” Zambello said.
She continued: “Ruth Bader was the biggest advocate for everything we do at the Ginsburg Opera House. She did a lot by speaking publicly about our art form and encouraging people to participate – we Everyone should be incredibly grateful.
To that end, Mohapatra created an “operative couture” version of the Ginsburg aesthetic: jewel-toned summer gloves, lots of feathered earrings, and a giant spin on black couture made of extravagantly colored muslin in the form of a ballgown. it happens. and silk
According to the designer, the opera first approached him about “Come Home” during a particularly difficult period in his life. Mohapatra was in India for the first time in more than two years, attending the funeral of a brother who had recently died of issues related to COVID-19. When he was touring different parts of the subcontinent, he got the pitch from Zambello.
“For me, it was important to jump in because there is no one more American than him,” said Ginsburg’s Mohapatra, who has become a committed “RBG-er” after watching hours of clips and videos of the legal icon. “
“It is only a small part of my big American dream coming true – especially as an immigrant,” Mohapatra said.
To learn more about Justice, Mohapatra turned to the Oscar-nominated 2018 documentary “RBG” and watched the interviews on YouTube. He then scoured India for materials on the east coast of India, particularly in his home state of Odisha, where he found rich, colorful ikat fabrics.
Mohapatra soon decided to drop the popular markers of Ginsberg’s fashion—”the collars were too literal,” he said—in favor of a more subtle approach. He was particularly fascinated by the wide range of gloves Ginsberg wore, such as the fishnet pair he chose for a Time magazine shoot, and used them as a connecting thread for singers, for whom he wrote Peacock Tone and Made in lace mixed version.
“There’s a hidden energy they brought to the table,” Mohapatra continued. “She sent a message with the way she dressed.” One of power, he said, and presence.
In the end, Mohapatra said, it is the grandeur of the idea that he wanted his designs to convey the most, and that he would remember most. Ginsberg’s “careful selection of words, his expression, his thought process,” he said, “is something I’m going to carry with me for the rest of my life.”
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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