The archive of Sirivannavari Haute Couture, also known for its sophisticated designs tailored for the modern working woman, has been transformed into Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya's own masterpiece production of the world-class opera Madama Butterfly. This spectacular performance celebrates His Majesty the King's 72nd birthday on July 28.
The opera was performed last night with Their Majesties the King and Queen in attendance. The performance was impressive, successful, and highly praised by the audience.
The princess's creative interpretation showcases her savoir-faire and her brand's character of "super details", presenting a perfect harmony of high-class opera art with modern yet classic fashion.
Appearing at a group interview at the Thailand Cultural Centre during the dress rehearsal, Princess Sirivannavari exuded energy and passion as she explained her latest challenge: producing her first-ever opera performance.
Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya poses with the cast of the opera ‘Madama Butterfly’, who are dressed in costumes designed by the princess’s brand, SIRIVANNAVARI. (Photos by Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)
For the show, she designed 14 costumes for the nine main characters, blending traditional Japanese and Western styles. These characters include Cio-Cio San (the heroine), Pinkerton (the hero), Suzuki (the maid), Yamadori (the prince), Kate Pinkerton (the new wife), Bonzo (the Japanese priest), Goro (the matchmaker), Sharpless (the hero's friend), and the Commissario (the Japanese nobleman). An additional 40 costumes were designed by the SIRIVANNAVARI team under her direction.
"If you ask me if this is difficult, I would say no because all of what I did is from my pure inspiration; nothing is complicated. I just told myself that I wanted to do an opera show. Then I did it amidst a challenge of how to make it fit perfectly," she told the media.
The creative idea culminated in the selection of the world-class masterpiece Madama Butterfly, composed by Italian Giacomo Puccini with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa.
This opera, which premiered at La Scala in Milan, Italy, in 1904, tells the tragic love story of a Japanese geisha and an American naval officer, highlighting themes of love and honour. It remains one of the world's most frequently performed operas.
The princess explained that the story of Madama Butterfly matched her criteria for being easy to understand and not overly complicated in terms of both the literature and the fashion interpretation.
"The story is very fashionable, very classic, timeless, and importantly, easily understandable," she stressed.
The costume concept remains rooted in traditional styles but is adapted to modern fashion elements, colour changes, and silhouette reinterpretations. Traditional and dramatic themes are maintained but with a fashionable twist. The embroidered costumes carry hidden meanings; for example, a crane symbolises love, and the Iris flower represents her name when read backwards. All this comes together under the concept of "Sense looks Zen, but modern".
"The heroine is young, so she must appear younger. I have kept traditional characters but slightly distorted them. That is my taste," said Princess Sirivannavari.
Her success with the Spring/Summer 2022 "The Rise of Asian" collection, inspired by the golden age of Japanese culture, set the guidelines for the costumes. She believed that Asia would become a global trend, adapting this belief to align with the story's mood and tone based on the brand's archive.
For Japanese female characters, the costumes are enhanced for stage presence with rich fabrics, reflective embroidery, and traditional layering, referencing geisha and traditional village attire. Western female characters' costumes are contemporary with symbolic elements like colour and pattern to represent characters' age and personality. For example, the Japanese heroine's costumes use soft tones, while the new Western wife's costumes are in darker shades with structured designs, incorporating symbolic embroidery like peonies and cherry blossoms for the Japanese heroine and roses for the Western wife.
For men, western male characters wear traditional suits with elements of naval uniforms made from linen, reflecting the American naval officer's journey to Asia. These designs feature new elements like sleeve bands, buttons, and insignia, allowing the audience to infer character backgrounds. Japanese male characters' costumes are also adapted from the "The Rise of Asian" collection, combining traditional Japanese aesthetics with modern interpretations through structure, pattern, and technique. These costumes play a crucial role in depicting the Asian and Western cultures and characters' social status, aiding the audience's understanding of the Italian opera.
When asked about the difference between fashion attire and costumes, she explained that the design is done under some limitations because it needs to be more flexible and easy to change in a very limited time. The costume should fit opera singers, not models. But importantly, it has still kept a dramatic concept, with more functionality.
For this performance, Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari serves as executive producer, selecting the cast from Opera Production in Vienna with leading European opera singers such as Viktorija Miskunaite and Laura del Rio as Madama Butterfly, Gianluca Terranova as BF Pinkerton, Alissandra Volpe as Suzuki, Massimo Cavalletti as Sharpless, and Orlando Polidoro. They are joined by three renowned Thai opera singers. The Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra will perform, conducted by German conductor Valentin Egel.
The show is created for the auspicious occasion of His Majesty the King's 72nd birthday anniversary on July 28. The King attended the show yesterday, with honourable guests. A public audience is welcome today.
"I have no expectations for the show, but I do hope that people will enjoy it because this is a world-class performance under close cooperation from the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and RBSO's grand music to support my idea," said Princess Sirivannavari.
She further expressed her hope that the performance will inspire art students to experience a world-class performance under the duo-party cooperation from Vienna and Thailand, helping them discover their own identity and perhaps find answers to what they want. It might also help designers dream and inspire the younger generation. Importantly, it should help the public understand that fashion is not only on the runway but also in history.
She concluded the interview by mentioning her father's support in her work, saying he has taught her patience and diligence, especially in becoming an expert in her field. "No need to say, just action," noted the princess.
