Big Mackie

fanfair

Iulu—Alban Berg's dark 1930s opera about a femme fatale who destroys all her lovers and is herself destroyed by Jack the Ripper—is a tale that could use a little levity, so thank goodness sequin maestro Bob Mackie was asked to create the costumes for this month's San Francisco Opera production. "There are things you want to do in life," says the designer. "Instead of taking a week's vacation, I did this."

The heroine, says Mackie, "is the type of woman men fall in pits for," so he designed ten seductive ensembles, including "lots of negligees— very boudoir-ish," backless gowns dripping with fur and diamonds, and the "oil-slick black" feathered cabaret costume sketched above. Principal Ann Panagulias, the designer reports, "is young, glamorous, and has a great figure, which was lucky for me because sometimes opera singers don't quite fit the bill, if you know what I mean."

BART BOEHLERT