OUTFIT | Yes, I Went to an Opera

 The other night I saw Wide Open Opera's The Barber of Seville in the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre with my dad. Opera is kind of me and dad's thing after we saw Rigoletto together when I was eleven.

My dad's cousin is the chairman of Wide Open Opera, and Dad put my name down some on the list of patrons in the opera's programme. So, when I arrived at the theatre, I straight away got a programme and spotted my name in it!

Let's go back to about two or three weeks ago, when my dad and I were invited to attend one of the rehearsals of The Barber of Seville. This was a perk of being a patron; my dad's cousin brought us along to see the cast practice the last half an hour or so of act one. This got me very excited to see the show!

The Barber of Seville is a classic comedy opera by Rossini. It tells the story of Rosina who is held captive by Dr Bartolo who intends on marrying the young woman. However, Rosina is in love with a poor man, who is actually rich Count Almaviva in disguise hoping Rosina would marry him for him, not his money. Almaviva asks Figaro, the barber of Seville, for help in breaking into Bartolo's house to rescue Rosina. What follows is a series of hilarious events, involving many disguises and many misunderstandings. 

Zoom in on the photos below (from Wide Open Opera's website) by clicking on them.

 This production of The Barber of Seville is set in 70's Spain - the costumes and set were in fact my favourite things about it, other than the talented cast and humour. I especially loved Rosina, played by the beautiful and gifted Irish mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught, and her colourful outfits. The set was something else - there was a camper van and moving buildings. I got a quick snap of it when the show ended.

I really enjoyed The Barber of Seville - it deserves the brilliant review by the Irish Times. I was quite tired sitting through the show, as that same day I walked 17km with my school over three peaks. Nonetheless, I loved every minute.

After the show, my dad and I were invited to the after party, and we got to meet some of the cast. I met the conductor Fergus Sheil once again, as I met him at rehearsals. I even got a photo with Gavan Ring, who played Figaro, the barber - I love his pose!

Now onto the outfit!

COAT: AMERICAN EAGLE | TOP: H&M | NECKLACE: H&M | SKIRT: MISS SELFRIDGE | SHOES: HEAVENLY FEET

I wanted to wear something comfortable, simple, yet elegant, as I was to attend the after party at the theatre. I wore this polo neck top with this skirt two months ago on a night out with friends, and I thought it would be perfect for the evening of the opera. I decided to style it with my knit coat - the clashing patterns of the skirt and coat actually worked so well together. After a day of walking over hills and mountains, high heeled boots were last thing I needed, so I stuck with my pair of shiny creepers, and accessorised with a fancy necklace. On that night out two months ago, I wore my hair down in a centre parting, and it was a nice touch to the outfit's simplicity, so I repeated that look for the theatre, and with it, wore a night time smokey eye and nude shiny lips.

Do you like operas?

I'm not expecting many to say yes in the comment section!