Opera

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Miuccia Prada's controversial designs for the Metropolitan Opera have arrived. Back in December, the designer notoriously requested more model-esque extras (the actors on hand were too "curvy" for her taste). So, what exactly do the original cast and newly minted, svelte extras get to don come show time? "The costumes are runway-ready, all industrial leather and fur and boots and crumpled textures... the Roman soldiers carry shields that look to me like enormous iPods. Coincidence? I think not! The chorus dressed in jeans and rumpled designer t shirts and reminds me of Mark Morris' 'Orfeo' just a bit. Are they a religious cult?" [Parterre Box via Fashionista]