Anna Karenina (Takarazuka Revue)

Takarazuka is a Japanese theater with several regional troupes, known famously for their elaborate costumes and all female cast, even for male roles; when friends finally convinced me to sit down and watch a couple of the shows, I fell in love with Vronsky from the 2001 Snow production of the Russian classic Anna Karenina. My costume choices always seem to gravitate towards tragic characters, this one was no different. 
I finished the outfit in under 2 weeks after returning from Europe, so it was initially a little rushed, but I was very proud of how it turned out, and was a joy to wear. Also, how often does one get to wear rhinestone eyelashes.

I used references from the 2001 Snow troupe production, but since they appeared to have used the same props and uniforms in the 2008 Star troupe shows, I looked to those for details as well. 
The coat was made out of 80% wool suiting purchased in Copenhagen that was so soft, I didn’t bother lining the coat (considering time restraints), it was patterned using one of my patterns I altered to fit tighter on the chest and arms. The velvet pants were pre-owned, altered and embellished. I used 5 different types of gold trim between the coat, pants, and epaulets, all machine or hand sewn. All the trim except the front panels are embellished with sequins, and the sleeves, collar, and epaulets are covered in Swarovski crystals and rhinestones. I absolutely could not find decently priced war medal replicas in the same style, so I ended up making my own out of jewelry pendants, rhinestones, and painted craft foam. The lace front wig was provided and styled by Klytaemnestra, who also did my makeup.