Inspired by.... Maria Callas

For my very first “Inspired by…” article, I have chosen a woman who is my idol, my inspiration. The best soprano of all times, the one and only Maria Callas. Not only is my Itunes library full with her albums, but I’ve watched every documentary and interview of her, and many of her biographies (next on my reading list: Greek Fire by Nicolas Gage).

She wasn’t only known for her heavenly voice, but for her beauty and iconic fashion style. The reason why I enjoy the most to write about it is because it spans over my favourite fashion decades, the 1950s and the 1960s.

The interesting thing about Maria was that she started as an ugly duckling that turned into the most beautiful of women. In many of her biographies, it is told how, at her beginnings, she had almost no fashion style and wasn’t in the best shape. But what’s amazing about this woman is her dedication for her career: for that, she lost weight even though she was a food lover, and did everything she could to become extremely elegant.

Keep reading after the jump for her fashion style and beauty!







Her fashion style:

As you may have noticed, I made my collage chronologically. In the top part, you have what she’d wear in the 1950s to mid-to-late 1960s. I chose little retro dresses (that’s where ModCloth.com becomes interesting, although I'd recommend you find authentic vintage dresses), including a black lace dress similar to both the one that she wore in this picture, and the one she had on at a concert in Paris in 1965. Of course, must-have accessories for a complete look would be the iconic crocodile Kelly purse, a fur coat, as every elegant lady from this era had one, patent leather heels and a small hat with a fishnet veil (seen at the bottom left), similar to the ones made for her by famous Milanese designer Biki.

I also added two light summer dresses, similar to ones she would wear during one of her escapes on her famous lover’s yacht, or while strolling on his private Greek island. Comfortable wedges and a woven purse would go divinely with that.

In the middle, there are items similar to what she would wear from the time her affair with Aristotle Onassis ended to her death, so approximately from 1968 to 1977. In more than one interview, she wore a caftan, as these were typical of the late 1960s. I chose a dark red one because this colour is reminiscent of the beautiful Tosca Act II gown she wore in 1964 at Covent Garden (this is her only filmed Tosca performance).

The two evening gowns are similar to the ones she wore during her 1973-1974 farewell tour with her long-time singing partner, Italian tenor Giuseppe di Stefano (They had an incredible chemistry together that made them opera’s golden couple, a little like Freni and Pavarotti, or Netrebko and Villazon today). The silver dress looks closely like the white one she wore at her concert in London; over it, she wore a blue cape. And the red one is similar to the dress she wore at her very last performance in Japan.

It is widely known that Maria loved jewelry, as she loved everything luxurious, and she loved very much to receive luxurious gifts. As such, I chose a selection of very sparkly jewels, including a peacock, which I think is an animal that could certainly represent Maria in her splendour, beauty and greatness. I also included cross earrings because Maria was superstitious-religious (you must be Mediterranean (like meee!!) to understand), and was known to always carry on her an icon. And at last, the green vintage Chanel choker in the bottom left  reminds me of one she wore for La Traviata. 

To summarize:
- Retro dresses, iconic purses, fascinator hats, fur coats.
- Colours like black, red, blue and white.
- Large and sparkly jewelry. 

Her beauty:

During her teenage years, as she studied then began to become famous in Greece, Maria had very persistent acne, so she had hide it under heavy powder. Of course, it all vanished later on, leaving her with a beautiful, glowing complexion, which was for the best, because the strong lights of world-famous operatic stages such as the Fenice, the Scala and the Met were certainly unforgiving.

What strikes the most about her appearance is her beautiful large almond-shaped doe eyes. She certainly knew they were her best asset, for she enhanced them with black eye-liner and mascara. I have chosen two products that I’ve tried myself and I have been very satisfied with. To emulate Maria’s eye make-up, have a steady hand (God knows it is necessary to reproduce the retro eye-liner), and whatever products you use, be sure they’re long-lasting, because there’s nothing tackier than runny eye make-up.

According to biographer Ariana Stassinopoulos, when famous theater critic Claudia Cassidy met with Maria in Chicago, she offered her a red Elizabeth Arden lipstick that matched the bow on her Traviata costume. I’ve rarely seen Maria wear bright red lipstick, which wasn’t a very typical colour of the time, so I’ve selected a lighter shade of rose. After all, Maria enhanced her eyes with heavy Cleopatra-like liner (she dressed once as the Egyptian queen at a Waldorf costume party), so she would wear something more neutral on her face and lips.

Maria’s cherished teacher, Spanish coloratura soprano Elvira de Hidalgo, said that the first time she saw Maria, she noticed that this shy, awkward girl had very beautiful hand as well as a voice. De Hidalgo always told her student and protégée to take care of her hands, which also were one of her great assets, and never to bite her nails. One of the best creams of the times and of today is the Nivea crème, (which my own great-grandmother used to apply on her face too!). It definitely helps maintain beautiful soft hands. And to dissuade yourself from biting your nails, there’s nothing better than nail polish: you won’t want to damage it (it’s even more motivating if you paid 20$+ at the spa). I chose here a retro coral called, coincidently, One of a kind.

Maria had beautiful thick dark hair that she did dye a few times. The length of her hair varied, but she often wore it teased very highly, as it was typical of the time. To keep it in place, she’d certainly use a lot of hairspray. I wonder if the notion of giving your hair a break (no pun intended) existed back then; because with such frequent styling (and even more with Maria, who performed on stage and thus had her hair frequently done in elaborate coiffures for Traviata, Lucia, Tosca, etc), use of heated rollers (that also put pressure on the scalp) the hair would definitely be prone to a lot of damage. When I research beauty products used back then, I do find a lot of ads for pomades and sprays, but never any conditioning masks or oils. I don’t know how ladies kept their hair healthy-looking; maybe this is why they styled it so frequently.

What I find most amazing about Maria Callas's fashion style is that she managed to transition beautifully and stylishly into the 1970s. This decade (in fashion!) isn't my favourite (it's not for nothing that it is followed by my least favourite, most cringe-worthy decade in fashion), but Maria managed to maintain this innate elegance there was in the two previous decades. It would have been interesting to see her her style would have evolved
if she survived and lived into the 1980s.

To summarize:
- Big teased hair.
- Heavy retro eye-liner.
- Pink or coral sheer lips.
- Hands and nails that are always well-taken care of.

And thus we come to the end of my very first "Inspired by". I hope very much that you enjoyed it, and that it will inspire you not only fashion-wise, but also to listen and learn more about Maria Callas
Do give me your feed-back and tell me if there are any celebrities/style icons you'd like to see featured on future "Inspired by!"

Disclaimer: I am not claiming to perfectly emulate the person's style, nor do I claim to know their care routines. This is an article about inspiration and is by no means an attempt at biography. The biographical statements I make are found in various articles and biographies (which I cite when possible), and they are the responsibility of their authors. 

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