Centre Stage, the annual competition for cash and places in the Canadian Opera Company’s prestigious Ensemble Studio will be held tonight, November 25, 2014.  Seven finalists, all dressed to the nines, will be competing for spots and last Friday, I had the wonderful opportunity to observe the pieces that the finalists tried on (you may have seen some of the pictures on Instagram or read some of the Tweets) and eventually chose.  The fitting was at Hudson’s Bay Queen Street, in the private shopping area.

I think that’s what we’ll go

Yes, it fits!

This or that?

Pretty, pretty accessories

Black dress means a bit of bling is needed

Deciding which dress to choose – this was one of my favourites

Don’t these guys look amazing?

For the women, dresses ranged from classical, attention-getting sparkling gowns to some solid, jewel tones.  And then there are the accessories.  Plainer/more solid dresses would require more bling – the hall is quite big and many of the female singers are on the petite side.  They need to be…seen.  The guys, on the other hand, didn’t have as much variety – most of them will be wearing dark suits (but you have to admit that they DO look quite sharp!).

Which dress was my favourite?  Hard to say, but the blue and gold patterned one is definitely on top.  It’s an attention-getter without going over-the-top. The burgundy dress is another one I like – it’s conservative, but because it isn’t black, still stands out.

We will have a full recap of Centre Stage by the end of the week!

Photos by Dave Cox