Isaac Mizrahi Talks Mark Morris Dance Project
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Isaac Mizrahi has once again teamed up with his choreographer friend Mark Morris to design costumes for Morris’ dance ensemble’s latest performance.
The fashion designer has dreamt up colorful costumes for the Oct. 20 world premiere of “The Look of Love,” an homage to the music of multi-Grammy composer and songwriter Burt Bacharach with new arrangements by Ethan Iverson. “The Look of Love” runs through Oct. 23 at the BroadStage in Santa Monica, California, before moving on to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Oct. 26 to 29.
More from WWD
In an interview, Mizrahi said there was no question that he was the person for the job, having given Morris an ultimatum. The pair have joined forces for about 10 projects through the years. “He knows I love Burt Bacharach. I grew up listening to Burt Bacharach. His music was really popular. You couldn’t escape it but I deeply, got into it. I got all of the records including the ones with Dionne Warwick, Dusty Springfield and all of the other people that he worked with,” Mizrahi said.
He also had met the “Do You Know the Way to San Jose” composer on more than one occasion. While at Interview magazine, Ingrid Sischy tapped Mizrahi to interview the singer. “He’s a real charmer,” Mizrahi said. “As a kid, I was not only in love with the music, but he was such a sexy cat. It was hard not to be made about Burt Bacharach — the man.”
Mizrahi’s initial plan was to use fawn and taupe-type neutrals for the dancers’ costumes, but then decided on black and white. The latter elicited a “meh” reaction from Morris, according to Mizrahi. However, after listening to Iverson’s arrangements, he switched tracks to exuberant colors like pinks, reds, ochre, orange, green and purple, including a blue unitard and skirt that is reminiscent of a short poodle skirt with a pink accent. The colorful card chairs featured in the show were also cooked up by Mizrahi.
After a two-year break due to the pandemic, the Mizrahi-narrated and directed the “Peter & the Wolf” performance at the Guggenheim Museum in New York will be held again starting in December. The performance is being choreographed by John Heginbotham.
The designer, who still sells a slew of products on QVC, will return to The Carlyle early next year for his annual musical residency before taking that show on the road.
Best of WWD
