The sumptuous salmon pink gown worn by Maria Callas in 1964 in Bellini's Norma, one of her most famous roles, still looks immaculate, but it has a flaw: a tiny square of fabric is missing.

"It was likely snipped out by some fetishistic collector when it was on display in the past" speculates Italian couturier Maurizio Galante, who helped curate the exhibition on Divas' Wardrobes at France's national centre of stage costume.

Divas, from the Italian word for goddesses, are by their very nature objects of adulation, adoration and obsession.

They also have a reputation for being temperamental. But Callas, the "Diva Assoluta" was "a trooper" when it came to costume, docilely accepting what she was given to wear, according to Piero Tosi, who dressed her for many productions.

After dramatically slimming down, she persuaded director Franco Zeffirelli to put her in a draped empire line dress instead of a crinoline to play Tosca to show off her new svelte figure.

Mr Galante managed to prevail upon Florence's Pitti palace to lend one of her stunning costumes from Pier Paolo Pasolini's Medea - her only non-operatic film role - which has never left Italy before.

From historical greats, including actress Sarah Bernhardt and French soprano Regine Crespin, the exhibition sweeps right up to the present day, to take in all the leading names from Spain's Montserrat Caballe, New Zealand's Kiri te Kanawa and Romania's Angela Gheorghiu to Americans Jessye Norman, Renee Fleming, Barbara Hendricks and June Anderson, among others.

Ms Anderson gave a recital at Galante's haute couture collection last January, when he gave her a change of clothes with each song.

Meanwhile, French couturier Christian Lacroix experienced the capricious side of a diva when he was invited to design Renee Fleming's costume for the Gala opening night of the 2008 season at New York's Met.

"She's a very busy lady. It was the fastest fitting of my life. And she wasn't satisfied, she wanted the train to be longe." It was already 18 metres.

But the Gala night was such a success that all was forgiven and the diva deigned to invite him to design her costume for the title role in Thais.

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