Society at the Opera Ball

A photo on the loo as the greatest compliment

Designer Gottfried Birklbauer clearly feels at home as the cock of the walk among his "princesses".(Bild: GregorHartl.at)

The Opera Ball is just around the corner. That means Gottfried Birklbauer has a lot to do - and not just for the high society from Upper Austria. How Meryl Streep found out about the designer, why Alina Garanča is his number one and which celebrity he has fallen out with - the "Krone" was there for a fitting.

A bit of lace here, a flower there - eleven days before the Opera Ball, Gottfried Birklbauer is under constant stress, but his customers are deeply relaxed. Gerda Wimmer, Isolde Weberberger and Doris Nentwich are looking forward to the big day. The final preparations are in full swing. At least for the designer, who is dressing a total of 15 ladies for the Opera Ball in Vienna, eight of them from Upper Austria.