Turin-born Fracasso has created a suite of period costumes for the dramatic bel canto, which tells the tale of the doomed second wife of King Henry VIII.

Henry VIII has grown tired of Anne Boleyn, and is seeing her lady-in-waiting, Jane Seymour, in secret.

He plots to remove his wife from the throne, and tries to trap her by inviting the man she once loved back to court.

The opera weighs up Anne’s innocence against the flamboyant King’s determination to be rid of her.

Set in the Tudor period, which lasted from 1485 – 1603 in England and Wales, court clothing at this time was typically made from exquisite fabric and embellished with precious jewels, ribbons and lace.

Women often wore a hood – either the English hood, or gable, with its distinctive triangular framing of the face, worn by Henry VIII’s first wife Catherine of Aragon, or the softer French hood popularised by Anne Boleyn.

Rich men wore white silk shirts, frilled at the neck and wrists.

Over this they wore a doublet, like a tight-fitting jacket, and close-fitting striped trousers.

Heavily starched and elaborately pleated ruffs were also fashionable throughout the period.

Fracasso is estimated to have produced, in collaboration with the wardrobe department, 90 costumes and 60 wigs in total for the production.

“I don’t really know the exact number,” she said.

“But what is required for any production is a lot of work.

“The Tudor period was such a hyper fashion moment!”

Fracasso said that – luckily for her – Livermore has a tendency to deviate from the rules of the era, so her costumes can also be experimental.

“From the beginning of the production, you can appreciate a change in time... it begins in London, and then, there’s a time travel element,” she added. 

“I was using my fashion resources to create an homage to Tudor, rather than being strictly historical.”

She cited designers such as Valentino Garavani who manifest similar “tributes” to periods in their clothing lines.

The Anna Bolena costumes feature many layers, colours and a sense of “translucency”.

They differ from the clothing of the Tudor period in their weight; “the dresses are actually very light,” Fracasso informed, and are not made of traditional heavy brocade, but silk.

“I was lucky to find some gorgeous fabrics right here in Sydney, in the workshops in Surry Hills,” she added.

A fashion designer and collaborator with leading brands such as Casadei, Max Mara, Lancetti, Rocco Barocco, and Ferrari, Fracasso began designing costumes for theatre productions in 2012.

She said that she enjoys collaborating with set designers to create a striking mood.

“When you have a gown that must lie down in a bed, you better go and look at the bed first!’ she laughed.

One of Fracasso’s favourite moments in Anna Bolena incorporates the Boleyn family crest, the falcon, into both the costumes and action.

“The dancers are like the crying soul of Anna Bolena,” Fracasso said.

“And then we have this metamorphosis of falcons, into girls.

“They’re all wearing feather headsets!”

Fracasso said that the difference between designing fashion and costumes is that “in fashion, you make what is new, in theatre you make what is unique.”

The production is supposed to be “super modern”, thanks to Livermore’s contemporary choreography and manipulation of digital effects.

It stars Ermonela Jaho as Anna Bolena, Leonardo Cortellazzi as Lord Percy and Teddy Tahu Rhodes as the ruthless, passionate king.

Fracasso cited the 2017 production of Tamerlano at Milan’s La Scala Theatre, also directed by Davide Livermore, as one of her favourite shows she has worked on.

“And La Scala liked it too; they’re actually using images from that production to promote the next season,” she proudly said.

Another claim to fame for Fracasso is her incredible contribution to the interior design of Lancia’s pope-mobile, which was gifted to Pope John Paul II as part of the Catholic Church's Great Jubilee celebrations in 2000.

Fracasso, who has family in Sydney, said that what she likes about the city is that “the Sydney people have no shame in putting up emotional architecture next to brave experiments”.

“I like the sweetness of the Vivid lights – it’s brave,” she continued.

“Australia is so far way from everyone else you don’t feel the judgment of others!”