Celine Dion’s show puts fashion centerstage

Celine Dion sparkles onstage. Prior to her return to Caesars, she strictly had her talent to thank for that. Now she can thank Armani Prive, too.

As the curtain rises to reveal the singer to her 4,300 audience members each night at the Colosseum, Dion stands in an Armani Prive gown as shining and shimmering as her superstardom.

It's a powerful moment. The Swarovski crystal-decorated dress catches the light like an engagement ring in the display window at Tiffany & Co. Before she sings a single note, the audience gasps.

That's just the effect Annie Horth hoped for when she commissioned the couture label to create a dress for the "Celine" show. As Dion's stylist, Horth collaborated with haute couture designers to produce seven different outfit changes.

"You want people to be excited by what they see," Horth says. "The stage clothes have an edge all their own."

The intro to Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" gets the toes tapping. The backdrops showing James Bond imagery gets the anticipation going. But, until the audience sees that 5-foot-8 slender figure onstage, it's all just a tease.

The second she's revealed and a new set begins, the crowd should know the direction they're headed in. And they should be thrilled to go there. This is where the wardrobing for "Celine" becomes key.

A Black sequined Balmain gown cut low on the neckline and high on the thigh indicates a sexy ride. A one-shoulder white Atelier Versace gown means high drama. An embellished Givenchy Couture jacket and black Balenciaga leather leggings channel the King of Pop. A flowing Atelier Versace gown the same color of the water the Titanic sailed through signals that Dion's -- and the audience's -- heart will go on.

Between each set, Dion slips into a tiny dressing room that was formerly a broom closet. Here, three members of the show's staff wait to take her out of one look and into the next. Like a NASCAR pit crew, they change her attire, shoes, hair, makeup and jewelry in as fast as 45 seconds six different times throughout the show.

Zorba Soteros, head of wardrobe for "Celine," developed a system for each change. With all sound equipment taking top priority, she and two other staff members work in a circle. It's a fast-paced, yet delicate process as they're handling haute couture. At one point of the show, she helps Dion lift her skirt and the two run from the stage to her dressing room together.

"If anything goes out of order, things completely go off kilter," says Soteros. "Once it gets going, though, it's all kind of thrilling."

Each night Soteros wears an apron and carries a clipboard. As Dion disrobes, she cites wardrobing issues and Soteros jots them down. After a recent Tuesday show, notes varied from "James Bond shoes too slippery" to "Number two bra too high" to "Left arm seam opens just below the elbow." While these pieces get reconstructed, their understudy steps in. Two of each piece, including the glamorous gowns, is produced in case of a crisis.

The scene backstage is high pressure during the show, but during the day it slows down. On a recent Wednesday afternoon you could hear fans blowing as a seamstress tightened loose sequins on one of the Balmain gowns. The Atelier Versace finale dress draped a mannequin. The show's remaining dresses, like the gold Balmain so heavy it adds several pounds onto the scale, weighed down body forms on hangers. Every shoe, including designs from Sergio Rossi, Reed Krakoff and Prada, was safely tucked into its slot.

All of the pieces patiently awaited the wear and tear of the lights, camera and action ahead of them that evening.

Each look came together over four months leading up to the show. Dion didn't want to start the process until giving birth to her twins and getting her body back in shape. Horth did the legwork, meeting with each designer and orchestrating a vision for each set.

The two started collaborating in the late '90s and took a break when Dion started her first Caesars run, "A New Day." That show was high on theatrics with 50 backup dancers and cables lifting Dion into the air. When Dion decided to drop the costumes and pick up couture, she called on Horth, who revamped the show and worked her magic again on "Celine."

Although she wasn't responsible for it, Horth has been with Dion since the infamous backward white suit that's a mainstay on all-time worst-dressed Oscars lists. She saw her through her fashion growing pains, one tour at a time and one red carpet at a time. The "Celine" show demonstrates just how far she's come. Each look is worthy of a standing ovation.

"We've grown into older women together," says Horth. "And, she trusts me. That's what makes me feel most lucky."

Follow Xazmin Garza on Twitter at @startswithanx.