Since the origins of opera, design of its costumes was always a complex and collaborative endeavour. Etymologically, the word design derives from Latin designare – “mark out, point out; devise; choose, designate, appoint”. In the sixteenth century, this word developed two main senses – “to contrive, plot, intend”, and “to draw, paint, embroider, etc.” – both of which passed on into Italian, French, English etc. In the case of costume design, the two meanings naturally meet in practice, however the original intention and the drawing were often created by various agents in the past. Furthermore, even their carefully crafted design did not necessarily make it to the stage, because it was altered by other members of the theatre company in the process of making. This article will interrogate the design and making process of the costumes at the Opera, who decided what during the process of costume’s becoming, how was this design process controlled by the administration, and how is was shared with other Parisian theatres.