A masquerade ball is mysterious and elegant.
Masquerade balls began in 15th-century Venice as celebrations for the upper classes and reached the peak of their popularity in 17th- and 18th-century Europe. Participants dressed in costumes and masks -- the more elaborate and mysterious, the better -- and danced until midnight, when all guests were required to remove their masks. In modern times, masquerade balls are often used as fundraisers for worthy causes.
Men's Fancy
Male guests may arrive at a masquerade dressed as a masked and caped harlequin, Romeo or Hamlet, a court jester, Mozart, a wig-wearing pirate, Zorro, an armored knight or Leonardo da Vinci. Military characters, such as the Three Musketeers, Napoleon or George Washington, are appropriate alternatives.
Women's Fancy
Renaissance and early modern queens are popular personas for masquerade balls. Queen Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots or Marie Antoinette are instantly recognizable period characters. Female guests might choose to attend as the Mona Lisa, Juliet, a turn-of-the-century ballerina in a flowing skirt, a clown, Martha Washington or Shakespeare's shrew, Katherina, who is also called Kate.
Grotesque
As Edgar Allen Poe demonstrated in "The Masque of the Red Death," masquerade costumes sometimes trend to the grotesque. Guests may appear as the Grim Reaper, the Phantom of the Opera or a French king holding his masked head under one arm. Some masks, such as the popular beaked Venetian bird mask, have a faintly sinister aspect as well.
Animal Theme
Animal masks are masquerade favorites; some are shaped to look like the face of a cat, dog or pig, others have horns like deer or rams, and many sport feathers, like the plumage of an exotic bird. Butterfly masks are popular with female attendees, while batwing masks are favored by males.
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