The company my friend works for is hosting a masquerade ball this Halloween to raise money for local charities. I am so jealous. Well, I was, until I found out that my pal dropped $200 on an “appropriate” masquerade ball costume. Apparently, masquerade balls require wearing expensive getups. And here I thought “masquerade ball” was just a fancy way of saying “come dressed up in whatever; eat, drink and be merry in this overpriced venue.” Guess not.
My friend and her husband are wearing costumes inspired by the Victorian era. She is going as Queen Victoria of England, who ruled from 1837 to 1901. Translation: She’s cramming her body into a corset, wearing a huge wig with mounds of ringlet curls and a bell-shaped skirt with a crinoline. I’m all for dressing the part, though I don’t see how anyone can have fun being painfully constricted by a costume, just to resemble a dead royal. My pal’s husband is donning a velvet jacket and some undyed trousers.
If you have the money to spend on these upscale costumes, then go for it. However, if you are working with a tight budget, but still want to dress to impress at a fancy Halloween party, then I would suggest renting getups from a local costume shop. After all, what are you going to do with a pair of Turkish trousers and a flowing robe once Halloween is over?
My other frugal suggestion is to attend a masquerade ball as a peacock. Seriously. There’s a lot you can do to make a peacock costume super fancy and sexy, especially if you design it yourself. For example, I would start with a teal satin mini-dress. Then, attach gold, purple and green peacock feathers to the bodice. Next, add a teal chocker, and a headpiece made with more feathers (you can attach a few fake gems to add to the effect). Finally, don’t forget to embellish a fancy masquerade mask in teal, purple, gold or dark blue.
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