Thursday, August 23, 2012

Going to the Ball ...


Ever since I was a little girl reading fairy tales, I’ve wanted to go to a ball.  The real Cinderella type event, complete with glittering chandeliers, handsome beaux and – most importantly – beautiful ball gowns.  The kind that features in most historical romances, especially the Regency ones.  If only …

I have been to what passes for a ball these days – a couple of American high school Proms and a university ball – but I must admit they fell a bit short of the perfect vision I had in my mind.  Possibly because my escorts weren't exactly ideal - one was a boy I didn’t really want to go with and another a boy I had to bribe as he didn’t really want to go!  Not the stuff of fairy tales really, is it?

And my dresses?  Well, they were very pretty and I was pleased with them at the time, but they weren’t what I would call proper ball gowns - I would have liked something a lot more glamorous.

So what should a real ball gown look like?  To find out, I recently went to the Victoria & Albert museum in London where they have an exhibition at the moment called ‘Ballgowns:  British Glamour Since 1950’.  It’s right next to the section of antique clothing, where you can find real Regency ball dresses (like the one in this drawing), so I had a look at those first in order to have something to compare with.  Then I headed into the new section and I wasn’t disappointed.
 
There were ball gowns in all manner of weird and wonderful styles – some stunningly beautiful, some downright strange and (to my mind) very unattractive.  And although I found the Cinderella type dresses I’d longed to wear myself, I discovered that I actually liked the simple styles best.  The kind of dress that flatters the wearer and enhances someone’s figure without being too over the top.

The materials used made a huge difference.  Latex, ostrich feathers, silvered leather and knitted foil might make you look twice at someone, but were just too peculiar for words!  Much more glamorous were dresses made of yards and yards of tulle with a silk under-skirt and bodice (the layers of tulle added depth and made for an ethereal quality – as in this drawing).  Or the ones sewn out of just silk, which shimmered beautifully on its own or was enhanced by the addition of Swarovski crystals, beads or pearls.  For me, silk and satin proved to be a definite must.

As the exhibition catalogue said, ball gowns have not followed fashion as much as other types of clothing, although I had no trouble pin-pointing which era the various dresses on show were from.  What they all shared though was that extra effort the designer had made, as well as the costly materials and ‘wow-factor’ that showed they were to be worn only for a very special event.  Even today, ball dresses are often hand made in order to make them unique and they incorporate the owner’s personal tastes.

We don’t often have occasion to wear such gowns these days, but it’s still fun to look at them and dream.  There are debutantes every year, of course, and I sometimes take a peek at their outfits in various magazines just to see what this year’s styles are like.  Movie premieres and events like the Oscars provide more chances for a few lucky ladies to show off stunning dresses and I admit I enjoy this vicariously.  They help me to imagine what someone going to a real ball must have felt like in all her finery.  And there are the royal occasions when visiting heads of state and their partners all dress up, providing some wonderful magazine spreads as well.

If you’re at all like me, in love with the idea of balls and ball gowns, I recommend seeing the V & A exhibition – it’s well worth a visit!

Christina
www.christinacourtenay.com

(Drawings © Josceline Fenton – the first one a ball dress ca 1820-25, English, and the second a dress in a similar style to some of the ones in the current exhibition where photography was not allowed)

7 comments:

Melinda Hammond/Sarah Mallory said...

Lovely post, Christina.

I grew up in the mini-skirt age and in a very working class area, so the only long dresses were worn at weddings. I always longed to wear a long floaty dress and be whirled around the ballroom by a handsome hero ... only my dancing is pretty terrible, too, so I write about my heroines doing all those lovely things.

Elizabeth Hawksley said...

Oh, Christina! I do understand the lure of the ball gown! But I also know that you need the handsome young man to go with it. And this can bring problems.

I remember going to a Highland Ball where the men looked simply spectacular in kilt, doublet, buckled shoes, socks with the sgean dhu tucked into it, frilled shirt etc. They completely outclassed the women who, if they were sensible, wore a simple white dress with a tartan sash over the shoulder - if entitled to it.

We were definitely geese to their swans!

Jane Odiwe said...

I did go to a ball once which was hosted by King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie - I was a teacher years ago and taught their children. It was fantastic, a treat I'll never forget. It was in the eighties and I wore a dress with a velvet bodice and a silk plaid skirt.

I loved your descriptions-fabulous post!

Amanda said...

Oh, Christina, your post made me long to go to a ball! I love those gorgeous dresses. As a little girl I used to love all the Disney princesses because of their clothes! I must go to the V & A.

Christina Courtenay said...

Melinda - yes, I used to wear mini-skirts too while dreaming of the ballgowns. I wasn't too bad at dancing but definitely needed a handsome hero to whirl me around!
Elizabeth - I'd absolutely love a Highland Ball since I have a weakness for men in kilts :-) You're right though, the women are bound to fade into the background in comparison!

Christina Courtenay said...

Jane, that sounds lovely, especially the silk plaid!
Amanda - yes do go if you can, it's worth seeing!
I still love the Disney princesses :-)

insomnia zippy tiesto said...

and this web publication service is an excellent insomnia side effects,insomnia lyrics 007,insomnia cookies locations,insomnia 09,insomnia menopause,insomnia 38 weeks,insomnia xiv,insomnia video game culture