Historic Halloween Fancy Dress Costumes

Hello friends and welcome to a very fun edition of Fashion Friday. Today I will be talking about Historic Halloween Fancy Dress Costumes.

Historic Halloween Fancy Dress Costumes

Now some of you may ask “Just what are Historic Halloween Fancy Dress Costumes?

The Victorians loved to entertain and hold lavish parties. They were inspired by the Carnevale masked balls in Italy and the Royal balls in France.

These magnificent, costumed affairs were organized by the nobility and society ladies. The costumes were created by some of the most talented dressmakers of the time to include Charles Fredrick Worth.

Indeed there were even entire books written on the subject. Fancy Dress Described by Ardern Holt comprised of six editions of detailed descriptions of costumes for every occasion in alphabetical order. Mme. Marie Schild gave elaborate descriptions in her 1881 book, Characters Suitable for Fancy Costume Balls.

Warwick Castle

The Countess of Warwick held a ball at Warwick Castle in 1895. The edict was to wear the reigns of Louis XV and XVI. She set the tone as Marie Antoinette.

Her husband, the Duke, was a bit less grand as an Ambassador from a Holbein painting.

Perhaps he had failed to read Male Character Costumes for Fancy Dress Balls and Private Theatricals an 1884 offering by Samuel Miller.

Vanderbilt Ball

Mrs. W. K. (Alva) Vanderbilt held a fancy dress ball held on March 26, 1883. It was THE social event of the season. Mrs. Vanderbuilt wanted to unseat the queen of Gilded Age Soirees, Mrs. Caroline Astor. Invitations were hand-delivered by servants dressed in livery. It was held at her new French château style mansion which had been designed by Richard Morris Hunt at 660 Fifth Avenue at 52nd street.

It is estimated that it cost $250,000 (nearly 6 million dollars in today’s money). This included costs of $65,000 for champagne (naturally!) and $11,000 for flowers.

The over the top costumes were recorded by the photographer Mora.

Here is Alva in all her glory.

One of the most deLIGHTful guests was “Electric Light” worn by Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt (Alice).

Here she is pictured with her husband Cornelius who dressed as Louis XVI.

The ultimate cat lady, Miss Strong. Her nickname was “Puss” as shown on her collar made of diamonds.

My favorite just may be Alva’s sister-in-law who went as a hornet. The former Lila O. Vanderbilt (Mrs. William Seward Webb) had a headdress made of diamonds.

I’d also like to see in person the “Demonic Fringe” that was described on Miss Bessie Webb’s costume.

You can see more fabulous photos from the event in the Museum of the City of New York’s archives.

The Duchess of Devonshire

One of the most famous fancy dress events was the Duchess of Devonshire’s Diamond Jubilee Costume Ball held on July 2^nd,1897 to celebrate the Queen (Victoria). Over 700 people attended and many were captured by photographer James Lauder of the Lafayette Company and his assistants. The Duchess had informed her guests to arrive in “allegorical or historical costumes dated earlier than 1820”.

Lady Randolph Churchill (Sir Winston Churchill’s mother) came as Empress Theodora.