Archive for March, 2011

Themed Masked Ball Ideas

On twitter, I spotted a lady who was asking for ideas for themed masked balls. She was having a birthday party and had no idea of what she could do, so I threw a few ideas her way and at the same time, it gave me a great idea for a blog post!

Hope it’s of interest to you and if it is, please feel free to comment and share it with your friends.

Burlesque

This theme isn’t reserved just for mini top hats (although they do look great!). Masks can be adorned with feathers in gorgeous colours such as hot pinks and lime greens with elegant black. You can accompany the masks with feather fans or feather boas, and mask styles can include: feathered stick masks (which are great for flirting with!), burlesque black or red lace masks, or go for something truly outstanding and have a bespoke mask made to outshine all the others!

Colour schemed i.e Black & White.

This is a simpler and cheaper way of setting a theme for your masquerade party. Colour schemes can work well and the masks available would cater for all price ranges. Classic theme is black and white, and as most of us having something in the wardrobe of that colour, it means that those on a budget don’t miss out. White masks decorated in Swarovski crystals, black masks covered in vintage diamante jewels and ostrich feathers would look simply stunning. For the men, you could cover both by having a Venetian Mask painted in both colours.

Traditional Venetian Masked Ball:

The most elaborate, expensive and opulent of all the themes is the Venetian masked ball. Authentic Venetian Masks, elaborately decorated or simple designs in a traditional paper mache, compliment 18^th century dresses and wigs associated with this era. Dresses are usually available to hire either from fancy dress shops (although these are generally the cheaper versions) online stores (who will ship the item to you – see Complete Costumes, dresses start at £33 hire) or for more authentic and realistic costumes, you could try theatre costume suppliers (majority tend to be based in London but there are a few dotted around the country). Styles would include dresses typically worn by Marie Antionette (see the film with Kirstin Dunst for inspiration) and a big white wig. If your party is Venetian themed but perhaps less traditional, then there are companies like SMIFFY’s who do costumes like the Fever Boutique Baroque dress which is a very short alternative to an 18th Century costume!

Mask wise, see my blog post on the Vampire Diaries Masquerade Ball which has links to You-Tube videos of the the masked ball episode, as well as one featuring the Gossip Girl episode with period costumes and the wigs for ideas. Most of the masks (including feather masks, masks on sticks, lace masks and venetian masks) would all be suitable for this theme.

Carnival

Probably the cheapest masquerade theme you could go for. Costumes can be anything from colourful everyday wear, to full showgirl or burlesque costumes. If guests don’t have appropriate clothing, then the theme could just be set in the masks themselves, i.e Striped venetian masks, stick masks with bright colours (think Brazil/Mardi Gras – with lots of feather masks, sequined masks, glitter masks and huge outrageous showpiece masks).

Gothic Vampire

Fun, sexy and not just for Halloween! A gothic themed masquerade party can also accommodate cheaper budgets giving rise to homemade costumes or getting good use out the annual Halloween costume. A fun mask could be a full face one on a stick with painted on fangs! There is no limit to your imagination here and there are lots of Halloween themed Masquerade Masks you can buy, ready made, or alternatively have a bespoke one made to match your outfit. If you’re going for a Victorian style party, then masks should be more elegant, along the lines of some of the burlesque masks or Gothic elegance such as the Gothic Black Rose Mask as pictured above. Other designs could include masks featuring Spider’s Webs,

Murder Mystery

An expensive, but highly entertaining option for a masked event. There are theatre companies about who will put on a ‘Masked Ball Themed Murder Mystery’ for you to entertain your guests, or try hotels such as Picton Castle who hold Masked Murder Mystery Evenings. Guests can also become part of the act which will help them be more involved in the evening. The murder mystery can be set in a particular era to compliment your desired theme (such as venetian or marie antionette etc), enhancing the overall effect and giving rise to any number of mask types as listed above.

Which Masquerade Mask to choose?

I am always asked by customers, ‘which masquerade mask would you choose?‘  Not a simple answer, purely because there are so many designs and styles to go for. However, there are a couple of things that I personally would look at, which are comfort and being unique.

The latter is the most important to me as I believe that the mask represents who we are – a kind of expression of the hidden self, so for me, wearing a unique mask is a must as I don’t want to turn up with someone else wearing the same thing. But if this isn’t as important to you, then perhaps you have other things to consider such as budget, comfort and colour scheme.

The first thing I would say is to assess the type of ball you are going for. Is it more of a contemporary masked ball or a traditional venetian masked ball complete with costumes? If it’s the latter, then you would probably want to go for more of a tradional style venetian mask which is made from paper mache and can be as decorative or as plain as you prefer.

My experience with wearing a traditional mask for my wedding day however, was that some can be quite heavy and I ended up putting blister plasters on the inside of the mask to stop it rubbing on my nose. They are stunning and do make great decorations for your walls after the event and, if you’re only going to be wearing it a short time, then it shouldn’t be a problem. Most of the tradional masks you will see at cheap prices are replicas, likely made in China, made from a resin or plastic base. It’s a great way of getting the look for less but expect to pay at least £15 for an authentic basic Venetian mask.

If you are attending a more contemporary black tie masked ball, then you are pretty much free to choose any type of mask. Masks can start from as little as £3 for a cheap party mask (if you’re on a tight budget) right up to £200 for an amazing Venetian filigree mask.

How to choose a mask for this type of ball? If you have a budget, then browse a couple of sites to see the types of masks that fall into that price bracket. You may be surprised at what you can find for a modest sum though. A few sites, (obviously including my own), decorate masks themselves and can produce a gorgeous mask for little more than a cheap party one you find in a fancy dress shop. These will usually be better made and less ‘over-produced’. The simpler the design, the cheaper the mask of course. If you are thinking huge ostrich feathers on mask with Swarovski crystals and delicate laces, then be prepared to pay a bit more for something that will make you stand out in the crowd.

cheap party mask

Plastic Venetian Unisex Mask

budget handmade mask

Mid-Priced Stick Mask

typical mask on a headband

Mask worn like glasses

If you’re lucky to have a slightly bigger budget, then the ideal thing would be to find one that matches what you are wearing. Perhaps go for a bespoke

Bespoke Unique Mask

mask so it can be designed completely to compliment your outfit or at least, make you the only person in the world to be wearing that mask. Some sites will charge for this service, quoting prices from £40 upwards, whereas others will do it for no extra charge.

There are no only masks that tie with elastic or ribbons around the face, but you can also buy stick masks (some on longer wooden sticks and others on folding plastic sticks), masks that are worn like a pair of glasses and masks with a headband which are perfect for those who wear glasses.

Do you want to be wearing a mask all night? Would the design you have chosen be too heavy for your face and you think a stick mask might be better? Can you cope with holding your handbag, drink and mask in your hand if you used a stick mask? These are a few final questions you should ask yourself before deciding on the type of mask to buy.

Personally, I don’t choose to sell full face masks because I don’t think they are practical for wearing to a party as you can’t talk clearly through them or drink or eat -and let’s be honest, what type of party would it be without the above!

I hope my guide has helped you with a starting point to choosing your mask, but if you would like to know anything else or need further advice, then please feel free to call or e-mail me with no obligation to purchase.