(I don't know quite how to categorize this one: a romanticized "shepherdess" done as a pink-and-chintz pseudo-18th-century costume worn over a very, very Edwardian corset. Click to enlarge the image.)
Skirt of chintz, with large flowers. Bodice and panier-drapery of pink nun's-veiling. Black velvet on sleeves and square-cut neck. Large hat trimmed with flowers.
Source: Masquerades, Tableaux and Drills. New York: The Butterick Publishing Company, 1906.
(Historical costume was popular for men as well as for women, as this stylish men's costume of a the late 18th century demonstrates.)
Coat of snuff-colored satin with lapels and cuffs of green; vest of white satin and breeches of pale blue; white silk stockings, black, low shoes with large buckles, black hat, white cravat and wrist frills.
Source: Masquerades, Tableaux and Drills. New York: The Butterick Publishing Company, 1906.
(National costume or folk dress of different countries were popular themes for fancy dress costumes. This outfit is remarkably similar to modern formal Scottish dress for men. It features loose hair and even reveals a few inches of bare leg. The "vest" referred to is a blouse or dickey, not a waistcoat; it can be seen under the jacket and plaid.)
Kilted skirt of Scotch plaid. White silk bouffant vest. Jacket of the principal clan color trimmed with black velvet, and scarf of the plaid goods. Cap of plaid.
Source: Masquerades, Tableaux and Drills. New York: The Butterick Publishing Company, 1906.
(Another good one for a boy. The colors of the blouse and cap could be altered; jockey silks come in a wide range of colors and patterns, each representing a different owner.)
Blouse of blue satin with white rings, cap of same material with white peak. White cloth breeches; black boots with white tops.
Source: Masquerades, Tableaux and Drills. New York: The Butterick Publishing Company, 1906.
(One last costume — for now — from Shakespeare, this time for the men. And yes, it’s another costume with tights. And a purse! Notice he’s carrying a rose, a reference to the famous line from the play.)
Tunic and tights of dove-colored wool; shirt of white mull and cloak of Venetian red cloth lined with pale gray. Cap of red velvet with gray feather. Leather belt from which is suspended a pocket.
Source: Masquerades, Tableaux and Drills. New York: The Butterick Publishing Company, 1906.
(Fancy dress balls for children were very popular, and the patriotic early twentieth-century mother could dress her son in the style of Teddy Roosevelt's unit from the Spanish-American War.)
Costume of khaki cloth, duck or canvas, with leggings to match. The trimmings may be of red, blue or yellow, with brass buttons. Tan felt hat with crossed sabres.
(Yes, women cross-dressed for fancy dress balls! And how could the costume of the heroine from As You Like It be anything but respectable? Note that the pink lining of the cloak is not a "girly" thing; pink was considered a masculine color in the early 20th century, Click to enlarge the image.)
Doublet and hose of light-gray wool, the former trimmed with gray fur. Green velvet bodice, chemisette and puffs of Nile-green silk. Long gray cloak lined with pink.
Source: Masquerades, Tableaux and Drills. New York: The Butterick Publishing Company, 1906.
(Yes, men wore fancy dress as well. Especially men who wanted to wear tights! Click the illustration to enlarge.)
Tight-fitting waistcoat and skirt of white satin embroidered with silver; pale-blue tights, with trunks and sleeves of blue and white striped silk; lace collar and cuffs; cloak of white and blue hat with white plumes.
Source: Masquerades, Tableaux and Drills. New York: The Butterick Publishing Company, 1906.
(Here are a quartet of descriptions of an odd but apparently popular ball theme in which the only costuming done is that the ladies powder the hair.)
Occasionally the hostess elects that her guests shall apear in costumes of a particular period, and Poudré Balls find many patrons. Under these circumstances the lady guests only wear powder with ordinary evening dress, the gentlemen making no change from their usual attire, save perhaps that white waistcoats and button-holes are enjoined.
Holt, Ardern. Fancy Dresses Described, 5th Edition. London: Debenham & Freebody, 1887.
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Yet another kind of fancy ball is a bal poudré. Here the guests are free to appear in ordinary evening dress but with powdered hair. The ladies arrange their hair in imitation of some old picture, and there is plenty of variety to be obtained in this way. One wears the long locks pertaining to one of Reynolds' beauties, another wears the piled up coiffure indulged in by the Court ladies in the reign of Louis XVI. A piquante beauty does her hair à la Watteau, and a more serious one adopts the style of Marie Antoinette. Powder and patches are allowable with this style of coiffure, and the powdered hair is so universally becoming that all the ladies look their best.
Armstrong, Lucie. The Ball-Room Guide. London and New York: Frederick Warne & Co., c1880s.
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A Ball Poudré
A ball of this description is conducted upon the same basis as an ordinary ball, so far as the programme and general details are concerned. The guests attire themselves as for a full-dress ball, except that th ladies are required to powder their hair white and wear fancy black patches upon their face; and the gentlemen to wear white vests and small button-hole bouquets. The effect is very pretty, especially with the present artistic style of dressing which closely copies antique fashions.
Masquerade and Carnival: Their Customs and Costumes. London and New York: The Butterick Publishing Co., 1892.
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A Bal Poudré
A ball of this description is conducted upon the same basis as an
ordinary ball, so far as the program and the general details are
concerned. The guests attire themselves in evening dress as is the
custom for a ball, the only difference being that the ladies are
required to powder their hair white and wear fancy black patches upon
their faces; and the gentlemen to wear white vests and small buttonhole
bouquets. The effect is very pretty, especially with the present
artistic style of dressing. The minuet should be danced, also those
dances which have a slow, graceful movement.
Masquerades, Tableaux and Drills. New York: The Butterick Publishing Company, 1906.
(This is a great costume typical of many of the more abstract fancy dress themes. It's taken from an Edwardian era manual but has draping at the hips much like that of the bustle era, though with hints of the Edwardian silhouette in the corsetry. Click the illustration to enlarge for the details.)
Skirt and bodice of cerise satin. Draperies of pale-gray gauze, with laurel leaves, etc. for ornamentation. Staff and notes painted on the skirt.
Source: Masquerades, Tableaux and Drills. New York: The Butterick Publishing Company, 1906.