Masquerade costumes come in all sorts of shapes, colors and styles. There is no wrong choice when it comes to what colors to choose either. You can go for bright and fun colors or you can go for a more formal sleek look with colors such as black, silver, gold and burgundy.
As far as shapes and styles of the dress when you think of masquerade ball gowns, you typically think of long ball gowns but you can also make any short cocktail dress work with the masquerade theme because really what makes the masquerade theme work is the use of the most important accessory; the mask!
You don’t have to make a masquerade theme be really formal either. To bring it down a notch, make it more like a Mardi Gras theme or Carnivale theme.
What type of gown to choose?
One of the most popular types of masquerade costumes are the huge, fancy ball gowns for the women and long tail coat tuxedos for the men.
Here are some ball gown ideas. These dresses can be ordered in a variety of colors through Dress Shop! Just click on the images below for prices and ordering information.
Quinceanera Gowns
Quinceanera Dresses are perfect for masquerade ball themes since they typically are fancy ball gowns. Check out some of our favorite Dress Shop styles below.
Period & Era Gowns
Next in popularity are period and era gowns such as Renaissance, Victorian Era, antebellum-era dresses and flapper style dresses. These are timeless classics that you can’t go wrong with and these dresses featured below help modernize the look a bit.
Renaissance gowns will feature lots of applique, beading and embellishments. Victorian gowns will also have lots of applique and these gowns are really big on the use of flowers in the design.
These gowns can also be purchased through Dress Shop. Click on the images to see prices and ordering information for each design.
Some other popular gowns are King and Queen style costumes and Mardi Gras outfits such as: colorful jester outfits and latin-style ruffled dresses.
Buy or rent?
Masquerade gowns are designed to be rich and alluring so expect to shell out $100.00 for a decent dress and about $500.00 for a high quality gown. If you are going to buy your gown then we recommend checking out the gowns at Dress Shop. Not only do they have hundreds of dresses that are custom made to fit your measurements and color choice but they also have many gowns suitable for a sweet 16 masquerade ball theme.
If you are looking for a really inexpensive costume ball gown then when shopping online check under the Mardi Gras section. Most often that is where you can find masquerade gowns. We recommend checking out Costume Discounters Mardi Gras section since they have a wide variety of masks and costumes perfect for this a Masquerade ball theme.
Unless you are attending more than one event within the same year in which you can utilize your bought gown; then your next option for the budget conscious is to rent the gown.
Accessories
You should glam your outfit up by wearing sparkly jewelry, crowns/tiaras or other hair accessories.
This sweet 16 tiara (see below) is perfect to complete your overall look and is available HERE.
This sweet 16 grace tiara pictured below is available here.
The tiara pictured below has red stone accents and is available for purchase here.
This simple heart tiara is sweet and classic looking. It can be ordered online here.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m planning a sweet 16 masquerade party. Any cool ideas. I really like the Phantom of the Opera theme.
I’m planning a fancy dress and masquerade party for my sweet 16th. i love the phantom of the opera and that is where i got the idea from do you have Any cool ideas of what i could do?
Im Doing a Mardi Gras Theme for my Sweet 16 because I like action and color. I need a dress that will wow everone at my entrance.
Im totally doing this because i love the phantom of the opera but i already have a 300 dollars dress put aside i just need a light blue and green mask. where can i get a good one?
Oh my goodness i am wanting a masquerade themed sweet sixteen as well. I got the idea from my all time favorite movie the phantom of the opera!!!!!!!!!!!! My colors are pink and silver. If you have any ideas please let me know. Thanx
i really want to do a masquerade theme with one of my bffs she came up with the idea when we were watching the phantom of the opera and since our bdays are on the same week we are doing a joint one….any ideas on places,masks,and how many people?
Hi Carol,
If you want to save money, then definitely look into painting your own masquerade masks. You can order unfinished masks online and then get your supplies from a local craft store to detail them. You may want to order 2 masks in case you really mess one up.
Since you want to do a masquerade theme you simply should have a venue that offers a dance floor. That’s the main highlight of a masquerade ball, to dance with masks on and not be quite sure of whom is whom. So I would go for a venue that has a decent dance floor space. If you are looking to save some money, look into renting out a community center. they would be a cheaper alternative to a hotel ball room or even renting out a resturant.
My bestfriend and I want to have a masquerade ball theme and we were thinking about making our own dresses. Would dark purple, black, and silver be a good match? And how would we make the masks? Store bought or make them?
Hi Renee,
Sorry I am getting back so late on your question and perhaps your party has already come and gone but to answer your question masquerade ball themes can use any color of your choice. I think dark purple, black and silver sounds ideal for a more modern look! If you can have them handmade pretty cheap, then go that route. Dress Shop is whom we recommend if you choose to shop online. They are trustworthy and get their orders out quickly.
Would like to attend a ball and look fabulous. Any ideas please send.