She had a ghostly pallor and a dreadful expression, she wore clothes that were out of keeping with the styles of the present-day...
Dress Code
The 2024 dress code theme is centred around historical ghosts and written ghost stories, and the tragic characters and gothic settings of dark and haunting literature. Attire must be of a high standard of historical dress first and foremost, but more fantastical elements (fabric choice, embellishments, hair & makeup, accessories, etc) are encouraged in order to meet the theme. This year's theme and dress code is Haunted: An Ode to Ghost Stories and Gothic Literature.
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Please read the below Dos and Don'ts carefully and in full. They outline the expectations we have of attendees and their costumes. As stated below, we ask that attendees do not wear 'monster' themed costumes (no Frankenstein’s monsters or vampires!) as that is a theme we are considering for a future event. And please avoid modern pop-culture costumes/cosplay, and those from films and TV.
Ghosts, spirits, wraiths, the dead and dying, brooding heroes, forlorn heroines, dark villains, troubled authors, and the embodiment of gothic novels and their sinister settings are all welcome and encouraged!
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Get creative; we have written lots of appropriate prompts below, and if you are truly stuck for inspiration, you can also take a peek at our Pinterest page.
...someone tall and gaunt, dressed in deep black, whose prominent cheekbones and great, hollow eyes give her a skull’s face, parchment white, set on a skeleton’s frame…
Dos
Think of the Historical Halloween Ball primarily as a historical costuming event; the theme is important and it matters, but historical costume is what we are celebrating. Your costume has two elements, like ice skating scores - the historical costume element is ‘technical merit’ and the theme is ‘artistic impression’.
Costume Technique / Historical Accuracy​
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Wear attire based on historical accurate styles, Medieval to 1910. This can be daywear or evening attire.
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Wear proper undergarments – corsets/stays and petticoats contribute a lot to having a historically accurate silhouette.
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Make your costume to a good standard - neat sewing and finishes, correct structure, ironed and pressed.
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'Weathering' and tattered edges are thematically appropriate, but please make it look intentional.​
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Make sure your costume is comfortable and maneuverable if you plan on dancing - ceilidhs can involve fast-paced dancing in tight spaces.
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If you are planning on coming in a hoop skirt, keep it modest in size. We've suggested no larger than about 126" in circumference,
e.g. TV141 – 1858 Round Cage Crinoline / TV103 – 1865 Elliptical Cage. -
Corded petticoats are a great alternative as they are much more 'squishable' and allow you to move past other dancers with ease.
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Costume Artistry / Theme
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Use fabric, embellishments, props, hair, makeup and SFX to meet the theme - Haunted: An Ode to Ghost Stories and Gothic Literature.
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Costumes can represent, but are not limited to, historical ghosts, spirits, wraiths, the dead and dying, characters from or authors of gothic literature and written ghost stories, gothic settings or architecture.
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Keep the focus on written ghost stories and gothic literature of a historical origin or a historical theme. Your inspiration can be a story written in more modern times as long as its setting is historical. For example, The Woman in Black was written in 1983, but is set in the Victorian/Edwardian era so is perfectly acceptable to use as inspiration.
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Think about who or what you want to portray in costume - Are you a dark and brooding Byronic hero (or Byron himself)? A mysterious monk or nun? Are you the ghost that roams the moor? Or the grey lady that haunts the tower? Is your costume inspired quite literally by books or gothic architecture?
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Wear colours representative of the theme. These are not limited to, but might include ghostly pale whites, creams, blues, greens, and lilacs; deep and dark jewel tones; gothic greys and blacks.
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​Get creative and spooky - there will be some small prizes for Best Solo Costume, Best Couple, and Best Hair and/or Makeup.
Don'ts
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No bright/neon colours - no pumpkin orange, fire-engine red, bright yellow... (Scheele's/ arsenic green may be permitted).
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No 'monster' costumes - no Frankenstein’s monsters, vampires, or werewolves.
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Avoid schlock, cheese or anything a bit too ‘Hollywood’. If your costume is giving Universal monster movie or Hammer horror vibes, then you may need to rethink your design choices.
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Avoid straying into heavily modernised pop-culture or cosplay; we want to stay true to the spirit of historical authenticity with the theme, even when there's a side-order of death and decay, or the spooky and supernatural.​
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No cheap grease/face paint, or anything that could transfer to another attendee's costume - makeup and SFX is very much encouraged, but should be executed to a high standard using materials not easily 'sweated-off'.
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Please wear gloves instead of painting your hands or arms.​
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No short hem lengths / bare legs or ankles.
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No long trains – you are welcome to arrive with the train down for photos, but this must be pinned up, or held with a wrist loop, for dancing.
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No large crinolines if you are planning to dance - keep your hoops to about 126" in circumference or below.
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No offensive costumes – scary makeup and SFX is encouraged, but please no costumes depicting harmful racial/ethnic stereotypes.
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No modern prom dresses, steampunk, or generic goth costumes - all costumes should display an attempt at historically accurate attire with the theme secondary to this.
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No bought “ready-out-the-bag” Halloween costumes from a Fancy Dress Shop – attendees should make, buy or hire good quality costumes. Gentlemen who are purchasing suits should stick to classic cuts suitable for Victorian/Edwardian era attire.
In Summary
- ​✔ Use written ghost stories and gothic literature for inspiration; these can be historically written such as Wuthering Heights or The Raven, or written in modern times, such as The Woman in Black, as long as the setting is historical.
- ✔ Dress as historical ghosts, spirits, wraiths, the dead and dying, from existing stories and literature or of your own creation​​​.
- ✔ Dress as characters from gothic literature and written ghost stories.
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✔ Dress in attire inspired by gothic settings/locations or architecture.
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✔ Dress as historical figures of gothic literature and ghost story fame; Mary Shelley, Byron, the Brontë sisters, etc.​​
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✘ 'Monster' costumes; no Frankenstein's monsters, Dracula/vampires, werewolves, etc.
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✘ Cosplays of characters from pop-culture films; no Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow, Crimson Peak, etc.
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✘ Historical interpretations of modern settings; no 'historical' takes on Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, Beetlejuice, Nightmare Before Christmas, etc.
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✘ No modern prom dresses, steampunk, generic goth costumes, or high-street bought Halloween costumes.
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​Failure to comply with the dress code may result in admittance to the event being denied. We want to help our attendees as much as we can, so if you have any questions, or want to run an idea past us, our email inbox is always open: historicalhalloweenball@gmail.com.
The chain he drew was clasped about his middle. It was long and wound about him like a tail; and it was made of cash-boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds, and heavy purses wrought in steel.
Word Inspiration
Alluring, Ancestral Homes, Apparitions, Beautiful, Castles, Cathedrals, Cloisters, Convents, Crows, Crypts, Cursed, Dark, Desires, Dreams, Eerie, Emotion, Fear, Fog, Forbidden, Ghosts, Grey, Haunted, Libraries, Lightning, Loneliness, Manor Houses, Memories, Mist, Monasteries, Moorland, Murder, Mystery, Night, Nightmares, Occult, Rain, Ravens, Religion, Romance, Ruins, Secrets, Shadows, Silence, Snow, Sorrow, Spirits, Spooky, Storms, Study, Supernatural, Suspense, Thunder, Uncanny, Woe
The Mysteries of Udolpho - Ann Radcliffe
The Castle of Otranto – Horace Walpole
Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad – M. R. James
Smee – A. M. Burrage
The Monk – Matthew Lewis
The Turn of the Screw – Henry James
The Woman in Black – Susan Hill
Wuthering Heights - Emily Brontë
The Haunted Man - Charles Dickens
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Brontë
Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen
The Raven - Edgar Allan Poe
Uncle Silas - Sheridan le Fanu
The Monk - Matthew Lewis
The Grey Woman - Elizabeth Gaskel
