A ball gown is the most formal female attire for social occasions. According to rules of etiquette Etiquette is a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group. The French word étiquette, signifying ticket (of admission, etc.) first appeared in English in 1750, a ball gown must be worn where "white tie White tie is the most formal evening dress code. It is worn to events such as balls, the opera, and banquets. The chief components for men are the dress coat, white bow tie and waistcoat, and starched shirt, while women wear a suitable dress for the occasion, such as a ball gown" or "evening dress" is specified on the invitation. It is traditionally a full-skirted gown A gown is a (usually) loose outer garment from knee- to full-length worn by men and women in Europe from the early Middle Ages to the seventeenth century (and continuing today in certain professions); later, gown was applied to any woman's garment consisting of a bodice and attached skirt reaching at least to the ankles In human anatomy, the ankle joint is formed where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle, or talocrural joint, is a synovial hinge joint that connects the distal ends of the tibia and fibula in the lower limb with the proximal end of the talus bone in the foot. The articulation between the tibia and the talus bears more weight than between the, made of luxurious fabric, delicately and exotically trimmed. Most versions are cut off the shoulder with decollete Cleavage is the cleft between a woman's breasts lying over the sternum revealed by a garment with a low neckline. It is associated with low-cut women's clothing, such as evening gowns, swimwear, casual tops and other garments, designed to emphasize the display of breasts necklines. Such gowns A gown is a (usually) loose outer garment from knee- to full-length worn by men and women in Europe from the early Middle Ages to the seventeenth century (and continuing today in certain professions); later, gown was applied to any woman's garment consisting of a bodice and attached skirt are typically worn with a stole A stole is a lady's shawl, especially a formal shawl of expensive fabric used over a party dress or ballgown (a formal shawl in expensive fabric), cape Cape can be used to describe any sleeveless outer garment, such as a poncho, but usually it is a long garment that covers only the back half of the wearer, fastening around the neck. They were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon, and have had periodic returns to fashion, for example, in nineteenth or cloak A cloak is a type of loose garment that is worn over indoor clothing and serves the same purpose as an overcoat—it protects the wearer from the cold, rain or wind for example, or it may form part of a fashionable outfit or uniform. Cloaks are as old as human history; there has nearly always been some form of long, unstructured outer garment used in lieu of a coat A coat is a long garment worn by both men and women, for warmth or fashion. Coats typically have long sleeves and open down the front, closing by means of buttons, zippers, hook-and-loop fasteners, toggles, a belt, or a combination of these. Other possible ornaments include collars and shoulder straps, "good" (couture or vintage) jewellery and opera-length gloves A glove is a garment covering the hand. Gloves have separate sheaths or openings for each finger and the thumb; if there is an opening but no covering sheath for each finger they are called "fingerless gloves". Fingerless gloves with one large opening rather than individual openings for each finger are sometimes called gauntlets. Gloves. Standard accessories are dancing shoes and a clutch style evening bag. Where "state decorations State decorations are orders, medals and other decorations granted by a state. International decorations are similar, but are not granted by a specific nation but rather an international organization" are to be worn, they are on a bow pinned to the chest, and married women wear a tiara A tiara is a form of crown. There are two possible types of crown that this word can refer to if they have one. The ball-gown shape has changed little since the mid-19th century. Although artificial fabrics are now sometimes used, the most common fabrics are satin Satin is a weave that typically has a glossy surface and a dull back. It is a warp-dominated weaving technique that forms a minimum number of interlacings in a fabric. Some definitions insist that the fabric is made from silk. If a fabric is formed with a satin weave using filament fibres such as silk, nylon, or polyester, the corresponding fabric, silk Silk is a natural protein fibre, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity . The shimmering appearance of silk is due to the triangular prism-like structure of the silk fibre, which allows silk cloth to refract, taffeta Taffeta is a crisp, smooth woven fabric made from silk or synthetic fibres. The word is Persian in origin, and means "twisted woven." It is considered to be a "high end" fabric, suitable for use in ball gowns, wedding dresses, and in interiors for curtains or wallcovering. There are two distinct types of silk taffeta: yarn-dyed and velvet Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are very evenly distributed, with a short dense pile, giving it a distinct feel with trimmings of lace Lace is an openwork fabric, patterned with open holes in the work, made by machine or by hand. The holes can be formed via removal of threads or cloth from a previously woven fabric, but more often open spaces are created as part of the lace fabric. Lace-making is an ancient craft. True lace was not made until the late 15th and early 16th, pearls A pearl is a hard object produced within the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is made up of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other shapes of pearls (baroque pearls) occur. The finest, sequins Sequins are disk-shaped beads used for decorative purposes. They are available in a wide variety of colors and geometrical shapes. Sequins are commonly used on clothing, jewelry, bags and other accessories. Large sequins, fastened only at the top, have been used on billboards and other signage, particularly prior to the development of lighted and, embroidery Embroidery is the art or handicraft of decorating fabric or other materials with needle and thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as metal strips, pearls, beads, quills, and sequins, ruffles In sewing and dressmaking, a ruffle, frill, or furbelow is a strip of fabric, lace or ribbon tightly gathered or pleated on one edge and applied to a garment, bedding, or other textile as a form of trimming. A ruffle without gathers or pleats may also be made by cutting a curved strip of fabric and applying the inner or shorter edge to the garment and ruching In ruching, a large number of increases are introduced in one row, which are then removed by decreases a few rows later. This produces many small vertical ripples in the fabric, effectively little pleats. The technique of shirring produces a similar effect by gathering the fabric in two parallel rows , usually by smocking.

The elements of ladies' white tie attire

According to rules of etiquette Etiquette is a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group. The French word étiquette, signifying ticket (of admission, etc.) first appeared in English in 1750 and attire, ladies must wear a ball gown to events where men are required to wear white tie White tie is the most formal evening dress code. It is worn to events such as balls, the opera, and banquets. The chief components for men are the dress coat, white bow tie and waistcoat, and starched shirt, while women wear a suitable dress for the occasion, such as a ball gown attire. The elements of ladies' white tie attire could include:

• ball gown - ballerina (to the ankle) or full-length (to the floor)
• dancing shoes A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect the human foot. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time, and from culture to culture, with appearance originally being tied to function. Additionally fashion has often dictated many design elements, such as whether shoes have very high - formal pumps High-heeled footwear is footwear that raises the heel of the wearer's foot significantly higher than the toes. When both the heel and the toes are raised equal amounts, as in a platform shoe, it is technically not considered to be a "high-heel"; however, there are also high-heeled platform shoes. High heels tend to give the aesthetic, sandals, flats or ballet slippers
• jewellery Jewellery or jewelry (see American and British English spelling differences) is a form of personal adornment, manifesting itself as necklaces, rings, brooches, earrings and bracelets. Jewellery may be made from any material, usually gemstones, precious metals or shells. Factors affecting the choice of materials include cultural differences and the - earrings Earrings are jewelry attached to the ear through a piercing in the earlobe or some other external part of the ear . Earrings are worn by both sexes. In western cultures, earrings have traditionally been worn primarily by women, although in recent decades, ear piercing has also become popular among men in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa[ and necklace A necklace is an article of jewellery which is worn around the neck. Necklaces are frequently formed from a metal jewellery chain, often attached to a locket or pendant. Necklaces can also be manufactured with cloth, and they sometimes contain rocks , wood, and/or shells with different shapes and sizes; rings A finger ring is a circular band worn as a type of ornamental jewellery around a finger; it is the most common current meaning of the word ring. Other types of metal bands worn as ornaments are also called rings, such as arm rings and neck rings and bracelets A bracelet is an article of jewelry which is worn around the wrist. Bracelets can be manufactured from leather, cloth, hemp, plastic or metal, and sometimes contain rocks, wood, and/or shells. Bracelets are also used for medical and identification purposes, such as allergy bracelets and hospital patient-identification tags are optional. A is not considered appropriate except for jeweled versions in which the face is covered so that it resembles a bracelet.
• gloves A glove is a garment covering the hand. Gloves have separate sheaths or openings for each finger and the thumb; if there is an opening but no covering sheath for each finger they are called "fingerless gloves". Fingerless gloves with one large opening rather than individual openings for each finger are sometimes called gauntlets. Gloves - if worn, should be opera length Ladies' evening gloves or opera gloves are a type of formal glove that reaches beyond the elbow
• stole A stole is a lady's shawl, especially a formal shawl of expensive fabric used over a party dress or ballgown, cape Cape can be used to describe any sleeveless outer garment, such as a poncho, but usually it is a long garment that covers only the back half of the wearer, fastening around the neck. They were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon, and have had periodic returns to fashion, for example, in nineteenth or cloak A cloak is a type of loose garment that is worn over indoor clothing and serves the same purpose as an overcoat—it protects the wearer from the cold, rain or wind for example, or it may form part of a fashionable outfit or uniform. Cloaks are as old as human history; there has nearly always been some form of long, unstructured outer garment used, or an opera coat An opera coat is an ankle- or floor-length loose-fitting coat of luxurious fabric such as velvet, brocade or satin, to be worn over an evening gown or a man's tuxedo. It may be described as a fitted cloak with sleeves and is generally not as tailored as a coat
• handbag A handbag, or purse in American English, is a medium to large bag, often fashionably designed, typically used by women, and used to hold personal items such as wallet/coins, keys, gloves, cosmetics, a hairbrush, cellular device or personal digital assistant, feminine hygiene products, etc - clutch style or small evening bag

Optional:

• state decorations State decorations are orders, medals and other decorations granted by a state. International decorations are similar, but are not granted by a specific nation but rather an international organization - if specified on invitation; worn on a bow pinned to the chest
• tiaras A tiara is a form of crown. There are two possible types of crown that this word can refer to - If married and the event does not take place in a hotel.^[1]

Debutantes

For their debuts The Cotillion is a type of patterned social dance that originated in France in the 1700s and was originally made up of four couples in a square formation, the forerunner of the quadrille; in the United States the square dance, where the "figures" are called aloud by the caller, is a form of rural contredanse that also descended from the, debutantes wear long white ball gowns. They also wear long white leather gloves that go well above the elbow and that close with small pearl buttons at the wrist. Their jewellery is understated and suitable for a young lady about to be formally presented to society for the first time.

See also

• Ball (dance) A ball is a formal dance. The word 'ball' is derived from the Latin word "ballare", meaning 'to dance'; the term also derived into "bailar", which is the Spanish and Portuguese word for dance . In Catalan it is the same word, 'ball', for the dance event
• Ballerina skirt Categories: Sports clothing | Formalwear | Skirts |
• Cocktail dress A cocktail dress or cocktail gown is a woman's dress worn at cocktail parties, and semi-formal occasions
• Crinoline Crinoline was originally a stiff fabric with a weft of horse-hair and a warp of cotton or linen thread. The fabric first appeared around 1830, but by 1850 the word had come to mean a stiffened petticoat or rigid skirt-shaped structure of steel designed to support the skirts of a woman’s dress into the required shape. In form and function it is
• Gown A gown is a (usually) loose outer garment from knee- to full-length worn by men and women in Europe from the early Middle Ages to the seventeenth century (and continuing today in certain professions); later, gown was applied to any woman's garment consisting of a bodice and attached skirt

References

1. ^ Caroline Davies (2002-03-17). "Single girls shouldn't let diamonds go to their head". http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1388078/Single-girls-shouldnt-let-diamonds-go-to-their-head.html. Retrieved 2009-04-13.

External links

• Ball gowns in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
• Ball gowns for sale Post Your dancewear ad FREE.

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