The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-04-06
A BRILLIANT BALL.
The Grandest Fnncy Dress Ball Ever Held
in New York---Some OF the Costume s
Worn.

worn.
Below we give description of some of the
more noteworthy dresses worn at the grand
fancy dress ball-the great social event OF
the season-given by Mrs. William X. Van.
derbilt to about 1000 guests in her magnif-
cent new residence on Fifth avenue, New
York:
In the gymnasium, on the third floor, n
beautiful apartment, fifty feet in length by
| thirty-fve in width, the members of the six
organized quadrilles of the evening gradu-
| ally assembled before II p. NJ. Lots had been
drawn by the ladies in charge of these
quadrilles to decide the order in which they
should be danced, it being previously agr aed
that the ball should be opened by the
Hobby Horse Quadrille," fantastic set.
The first place among the more picturesque
quadriles was drawn by the Mother Goose
Quadrille." At a little after ii p. M. to
the strains of Gilmore's band, the six qua
drilles, comprising i'll all nearly hundred
ladies and gentlemen, were formed in order
in the gymnasium and began to move in
glttering professional pageant down the
grand stairway and through the hall.
Winding through the crowd of princes,
monks, cavaliers Highlanders, queens,
kings, dairy maids, bull fighters, knights,
brigands and mobiles, the procession passed
down the grand stairway and through the
hall into a front room in the style of Francis
l., twenty-five feet in width by forty in
length, wainscotted richly and heavily in
carved French walnut, and hung in dark red
plush. Vast carved cabinets and an immense
deep fireplace give an air of antique
grandeur to this room, from which
the procession passed into a salon of the
style of Louis XIV, thirty feet in width by
| thiity-five in length, wanscotted in oak and
enriched with carved work and gliding.
Thence the procession swept on into the
| grand dining hall, converted into a ball
room, and the dancing began.
Mrs. w. X. Vanderbilt wore the costume
| of Venetian princess. 1t was taken from
| picture by Cabanel. The undo rskirt was
of white and yellow brocade, shading from
| the deepest orange to the highest canary,
only the high lights being white. The fig
ures of flowers and leaves were outlined
in gold white and iridescent beads;
embroidered in gold, and lined with Roman
red Almost the entire length of the train
| was caught up at one side, forming large
puff. The waist was of blue satin, covered
with gold embroidery. The dress was cut
square in the neck and the flowing sleeves
Vanderbilt wore Venetian cap, covered
| with magnificent jewels, the most noticeable
of these being a superb peacock in many
colored gems.
Lady Vaudeville, who received the guests
with Mrs. Vanderbilt wore a dress copied
from picture by Vandyke of Princess de
Croy. The petticoat was of black satin, en-
| broidered in jet. The body and train were
| of black velvet, ornamented with heavy jet
| embroidery. The dress had large pulled Van
| dyke sleeves and an immense stand-up collar
| of Venetian lace, the sleeves being turned up
with the same lace. The whole was crowned
with black Vandyke hat and dropping
plumes, turned up at one side and blazing
with jewels.
Mr.. w. X. Vanderbilt appeared as the
Duke of Guise, wearing yellow, silk tights,
! yellow and black trunks, yellow doubet
and black velvet cloak embroidered in gold,
with the order of st. Michael suspended
on black ribbon, and with
white wig, black velvet shoes and
buckles. Mr.. Cornelius Vanderbilt appeared
ored brocade, trimmed with silver point
d Espagne, his waistcoat reseda trimmed
| with real silver lace. The stockings, shoes
and hat were of reseda. He wore jabot and
ruffles of lace and diamond hilted sword
Mrs Cornelius Vanderbilt appeared as the
Electric Light" in white satin trimmed
with diamonds, and with magnificent dia-
mohd headdress. Mrs. Cornelius Wander
| bilt was accompanied by her children, one
dressed as rose, in pink tulle, with
Il satin overdress of green leaves, a waist of
| green satin and a headdress of white satin,
fashioned like bouquet holder; another as
S-nbad the Sailor, in whi.e satin breeches,
| white chemisete a flying jacket embroid-
cred in gold, and Turkish shoes: and a
| third as a little courtier, i'll light blue satin
| hand embroidered coat, with waistcoat and
breeches of white satin, hand embroidered
il roses and daisies.
| Miss Ada Smith, sister of Mrs. Wander
| bilt wore, as peacock, a dazzling costume
| of peacock blue satin, the waist composed
| of real peacock's breast, with peacock cap
and fan. The train and the front of the
dress were covered with the peacock feath-
ers. A similar costume was worn by Mrs
| Buchanan Winthrop.
Mrs Seward Webb, Mr.. Vanderbilt's sis
| ter, wore as a hornet, n brilliant waist of
| yellow satin, with brown velvet skirt and
| brown gauze wings. The dress was par
aleed by that of Mrs. Edward Leavtt Jr..
which represented a wasp, of purple and
| black, gold gauze with horizontal stripes of
black and yellow, and transparent gold
tissue overdress. special headdress was
| imported for this costume, with antennie of
| diamonds. Yellow gloves striped with black
| we're worn with it.
| Mrs. Paran Stevens wore n state dress of
| Queen Elizabeth, copied from the picture of
the queen i'll the Tower of London. The ma
| terial of the dress was silk velvet, and the
color royal purple. The front breadths of the
| dress and the stomacher were of silver
| brocade crossed and recrossed with gold
lace and studded with precious stones
The high ruff around the neck was
of lace embroidered with golden flow
CTS unu DOrutTtl WITH pearls. Inc
purple-bodied waist had silver brocade
sleeves with slashes of purple, while on the
point of each shoulder was a roll sprinkled
with pearls. The royal purple robe fell to
the floor and trailed for over yard. 1t was
fringed a foot deep with ermino, and fes-
toons of pearls fell down the back. In her
hand was fur fan, white and studded with
jewels in the center.
Miss Terry as Summer wore light blue
and white satin trimmed with sheayes OF
wheat, and with jeweled scythe and corn
flowers in her hair. Az other very pictur-
esque costume was that of Daughter of the
Forest" with ferns and butterflies in her
hair and necklace of jeweled lizards. The
dress was of green velvet, trimmed with
natural ferns twelve inches deep, ivy, wild
roses and shells. The gloves fn1 shoes
were green and the bouquets of ferns. This
was hardly SO remarkable, however, as the
costume of the Comet, which con-
sisted of black and cream-colored satin
richly embroidered by hand with
gold stars and with gold threads running
through the hair, which was worn loose and
flowing, with diamond star. A necklace
of diamonds was also worn. Another superb
costume of 4 very different sort uas N n =, II,