by Mary Duffy

Costumes have always been an influential part of the Beaux Arts Ball. For 42 years, people have dressed up and celebrated together.

“There have been so many great costumes,” Bethany Long, architecture senior, said. “There was a guy with a shower curtain. It was kind of creepy, but it was really interesting. For girls there are always really cute peacocks. The artsier, the better. Last year there was a girl I met outside the bathroom dressed as a bruise.”

The annual Beaux Arts Ball is student-run event planned by the College of Design with proceeds benefitting charity. This year’s ball will take place on April 9 in the Pepper Warehouse.

This will be architecture freshman Will Baldwin’s first time at the ball. Baldwin went to the Beaux Arts Fall Ball, and after seeing the line-up of the Beaux Arts Ball, he knew he had to attend.

“I want to see some crazy stuff,” Baldwin said. “I want to see anything but clothes. I want people to do something eccentric and crazy that makes a bold statement, and I want people to have lots and lots of fun.”

Costumes contribute to the ball’s atmosphere.

“It’s important to be totally different than you usually are since it’s a totally different event than anything else offered,” Long said. “I’m dressing up as a Dragon. I’m going to have scales and a smoky gray tutu with crazy eye makeup and I’ll paint on wings.”

“My friends and I were joking around, and someone said I should dress up as a baby,” Baldwin said of his costume idea. “We must have been talking about ‘Rugrats.’ I’m going to wear a diaper, carry a bottle and wear a bib and a bonnet. This is a very unique and fashion forward event. It gives people the opportunity to wear crazy things and a way for people to get out. It’s almost like a formal costume contest.”

Second year architecture students Hannah Gompers and Drew Webb shared their insights on what they expect as first time attendees of the Ball.

“People are naked,” Webb said.

“People are contstantly naked,” Gompers added. “People go without a specific character in mind. They’ll wear clothes with ridiculous makeup and things glued to them. There was a girl dressed as a salad with pieces of lettuce all over her. Last year, there was someone dressed as grapes with purple balloons all over them and a girl with googly eyes all over her black leotard. She added caution tape to her hair.”

“One girl had on skin-tight pants with just tape on her nipples,” Webb said. “Literally think of everything you can, and narrow it down to something you’ve never seen before. Like the girl with the googly eyes. She let the eyes decide for her.”

“I’m going as the striped zebra on the gum packages — the one that comes with the tattoos,” Gompers said.

Webb is still trying to decide on his costume.

“I have some black sequined tights that will be employed,” he said.

“I’ve talked to other people, and since it’s the first year there’s an overall theme, (universe) people are doing things to do with stars,” Long said. “People are going to have a lot more made versus bought costumes.”

That’s one of the only “don’ts” when it comes to a Beaux Arts Ball costume: Don’t buy one. Make one.

“I’d definitely make one,” Long said. “But it all depends on how comfortable you feel with yourself. When you buy one you’ll feel like you have too much on. Less is more, or rather less is better.“

Long and some of her fellow architecture students helped sell tickets to the Beaux Arts Ball this year.

“This is going to be the best year,” Long said. “Especially with the theme. We’re selling out of tickets faster than before.”

When it comes to “do’s” for the Beaux Arts Ball, do whatever comes to mind and express yourself.

At Beaux Arts Ball, “anything goes,” Gompers said.

“Don’t not wear a costume,” Webb said.

“And don’t go as yourself,” Gompers said.