Moonlight and Magnolias Antebellum Ball



Bradley, Stephanie, Cody, & Julia



Cody and I attended the 6th annual Moonlight and Magnolias Antebellum Ball hosted by the 12th Texas Artillery reenacting unit.  Our friends, Stephanie and Bradley Ford, who are very active members and partial owners of two of the unit's cannons (named Elijah and Gideon), invited us to attend.  Stephanie and Bradley outfitted us with antebellum attire, and so we prepared.  A consummate reenactor, Stephanie's artistic talent spills over in to her sewing; thus, not only did Stephanie lend me the beaugtiful ball gown, but also the hoop skirt, the bustle, and the corset. This period's fashion demands dressing assistance!

You know, I have looked at pictures of my relatives from that time period, and often wondered at the looks on their faces and the absence of a smile. I still don't know the answer, but after readying myself for the ball, I have some insight as to plausible answers.

My hair is not short but not long, either, so I had to explore the Internet for fashionable hairstyles of the 1860s.  I found several valuable sites with instructions and pictures, so I began.  In the 1860s, the "In-look" was a round face, broad shoulders, and broad hips.  Really!  Hair designs poofed the hair at the sides at the nape of the neck to create the round face.  Thus, I began to reshape my face.  I shampooed my hair at noon; let it dry naturally for 30 minutes, and then blew it dry.  I created the absolutely terrible down-the-middle part (gross), and ran errands with Cody for three hours.  My hair is partly wavy to curly, and the frizz was on.  Not period, but I put a little product in to smooth down the frizz and began using the flatening iron.

After the down-the-middle part, a Y-part is created at the crown sectioning the hair into thirds--a straight section behind the ears, and section of hair on each side.  Working the back section, first, I put it in a ponytail, created a hole in the ponytail, and kept looping the ponytail through the hole until I couldn't loop it any more.  Using bobbypins, what a joke, I decently pinned this roll bun, but seeing as I can not pin my hair myself, I needed serious help--the kind only a Mom can do, so Cody phoned Mom, who came over to pin, and insert the hair comb.

Bustle

While waiting on Mom, I began to dress. I wore nylon pantyhose, not silk stockings, but after that, everything was relatively period. The bustle came next. Yes, ladies, the 1860s fashion wanted a "roomy rear-end", so I added "lift" to my buttocks. A typical bustle was stuffed with rags, and at this time period, the bustle was small. Continuing the oh-so-opposite-of-today's fashion trends came the corset. The corset snaps in front, laces in back, pushes up the ta-tas, and flares the hips; yes, that is right, it makes the hips wider! Cody had to lace the back, and concentrating on equally pulling the strings from the top and bottom and trying to cinch the sides together, Cody forgot that my torso was inside the corset. Ever-so-politely, I asked the man to ease up on the cinching. Loosening the strings, Cody tied me off, all the while, The Gone with the Wind scene where Mamie is trying to cinch Miss Scarlet's corset to her pre-birth size of a 16 inch waist plays painfully in my mind.  The hoop skirt went on next, and it ties in the front, not the back. The wooden rings are pretty pliable, and yes, there is a right and a wrong way to sit with the hoop skirt.  The hip flare on the corset and the bustle actually hold up the hoop skirt to keep it off the ground.  After donning these accoutrments, Cody helped slip the gown's skirt over my head, aligning the back bow and ruffles correctly!  Mom was on her way, so I returned to my hair.

Corset

I learned a few facts regarding the corset.  I knew that the corset's structural support originally came from whale bones.  Laced properly, the corset is actually comfortable, especially the ones designed for wear during pregnancy.  Due to the corset, mid to late 19th century ladies had very weak back and stomach muscles.  (The stomach muscle is what dictates erect posture.)  The corset offers great support, but when the body does not have to use its own energy or memory, the muscles becomes weak due to their underuse.  World War I caused the corset to go out of fashion.  Corset structural supports moved away from whale bone and to steel by the turn of the 20th century.  The US government asked ladies to donate their corsets to the war effort.  The government built two battleships by salvaging the steel used in corsets.  What a turn of events.

Back to the lovely hair:  I sectioned each side into twos, braiding the one closer to the back and French braiding the front section.  As I plait the first braid, I becme really light-headed, similar to when standing up really fast from a squatting position.  I waited a bit, and began braiding, again.  Well, along with the period clothing came the period vapors.  Yes, Cody had to come loosen the corset again, forget Scarlet's 16" waist.  Cody helped get the gown's top over my head, and yes, it also laced down the back, as well.  However, it didn't lace nearly as tightly as the corset.  I plaited all four braids; Mom arrived and pinned my hair in a gazillon places, telling me how Mamaw used to fuss at Mom for using her teeth to open up the pins.  Oh, I really appreciated all Mom's experience with the bobby pin, because I could not get that contraption to work.  Not taking in the washing and drying time, Mom and I spent an hour-and-a-half, just doing my hair, and while it was relatively close to period (I cheated using ponytail holders and plastic pins), it was ugly!  Thank you, Lord, for Brighton banana clips!

Cody's wedding photography experience came in handy.  I could not figure out how to get in to the car, but having dealt with many brides and bridal gowns, Cody instructed away.  I didn't quite get it right, though, and the skirt was nearly hitting me in the face.  Oh, what adventures.

We arrived at the ball, had our picture taken, found our table with Bradley, Stephanie, and Stephanie's parents, and so the socializing began.  The dinner was delicious--Chicken Cordon Bleu, roast beef, baked potato, green beans, fruit salad, and for dessert--chocolate cake, Italian creme cake, carrot cake, banana pudding, and a creme pie.  Delicious and after an hour, the dancing began.  We started with the Grande March, waltzed, and raucously clapped and whooped for the Virginia Reel.  The silent auction interceded the dancing for a time, but the band struck up the chords again.  Many were intricate couples' dances which separated the couples through many partners, but making the correct turns, reunited them again.  We chose to watch and visit until the last dance--another waltz.  I researched the Dance Card on-line, but I did not print one out.  By their standards, my card would have been rather dull, but in my opinion, I would have had the best Dance Card--Grande March, Mr. Cody Mood Bell III; Waltzes--Mr. Cody Mood Bell III, and etc., etc., etc., ultimately making me the Bell of Cody's Ball.