Inspired by the Netflix series “Bridgerton,” the University of Rhode Island’s Dress History Association hosted a ball on Sunday, encouraging guests to wear outfits resembling the era from the show, according to the flyer.
The Dress History Association is a space for people who love fashion history and appreciate its significance, according to fourth-year student Aniket Makhija, the president of the Dress History Association,
Passion speaks of love, loss and even one’s mental state, according to Makhija. Today, at the very least for the most part in American society, Makhija believes self-expression is more accepted.
“For much of my life, I’ve sought to see my tables for me, often leaving me feeling isolated, but I’ve since realized I’m still struggling to fit in,” Makhija said in a speech. “It’s sometimes better to build your own table than to find it to lift those who share the [same] passions.”
Attendees took various inspiration to curate their outfits, including second-year student Nicolo DeCarvalho whose outfit had a motif.
“I chose roses as my main motif, but I wanted to go off of a solid shade of black,” DeCarvalho said.
Third-year student Sharon Hecht didn’t have a motif like DeCarvalho – instead she used what clothing she had around her.
“I’m going to be honest, I don’t have many fancy things,” Hecht said. “I got this dress over break, and I was given the opportunity to wear it. So I picked out the dress and based [the outfit] on [the dress].”
Third-year student Olivia Rogers based her outfit on a specific piece of clothing.
“I actually got this coat which belonged to my uncle’s father when he was in the Navy,” Rogers said. “I really wanted to wear this, so I created [an outfit] based on the coat.”
Student senate President Argha Goswami and Vice President Sanah Feroz attended the event and were welcomed onto the stage, portraying Queen Charlotte and Lady Danbury. Guests were invited to act as debutantes using dance cards as their names.
Goswami and Feroz acted out a theatrical bit and acted like the two characters. At the beginning of their act, they started with a conversation between each other, discussing gossip and the latest news.
“The other day, I met with the Duchess of Coddington, and she introduced me to her daughter Lady Anne,” Queen Charlotte said. “When I laid my eyes upon her, all I could see was a psychotic donkey whose head had been ripped off and reattached upside down.”
When Lady Danbury asked if the daughter had other talents, Queen Charlotte remarked on Lady Anne playing the pianoforte. According to Queen Charlotte, her playing sounded like 100,000 squeaking hawks lit on fire by a bunch of banshees.
Lady Whistledown might’ve attended the ball, according to Lady Danbury.
“Ah, another literate commoner with a knack for sarcasm,” Queen Charlotte said. “But must I endure this dreadful selection before I’m rewarded with it?”
After their conversation, each debutante was presented. As they approached the queen, she gave remarks on their performance. When Lord Ari, one of the guests who chose to participate debuted, the queen accepted Lord Ari’s presentation.
“I see potential, a lot of potential; only few follow through,” Queen Charlotte said.
When the debutante presentation ended, guests played three rounds of bingo: traditional, four corners and trivia. Whoever won would be crowned the diamond of the season. The winner was third-year student Amalia Marjollet.
For information about upcoming events, visit the Dress History Association’s Instagram @dresshistoryassociation.
