BALL CULTURE EVENING GOWN

In tribute to the 1980’s – 1990’s Ball Community, these elegant, yet extravagant evening gowns depict the idea of creative self-expression through dress. Ball Culture became a haven for the Black and Latinx LGBTQ+ communities who created an atmosphere of realness, with competitions to portray “real” gender and lifestyle identities, such as Butch Queen Realness, Femme Queen Realness, and Beginner’s Vogue. These balls became a place of freedom, where attendees no longer felt underrepresented, and allowed them to cultivate and emulate identities of their choice. The inclusion of these evening gowns is our attempt to capture the spirit of ball culture, an embodiment of resilience, power and validation of oneself.