Venetian Masks | Venetian Costume Ideas

About Venetian

Venetian refers to a type of person or thing from the root word Venice. If you live, in Venice than you would be considered of Venetian descent. On the other hand a style of dress can also be considered Venetian. It is this second connotation that we refer to on this site. Venetian typically refers to the 1700's to 1800's on this site when talking of clothing. The tale of Casanova in 1753 is considered the height of Venetian costumes. They wore elaborate clothing, especially for the Carnival held each year. In Venice you have canals rather than many streets. It is the ‘City of Water' sitting on the Adriatic Sea. Many of the buildings are being refurbished or torn down because their pilings are being to crack and create a leaning situation before eventually crumbling. Despite their foundation issues on some of the older homes Venice is still a very populated city.

Dressing up as Venetian

Now that we know Venetian can refer to a style of costume or a person from Venice let's examine how to dress up as Venetian. With Carnival one of the most important events in Venice you have Masquerade masks in a variety of styles. They can be full face masks, gold, black, with feathers or without. The mask is essential in dressing Venetian. You will then need a period costume such as Renaissance, Medieval, or Carnival. The dresses should be court style with elaborate skirts and tight bodices. The men's costumes will be elegant suits.