Svartsjö ball 2025 - ladies
Below is a costume guide that we encourage you to follow. If that's not possible, try to dress in the finest you have and put your hair up. Try to avoid anachronisms such as glasses, nail polish, lots of make-up, mobile phones and other modern accessories.
Good luck! And feel free to ask us for support!
Costume guide for ladies
Do you want to come dressed in a women's costume? Then the robe à la française is the one to wear.
This dress was the most popular for formal and ceremonial occasions throughout much of the 18th century. If you don't already have one, it's a great garment to get - it's suitable for any ball. As Svartsjö is a royal castle, you were expected to follow the etiquette of the time in your dress as well.
The robe à la française is characterised by:
- Stomacher at the front, often decorated with rosettes and ribbons.
- Worn over panniers – padded hip supports that give the skirt its characteristic width.
- Watteau pleats at the back, a train that falls from the shoulders to the floor.
- Half-length sleeves with ruffled cuffs, called engageants.
There is a lot of information online about this garment. To complete the look, we will now give you some advice on how your hair should look.
Hairstyles
In the early 1700s, women's hairstyles were powdered, relatively low with curls and small decorations. Hair had not yet become high or overly styled with ships and similar decorations.
Common hairstyles are characterised by:
- Ponytail at the back, often in loops or braids
- Side hair in curls usually placed below the ears and upwards
Women always wore something in their hair, and bonnets or small flowers and ribbons were common. Feathers and plumes could also be worn, but only the shorter variety.
Tip!
Here are lots of hairstyles from that era. Many of them are probably incredibly difficult to recreate, but we hope you can find inspiration in these pictures:
Makeup
They applied light foundation, blush and light red lipstick, perhaps filling in their eyebrows a little. Otherwise, makeup is not appropriate.
At first, it may feel strange for many to come without makeup, but in this context it is much more authentic. You get used to it!
Tip!
Here is a very good video from American Duchess that shows you how you could dress in detail:
Even more great reading about this beautiful style of gown: