Venice Carnival Costumes

Venice Carnival costumes are mostly known for one thing. They revolve around a mask of some kind, as essentially all Venice Carnavale pictures show. This has been a tradition since the Carnival got its start. Often complementing the masks are hood and cape ensembles that are known as "bautos," and it is also common to see revelers donning cloaks, tricorn hats, and other things. The main purpose of the masks in particular has always been to hide the wearer’s identity.

The Venice Carnival is rooted in the fact that it was intended to be a time of celebration for all. In large part, the masks have always helped to blur the lines between social classes. Traditionally, the masks featured long noses, and it is interesting to note that couples often dressed as allegorical characters. These days, it is still common to don masks for the carnival. It is also common for the entire outfit to be quite colorful, and many costumes have an elegant, Baroque appeal.

Many different events combine to make up the larger Venice Carnival festival. Among these events is the contest for the best mask. This contest is held during the last weekend of the famous festival, and the judges most often include fashion designers and costume makers. Today’s masks can be quite spectacular, it should be noted, while the original masks from the early days were usually on the simpler side. Also interesting when it comes to facts about the Venice Carnival costumes is that maskmakers once enjoyed a rather privileged position within society. They even had their own guild, not to mention their own laws.