Announcing: The Starlight Ball

bchan · Post by **bchan** » Thu Jan 21, 2010 6:14 am

Ok, thanks so much for the help! that was just one of the ideas i had floating around so no big. =p

but i like the bad romance idea! =O *adds to list*

LadyHawke · Post by **LadyHawke** » Thu Jan 21, 2010 9:33 am

For a Lady Gaga suggestion that would work-- you could do this dress, just in a different fabric that it not BRIGHT RED PLEATHER:

http://roflrazzi.wordpress.com/files/20 ... e-club.jpg

Maybe a velvet would look nice...

Phantom 1 · Post by **Phantom 1** » Thu Jan 21, 2010 10:29 am

Not to go off the topic of cosplaying, but I find it curious that you would title it "The Starlight Ball" considering the theme is science and Starlight really isn't scienc-y.

bchan · Post by **bchan** » Thu Jan 21, 2010 11:07 am

oooh i like that too! thanks =D
ahh so many ideas cant decide! lol

Post by **Hopallee** » Thu Jan 21, 2010 11:49 am

Well beaker-ball, circuit-ball and tesla-ball all seemed to lack something, so we went with a space themed ball. Which is very much in the science/sci-fi realm. I mean last year it was named the Black Orchid Ball, and that was a bit of a stretch. This is certainly closer. Also we recieved a fair amount of criticism because people thought the ball theme was decided *first* and then dictated the con theme. Which is the opposite of true, so after that we made a conscious the decision to make the ball theme a slightly less literal interpretation.

Post by **Hopallee** » Fri Jan 22, 2010 3:06 pm

[quote=Edokun]One more question.. girl characters aren't required to wear dresses, right? You said girls dressed up as guys aren't required to but what about girl characters?

My character is female but wears a military uniform. And wouldn't be caught dead in a dress... It'd be a bit sexist to require all girl characters to wear a dress when for many it'd be quite out of character. =/ I'd asked before about the uniform but I didn't really think about this little detail until recently ^^;[/quote]

Just one quick thing. Also in keeping with gender equality women who want to wear slacks are required to wear a jacket. If men can't come in slacks and a shirt neither can girls. There are some very cute women's jackets out there though. H&M has a decent selection with a reasonable price point, it's were i get my suits.

Phantom 1 · Post by **Phantom 1** » Tue Jan 26, 2010 9:53 pm

[quote=Hopallee]Well beaker-ball, circuit-ball and tesla-ball all seemed to lack something, so we went with a space themed ball. Which is very much in the science/sci-fi realm. I mean last year it was named the Black Orchid Ball, and that was a bit of a stretch. This is certainly closer. [/quote]

You know I never thought of it that way.

LadyHawke · Post by **LadyHawke** » Tue Jan 26, 2010 10:44 pm

[quote=Hopallee]Well beaker-ball, circuit-ball and tesla-ball all seemed to lack something, so we went with a space themed ball. [/quote]

<3 you, Hope.

LOL TESLA BALL.
(I kind of LIKE that one!)

ZenErik · Post by **ZenErik** » Wed Jan 27, 2010 6:08 am

[quote=Hopallee][quote=Edokun]One more question.. girl characters aren't required to wear dresses, right? You said girls dressed up as guys aren't required to but what about girl characters?

My character is female but wears a military uniform. And wouldn't be caught dead in a dress... It'd be a bit sexist to require all girl characters to wear a dress when for many it'd be quite out of character. =/ I'd asked before about the uniform but I didn't really think about this little detail until recently ^^;[/quote]

Just one quick thing. Also in keeping with gender equality women who want to wear slacks are required to wear a jacket. If men can't come in slacks and a shirt neither can girls. There are some very cute women's jackets out there though. H&M has a decent selection with a reasonable price point, it's were i get my suits.
[/quote]
H&M is great for those who like a more fitted look, which I do. I have a few blazers from them.

kimnamjoon · Post by **kimnamjoon** » Wed Jan 27, 2010 11:38 am

[quote=ZenErik][quote=Hopallee][quote=Edokun]One more question.. girl characters aren't required to wear dresses, right? You said girls dressed up as guys aren't required to but what about girl characters?

My character is female but wears a military uniform. And wouldn't be caught dead in a dress... It'd be a bit sexist to require all girl characters to wear a dress when for many it'd be quite out of character. =/ I'd asked before about the uniform but I didn't really think about this little detail until recently ^^;[/quote]

Just one quick thing. Also in keeping with gender equality women who want to wear slacks are required to wear a jacket. If men can't come in slacks and a shirt neither can girls. There are some very cute women's jackets out there though. H&M has a decent selection with a reasonable price point, it's were i get my suits.
[/quote]
H&M is great for those who like a more fitted look, which I do. I have a few blazers from them.

[/quote]

Well, mine will be wearing a military uniform. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't going to show up and be told i'd need a dress since my character is a woman. ^^; Thank you, though <3

anony · Post by **anony** » Fri Jan 29, 2010 4:45 pm

are these shoes okay
http://i.walmartimages.com/i/p/04/89/40 ... 15X215.jpg

p.s. i can't wear heals at all

Post by **Hopallee** » Fri Jan 29, 2010 5:54 pm

You are by no means obligated to wear heals, but as far as flats go those are pretty informal. And honestly the rubberize soles will stick to the dance floor making dancing difficult, and rubberized soles also leve scuffs on the dance floor. They're basically modified tennis sneakers. So you should skip them for something less athletic shoe http://www.sharplily.com/wp-content/021707_flats.jpg

Post by **Hopallee** » Sun Jan 31, 2010 7:50 pm

Tickets will be on sale once we get a better idea of the start time, it should be a few weeks. It's only one person per ball ticket and you can buy your formal ticket only after you've registered for the convention so there is no need to wait.

jestysaur · Post by **jestysaur** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 12:12 pm

This might be an incredibly stupid question, but I just want to make sure~

My friend and I will be going as Rin and Len Kagamine, the vocaloids. We were considering going to the ball, but we're not sure what to convert our outfits to, yet.

Is this too informal? I know we'd at least have to trade the boots in for dress shoes, and drop the hem line, but I'd rather check on the outfit, so we know if we need to find something else.
http://kazasou.files.wordpress.com/2009 ... caloid.jpg

Post by **Hopallee** » Wed Feb 03, 2010 9:26 am

You're alterations would make the outfit fine. If you want a super easy way to make them formal (of course drop the shoes) make the outfit as is and just make a quick knee length skirt to go under the pink layers you have.

jestysaur · Post by **jestysaur** » Wed Feb 03, 2010 11:22 am

Alright.

Thank you very much. <3

Post by **Hopallee** » Sun Feb 07, 2010 4:14 pm

[quote=AnimeNey]Someone told me that, in years past, when he attended the ball, he had to wait 3+ hours just to get in. He had purchased his ticket ahead of time. So, I was wondering, is it normal to have to wait in line this long because, as he said, "someone has to check every ticket?" This story seemed suspect to me, and I want to make sure that I have both sides.
Thanks! *^_^*[/quote]

Well we have to check every ticket, other wise there wouldn't be any point in having tickets now would there?

The first year we have about 1,200 people show up, which was waaaay too many fit in the room thus there was a really long and unfortunate wait. We dealt with this by handing out tickets. Now the wait to get tickets in person last year was about 45 mins (we actually forbid people from lining up more than 30 mins before the tickets are released to reduce this), and you can avoid this by purchasing a ticket online (should be up pretty soon actually) the other wait is that we have two staffers running dress code checks at the door so people who show up early create a long line and it takes us about 20 mins to go through the bulk of it. We don't like lines either and we do our best to reduce the wait time for everything, but for an event that sells out its partially unavoidable.

My recommendation? Pre-register so you're ready to buy an online ticket when they come online and don't show up 30 mins before the ball starts, show up 10-15 mins after the start time when the intial line has cleared, you're ticket will be good for entry at any time, we don't give them away. If you're smart about it there's nor reason to wait more than 25 mins or so for both online ticket pick-up and the entry line.

Lonesurvivor · Post by **Lonesurvivor** » Wed Feb 10, 2010 1:58 pm

I'm planning on attending the ball for the first time, and i was wondering (hope you weren't asked this already) is it alright if i wear my alchemist (Roy Mustang) uniform with dress shoes to the ball. I did see the list of things that are acceptable and i just wanted to double check is all.

Miyu chan · Post by **Miyu chan** » Wed Feb 10, 2010 3:39 pm

I actually already did answer this question earlier in this thread.

The Fullmetal Alchemist military uniforms are appropriate as long as the boots are replaced with dress shoes.

Lonesurvivor · Post by **Lonesurvivor** » Wed Feb 10, 2010 4:17 pm

Thank u

!! Really appreciate it!

poptarts_n_pixistix · Post by **poptarts_n_pixistix** » Thu Feb 11, 2010 3:47 pm

I have a yukata from kimono-yukata-market.com and I was wondering if it was suitable?

They don't sell it anymore, so here's a picture of the design (the flowers are a bit more vibrant, it was just bright in the room, and it will be ironed out). It has a traditional yellow obi to match.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/ ... 001526.jpg

Looks like this opened up, only my design:
http://kimono-yukata-market.com/catalog ... ge1921.jpg

Post by **Hopallee** » Fri Feb 12, 2010 11:32 am

That outfit will be just fine just take note of one part of the dress code:

"Those dressed in formal Japanese clothing may wear zori sandals with tabi socks for footwear. Geta and zori sandals are difficult to dance in and thus not recommended. "

They really are pretty impossible to move in especially as a girl trying to ballroom dance, as you move backwards the whole time. We recommend flats instead but in the end it's up to you.

Aurhora · Post by **Aurhora** » Mon Feb 15, 2010 11:14 am

Hi, I have a quick question. My boyfriend and I are planning on attending Anime Boston as Link and Princess Zelda from Twilight Princess, and we'd love to attend the ball. My costume is listed on the inspirations page, and I'll be changing my boots out for high heels, so I'm all set, I think.
http://thewiiremedia.revolutionreport.n ... 1/5291.jpg

The question is his costume. Is there ANY way to change his normal, daytime costume to something more formal for the ball? If not he'll probably just come dressed in Western attire.

http://revolutionmedia.ign.com/revoluti ... 454171.jpg

Post by **Hopallee** » Mon Feb 15, 2010 1:19 pm

The princess out fit is perfectly fine, but link's outfit is really a woodsman outfit. It isn't formal by todays standards and it isn't formal by period standards. Now I have seen formal versions of link done quite nicely. I've seen people wear a greek jacket, white pants with a green fedora. I've also seen people people adapt his outfit to actually match formal renaissance/medival period attire. Like modern attire a key diffence between formal and informal attire for men is normally that formal attire has at least two layers.

Informal period outfit example.

Formal period wear example.

Lonesurvivor · Post by **Lonesurvivor** » Wed Feb 17, 2010 12:26 am

Just curious, how much will a ticket cost? I'm kinda balancing my finances at the moment.

Post by **Hopallee** » Wed Feb 17, 2010 8:56 am

They're $3 and all the procedes go to charity, you think you can manage that?

They're really just a place holder. The first year we had tickets we made them free and tons of people (the majority of people who got them pre-con actually) snapped them up "just in case" and never came. So we charge a nominal fee that we inturn give to benefit medical research and it seems to have solved that problem.

Rainaxa · Post by **Rainaxa** » Mon Feb 22, 2010 5:57 pm

I'm so incredibly excited about the starlight ball, but to the moderators: I have a question about my attire. Is it alright if I wore this :
http://cgi.ebay.com/Gothic-Lolita-victo ... 3efd111a20
to the Starlight Ball? The description states that it is knee length, but I'm also aware that that length is the minimum. I just want to check before I buy it.

Miyu chan · Post by **Miyu chan** » Mon Feb 22, 2010 10:35 pm

That dress will be fine. I think it's cute.

Mama Undertaker · Post by **Mama Undertaker** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 6:49 pm

I have spent a lot of time working on this particular cosplay and alterations need to make it good for the ball. I was curiuos if this would be allowed before I bring it and find out its not ok. So is this dress ok for the ball or do I need to hit the drawing board for the design again?

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j75/D ... ure049.jpg

My friends say it should work but they also say ask just in case so I am asking.

Miyu chan · Post by **Miyu chan** » Fri Feb 26, 2010 11:42 am

That dress can work for the ball, provided the front hem is at least knee-length (it's hard to judge length on a dressmaker's dummy). However, the long train will drag behind you, and will be stepped on, most likely by you. In ballroom dance, the woman spends a great deal of time moving backward. I caution you to re-think that train.

Out of curiosity, though, who are you cosplaying as?

Mama Undertaker · Post by **Mama Undertaker** » Fri Feb 26, 2010 6:06 pm

The character is Aries the Steller spirit from the Manga/anime Fairy tail.
She also has long fur gloves and boots though the boots will be changed for the evening. The dres lands about 2 inche above the knee. Guess its back to he drawing board ^_^ thank you so much.

Dragonrider-ari · Post by **Dragonrider-ari** » Sat Feb 27, 2010 2:02 am

Another question about a dress.~

I highly doubt I could get away with this dress. Although it's knee length in the back, it's shorter in the front.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... ink:top:en

So could I put a black ruffly skirt underneath and make it knee length? Would this be ok?
EDIT: also, are the leg warmers formal, or no?

Miyu chan · Post by **Miyu chan** » Sat Feb 27, 2010 9:57 am

Yes, you can put another skirt underneath that dress to lengthen it. That would be fine. Legwarmers, however, are not formal.

Dragonrider-ari · Post by **Dragonrider-ari** » Sat Feb 27, 2010 9:43 pm

alright, thanks.

Lonesurvivor · Post by **Lonesurvivor** » Sun Mar 07, 2010 8:34 pm

Any idea when tickets are going to be available? Cause i was hoping it would be sometime this month

.

troublemaiker · Post by **troublemaiker** » Sun Mar 07, 2010 10:22 pm

[quote=Lonesurvivor]Any idea when tickets are going to be available? Cause i was hoping it would be sometime this month

.[/quote]

its going to be sometime this month, if it wasn't, then they would be posted after the con was over

I know what you mean though, I want to buy my tickets soon too >.<

Post by **Hopallee** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 7:51 am

Tickets should actually be up some time in the next few days. We apologize for the delay but we really did not want to sell tickets until were were at least 90% of the time slot and the scheduling has been a dozy this year. So keep you're eyes peeled on the website.

Secret Duckie · Post by **Secret Duckie** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 6:51 pm

Is there any fabric requirement for dresses? Like, is there a fabric considered too informal?

I've been looking at a bunch of lolita dresses, and quite a few of them are made from cotton. While I wouldn't call cotton a formal fabric in the least, would it get by should the dress be nice enough?

Miyu chan · Post by **Miyu chan** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 7:33 pm

To answer your first question, yes, a fabric can be too informal; flannel, denim and pleather are all on the dress code don'ts, off the top of my head.

Cotton is a grey area, however, and it does depend on the dress. If in doubt, post a picture for us to decide.

troublemaiker · Post by **troublemaiker** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 8:11 pm

you just said that pleather was on the dont list, but would an accessory made of pleather be ok? not sure yet if I'd have it with me or not, but just want to ask first.

Also, my character isn't one that would really be recognized without one other character next to him, or a particular prop.
If I were to have a painted styrofoam ball would that be allowed in?

Secret Duckie · Post by **Secret Duckie** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 8:17 pm

I haven't made a decision quite yet, but some of the ones I was looking at are:

1
2
3
4
5

I think you get the idea. :p
(Also; I have verified inch measurements to ensure they're all knee-length)

Post by **AliceTanzer** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 8:19 pm

[quote=Secret Duckie]I haven't made a decision quite yet, but some of the ones I was looking at are:

1
2
3
4
5

I think you get the idea. :p
(Also; I have verified inch measurements to ensure they're all knee-length)[/quote]
Oooh, I really like the first, third, and fifth ones.

Secret Duckie · Post by **Secret Duckie** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 8:22 pm

I just keep finding more and more of them! Haha. I've never owned a lolita dress, but I was thinking it would be so awesome for this occasion! Now I think I'm in love!

One big issue, though, is that most of them are made-to-order, and I don't have the time to wait for it! So that takes out a lot of the more intricate ones I'm in love with. ):

That's my fault for waiting so long, though!

Miyu chan · Post by **Miyu chan** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 8:44 pm

They are all pretty (I want the first one now, lol), and any one of them would be fine.

Secret Duckie · Post by **Secret Duckie** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 8:50 pm

Hahaha. Hurray! Thank you!