Wai-con ball and dress code

[rallamajoop]

Just got word the Wai-con cosplay ball is confirmed after all! Whew, was worried for a while there. ^^; But apparently numbers are not so bad as they were thought to be.

On the topic of the ball: I was really quite surprised when I first went to the sign-up page to see the black-tie standard dress and mask requirement. We haven't been following the plans that closely for a while, but we were expecting something more along the lines of a simple chance to get out some of our dressier costumes, socialise outside the usual Wai-con crush and dance around for an evening. The dress code isn't a problem for me or pinneagig based on what we were planning to wear, and it's definitely a great idea to have a theme for people who won't be coming in cosplay, and which will fit in with the Wai-con theme this year. But that said, does everyone think it's really necessary? Isn't there a danger that a restrictive dress code could even be putting people off?

The sad fact is, most cosplay costumes aren't going to be black tie standard by any stretch, and not everyone has the time or dedication to design and make something new for one event - especially with Wai-con looming on the horizon. I know of at least one cosplayer who'd already put a fair amount of time and money into a costume before discovering that it wouldn't fit the dress code and wouldn't be allowed. The mask requirement could be even more problematic - only a small minority of anime/game characters wear masks, and finding one that would be appropriate to a lot of costumes could be tricky.

So, obviously I don't want to start a rebellion here or anything (we're still very much looking forward to this ball), but I'd like to hear other people's thoughts. Does this really need to be a formal ball for people to enjoy it? And particularly if we're worried numbers might be low, couldn't it be a good idea to try and broaden the appeal of this event out as much as possible?

Comments

[rallamajoop.livejournal.com]

Really though, is there any reason why someone shouldn't turn up in a Shuffle! uniform? I (and most of the others I've spoken to since) took 'ball' to mean 'dress up and dance around', and since cosplay costumes are far from streetwear at the best of times, I'd have thought that covered the fancy dress aspect.

My personal comparison would be something like the Swancon Masquerade, which does encourage formal-style costumes, but if the Firefly crew show up, they fit in just as well. And I know we'd get far less turn out at the Swancon Masquerade if the rules were any different, so wouldn't the same apply here?

Masks - again, they'll go well with some costumes, but they'll be one extra headache for the rest of us. What it comes down to for me is that this is more of a side event to Waicon than the main cosplay event of the year, so expecting everyone to turn out an even *more* elaborate costume just for the one night seems a bit unnecessary. :/