- HubPages»
- Fashion and Beauty»
- Clothing»
- Costumes & Uniforms
What are the different kinds of Masquerade party masks?
In this article I will talk about the traditional, in terms of the most well recognized and easily identifiable kinds of masquerade masks. There are a lot of different kinds of masks and new ones being produced every single day, but there are masks that are true works of art that live on forever and really make a party a real masquerade. There are basically three types of masks: Plastic based, paper Mache and Venetian fabric masks.
Masquerade masks bought at mass party stores and shops or via specialty retailers on the web who specialize in the ancient art of paper Mache mask making, usually price ranges in the low twenties to over several hundreds of dollars. Italian Venetian masks are quite costly, yet the workmanship and intricacy of the design in every piece is lavish and ornate. If you would rather put on a mask that’s filled with decorative designs and artwork instead of the run of the mill, so called pre-made mask, you should consider making your own.
Although not the official names by any means, the four basic mask styles available from which you can easily pick out yourself are as follows: Just the Eyes, Court Jester, Triangle Kaleidoscope and the half face.
1. Just the eyes- these can be worn to a lot of different events and are so diverse in terms of their color schemes and patterns. You are able to get plain colors or extremely ornate types, with gold trim and other adornments. Some of these masquerade masks include a strap worn around the head while others include a small stick so you can hold it with one hand in front of your face. These also often come with an assortment of feathers
2. Court Jester- these are not truly symbolic of a renaissance court jester, generally something a little bit more towards sinister. I’ve described it this way because of the kind of “hat” that grows from the face. Every long section of the mask generally has at least 2 colors down the length of the mask and then a bell or colored ball at every end point. This really is fantastic when you wear it and decide to give your head a shake as it makes for a fantastic sound that adds to the overall look and appearance.
3. Triangle Kaleidescope- these masquerade masks are much more traditional in look and feel due to the pattern instead of the overall shape of the mask. Triangle shapes are artfully painted on with each and every triangle being a different color and shade to the “odd” triangles. These could be eyes only or even half faced in shape and size
4. Half faced- this is really much more than just the eyes. It completely covers your forehead, eyes, cheek or cheeks and nose and part if not all of one’s mouth. These are considered significantly more masculine masks and numerous men wear these out to the masquerade balls.
As you can tell from the above descriptions, masquerade masks range from the very basic and simple to the more artistically complex and ornate. Many variations on patterns and colors are available as is the way to even wear them. Either way there is definitely a masquerade mask to fit you.