Get Ready With Us: Dressing for the Masquerade

Step behind the scenes of an 18th-century masquerade as we bring the extraordinary fashions and rituals of getting ready for a night out to life.

What did it take to prepare for a fashionable night out in the eighteenth century? How did you dress for a masked ball, and what delights and dangers awaited you when you arrived?

Join us for a very special evening at Chawton House as we invite you to get ready with us for one of the most spectacular entertainments of the Georgian age: the masquerade.

In this unique live dressing demonstration, exhibition curators Dr Julie Gammon and Professor Maria Hayward (University of Southampton), assisted by historical dressmaker Dr Niki Miles, will transform a live model into an 18th-century masquerader, revealing the choices, layers, accessories and elaborate preparations involved in dressing for the occasion.

As our model is dressed, our experts will explore the fascinating world of the masquerade. Discover how these masked entertainments offered opportunities for anonymity, disguise and playful reinvention, while also attracting criticism and controversy.

The evening begins with a masquerade-inspired welcome cocktail or mocktail, before our narrated dressing demonstration. Afterwards, there will be an opportunity to put your questions to our experts and enjoy an exclusive after-dark visit to Dressing Up: Fashion & Nightlife in Eighteenth-Century Hampshire.

A one-off opportunity to experience the art of getting ready for a Georgian night out, brought vividly to life!

Evening Programme

• 6.30pm – Arrival and welcome cocktail or mocktail
• 7–8pm – Live historical dressing demonstration with expert commentary
• 8pm – Audience Q&A, followed by an opportunity to explore Dressing Up after dark
• 9pm – House closes

Tickets: £22 (incudes welcome cocktail/mocktail and exclusive evening access to the exhibition)

Places are limited and advance booking is essential.

Guests are warmly encouraged to embrace the spirit of the masquerade with a mask, a flourish of finery, or a little Georgian-inspired glamour.