Dressing Up Debutantes: Pageantry and Glitz in Texas (Dress, Body, Culture)
Dressing Up Debutantes: Pageantry and Glitz in Texas (Dress, Body, Culture)
For ninety years, young society women in San Antonio, Texas have donned custom-designed dresses and trains to take part in the Coronation of a queen and her court. These royal robes, which weigh fifty pounds and more and cost an average of ,000, are highly embellished with rhinestones and beads. The Coronation is part of the ten-day, century-old festival celebrating the final battle of the 1836 Texas revolt against Mexico.
This book provides a significant contribution to the study of s
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February 6th, 2012 at 9:18 am
Only in America, and Only in Texas!,
A few years ago, a friend of mine moved to San Antonio, Texas. Every year at the end of April, San Antonio holds “Fiesta Week” and the one of the main events is the Coronation of the Queen of the Order of the Alamo. The Queen, the Princess and 24 Duchesses display the most unbelievable gowns made anywhere — the trains alone are many feet long, and are covered with beads and rhinestones, all to illustrate an aspect of the theme of that year’s coronation. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
This book is a serious sociological study of this event and its history, but it also sheds light on the context of Coronation within the history of San Antonio, with some surprising aspects — read about “El Rey Feo”, and the Hispanic community’s response to Coronation. It is fascinating start to finish, and could only be improved by the addition of more illustrations.
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