All That Glitters: Festival Dresses of Texas

The Breckenridge Fine Arts Center’s permanent exhibit, “All That Glitters:  Festival Dresses of Texas,” is attracting visitors from all over the state.  On display are lavishly decorated gowns and trains that represent some of the grandest festivals in Texas: Buccaneer Days in Corpus Christi, Fiesta in San Antonio, and the Rose Festival in Tyler.

For each festival, gowns and trains are specially designed for that year’s coronation.  They are ornately decorated with millions of beads and rhinestones on velvet or satin, with most dresses having a matching headpiece similar to a crown or tiara.  Together the gown and train often weigh up to 75 pounds or more and take several seamstresses a year to complete.

The lushness of the velvet and the glitter of the heavily encrusted beads and rhinestones make these creations true works of art.  These magnificent dresses represent the pomp and ceremony of the coronation in which they were worn as well as the creativity and craftsmanship that went in to their design.

Our “All That Glitters:  Festival Dresses of Texas” permanent exhibit currently houses 29 dresses.  The Breckenridge Fine Arts Center is proud to offer this stunning exhibit to its guests free of charge and encourages new visitors to come enjoy the beauty of these spectacular gowns.