I have seen a lot of beautiful dresses in my travels but the San Antonio Fiesta coronation gowns are the most spectacular ones I have ever laid eyes on.
As part of a 5-day Collette “Spotlight on San Antonio” tour, I visited the Witte Museum where I found a collection of these dresses on display. I had no idea where they were from or their purpose. At the time, I was not familiar with the annual San Antonio Fiesta and did not realize that there is a yearly pageant and crowning of a queen.
Fiesta San Antonio
Fiesta San Antonio started in 1891 as a one-parade event to honor the memory of the heroes of the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto.
Over the years it increased in size and today it is a 10-day festival held annually in April in San Antonio, Texas. It is the city’s signature event since 1891. As a result, more than 100 local nonprofit groups stage more than 100 events. Some 75,000 volunteers labor over 17 days preparing the Fiesta.
Fiesta events include three major parades—two along Broadway and past the Alamo and a boat parade at the San Antonio River Walk. Like most everything else, it was canceled this year.
Fiesta Queen
Every August for the past 85 years, several hundred of the most socially prominent men in San Antonio secretly elect themselves a queen.
The queen is chosen not on the basis of her beauty or talent but on the length of her bloodline and the health of her father’s bank account.
The young woman with the oldest family and a father who can afford to blow $50,000 on a gown, a robe, and ten days’ worth of parties, wins.
The 850 members of the Order of the Alamo determine who will be queen each year. They are are descendants of the bankers, oilmen, and cattlemen whose money built San Antonio. The girls want to wear the dresses and their fathers long to give their daughters what they want.
Basically, this is a giant debutante ball done Texas style. All wear elaborate dresses and trains spangled with glittering beads, crystals, and jewels.
The San Antonio Fiesta Coronation Gowns
The dresses and their trains, up to 18 feet long and weighing as much as 100 pounds, dazzle the eye. Rhinestones and beads hand-embroidered onto richly colored velvet and shiny brocades flow along the dresses’ skirts and train. Consequently, each in a unique design reflecting the court member’s title.
There are six local dressmakers each with ten seamstresses. These 66 individuals work for a year-and-a-half making the gowns. Each of the creations has a theme that is stitched on the gown.
The Witte Museum Exhibit
The Fiesta San Antonio gowns and their elaborate capes could well hang on museum walls – or museum mannequins – and many do. The Witte Museum is known for promoting South Texas heritage. So for decades, families have donated dresses to it. Given this collection, the museum frequently displays dresses during Fiesta.
I was fortunate to visit the museum during one of these exhibits. This particular exhibit consisted of gowns worn by Fiesta Royalty from 1962 to 2014. The 2017 theme for the Fiesta exhibit was natural beauty. There was everything from birds to flowers to longhorns in the exhibition.
The Fiesta Queen Coronation
With a spectacularly set stage, the symphony orchestra performs the accompaniment as visiting and in-town Duchesses make their full-court bows, followed by the presentation of Her Royal Highness, the Princesses and the Coronation of Her Gracious Majesty, the Queen. The court sits on the magnificent tiered stage setting. Then the musicians and others entertain the royalty and the audience.
The Coronation of the Queen is an unforgettable evening for the whole family. As such, it may be one of the most magnificent and unusual events of its kind in the country.
Wearing the Fiesta Gown
The combined weight of a modern dress and train may be 60 to 100 pounds. Consequently, one of the most dramatic and challenging moments of the presentation of the court is when the gown wearer must take a complete–all the way to the floor–bow. I have no idea how they get back up to a standing position. I watched a video but they only showed them on the floor, not getting back up.
Because the dresses are so heavy, many of the girls do weight training prior to the event so they can move in them.
Summary
I have never seen anything like these eye-popping rhinestone gowns and cloaks. The detailed work involved is phenomenal.
Most years the Witte Museum exhibits the gowns. Therefore, if you are in San Antonio in the spring, try to stop by to see these extravagant bejeweled gowns.
Wow these are really amazing! Thank you for sharing I have never seen anything like these gowns before! Beautiful!!
Wow, these dresses are spectacular! What an incredible festival to stumble upon! I love visiting museums that showcase traditional fashions, I always find them incredibly inspiring. As an amateur dress maker, I always feel compelled to make something after seeing things like this! Thanks for sharing it!
Oh wow! These gowns are stunning! Thank you for sharing.
These dresses are just stunning!! Could you even imagine wearing them??
The gowns are really beautiful. I lived in San Antonio for 5 years and always enjoyed the festivals, River Walk, and the river parades when the Spurs won the championship!
I have attended several Coronations and the evening is absolutely breathtaking. Pictures do not do justice to these gowns. When the lights hit them, the sparkle is blinding, unmatched. My mother, sister, daughter and I have fun during the ceremony by ‘rating’ how well each Duchess bows – the best bow with straight backs and hit the floor with their noses! They are assisted up by their own personal Duke. The Duke’s also assist in getting them up the stairs and situated (train draped properly). Some actually help drag the trains!
It is a magical event that I look forward to every year. Sadly, the 2021 ceremony, The Court of Parisian Splendor, was held, but not publicly. Here’s to next year…!ViVa Fiesta!
It is so interesting to hear from someone who actually attended the ceremony. I would love to! Maybe some day I will get back to San Antonio and be able to attend. I would love to see those girls standing back up after their noses touche the ground. I know I couldn’t do it with all that weight. Actually, I couldn’t do it with no weight! LOL.