When people think of balls, they often picture glittering nights in gold-adorned halls, dancers dressed in white, tuxedos, bow ties, and flowing gowns. The Viennese Ball is considered the global symbol of elegant festive culture. Now, this centuries-old tradition is being intertwined with a rebellious and creative culture born from resistance – HipHop.
The HipHop Ball fuses these worlds, starting with one of the most visible elements: the dress code.
Viennese Ball Tradition: Clothing as Social Coding
Classical Viennese ball culture follows strict rules and not just when it comes to dance steps. Clothing here has never been merely fashion; it’s a clear social signal. Anyone attending an official ball is expected to adhere to a precise protocol. For men, that means wearing a tuxedo or tailcoat, a white bow tie, and polished patent leather shoes. A necktie or anything overly extravagant is still frowned upon. Women are expected to wear understated, floor-length evening gowns, accentuated by fine jewelry and high heels. Bags should be no larger than a clutch. Clothing, in this sense, forms a system of belonging. Those who know and follow the codes are invited, seen, accepted. Those who deviate stand out – and not in a good way.
Fashion, that makes visible of who we are
In HipHop culture, fashion has always been an expression of identity, attitude, and resistance. You don’t dress to fit in, you dress to stand out. Sneakers became symbols of urban style, hoodies the uniform of the streets, and accessories loud statements about roots, power, and dreams. Fashion was never just about style: it was about statement.
And this is exactly where ball culture and HipHop meet. Both use clothing as a form of language. While the ball defines boundaries, HipHop redefines them. Clothes are recombined, rules are broken apart and reassembled.
Our Dress Code
At the HipHop Ball, we blend the formality of ball tradition with the spirit of HipHop.
Our OFFICIAL DRESS CODE reads: a suit with a bow tie, a long evening gown and sneakers are mandatory. Anyone who wants to dance at the HipHop Ball must wear sneakers. Why? Because it’s more than a fashion choice. It’s a statement. Sneakers in a ballroom symbolize a new kind of elegance – one that doesn’t exclude but invites. Whether Retro Jordans, minimalist Stan Smiths, or high-fashion kicks. What matters is that they fit your look and express your personality. It’s not about the price of your shoes, but about the steps you take in them.
Rethinking Tradition, Not Replacing It
The HipHop Ball isn’t about rejecting ball traditions. It’s about taking the form and filling it with new meaning. The dress code becomes a bridge between high culture and subculture, between discipline and expression, between history and the present.
Because why should anyone have to choose between a waltz and a bounce?
Clothing as Cultural Expression
In the end, it’s about more than fabric and footwear. It’s about attitude, about the courage to let two worlds dance together. And that’s exactly what we do at the HipHop Ball.
Put on your suit, but lace up your sneakers. Wear your most beautiful dress, but stay true to your own moves.
Because this ball belongs to all of us.
And on this dance floor, everyone gets to show what they have to say.
