Venetian Masquerade Mask Black - Half Face Colombina, Ribbon Tie, Unisex

The Colombina Leaves the Mouth Free

It sits over the eyes and the nose bridge, and everything beneath that stays uncovered. With one on you can talk, drink and be kissed, which is precisely why the Colombina has outlasted every other Venetian mask shape for four hundred years. No other form lets a person keep it on for an entire evening.

This one comes in plain satin black, with no filigree, no glitter and no stones on it. Black is the finish that disappears into evening dress rather than arguing with it. The mask reads as an object, not as fancy dress, and it works as well over black tie as it does over a slip dress. The moulding is PVC, light enough that you forget it is there, curved to rest off the cheekbones rather than press against them, with wide almond eye openings that leave peripheral vision fully intact. It measures 18 cm (7.09 in) across by 8 cm (3.15 in) tall, and black satin ribbons knot behind the head, which means it fits any size with no headband involved.

Run a soft dry cloth over the outer face. Skip solvents and alcohol wipes, both of which dull the satin. Keep it stored flat or face-up inside a box, because PVC is light and rigid and cracks the moment weight lands on it. Keep it out of a hot car and out of direct sun as well, since heat warps the moulding and there is no undoing that.

• 18 cm (7.09 in) wide by 8 cm (3.15 in) tall
• Colombina half-mask: eyes and nose covered, mouth free
• Moulded PVC in a plain satin black finish
• Wide almond eye openings for full peripheral vision
• Black satin ribbon ties; one size, unisex
• Dry cloth only, and keep it away from heat

Order it before you cross the causeway and it will be waiting at your Miami Beach address that evening.