The dark drama by William Lee Adams, for CNN Every spring Halloween meets haute couture at the Carnival of Venice. Culminating March 4 after nearly a month of masked frivolity, Italy's most popular festival draws up to three million visitors annually. Wearing feathered headdresses, flowing capes and, most importantly, a bevy of bejeweled masks, they enjoy a giant masquerade party that spills onto the streets and into the canals. The Piazza San Marco is the epicenter of the action, especially during preliminary rounds of the Maschera più bella contest for the best masked costume.
emanate through the costume and the person who wears it. There must be beauty, originality, an explosion of color." Given the complexity of Nicolao's criteria, there is no formula for success. Last year the Italian artist Anna Marconi won the contest on her 17th try. Dressed as a sumptuous doll, she offered a high-fashion take on the toy box.
Regardless of the outfit, Venetian masks—a symbol of the city and a focal point of the carnival—are essential to any winning ensemble.
The 2012 winners—a group of five men and women from Germany— wore billowing pink and purple dresses with matching masks. They appeared to be masquerading as Marie Antoinette's tea servants.
During the final, contestants pout and vogue in front of an international panel of costume, fashion and mask designers.
Read more: The world's most colorful carnival celebrations
Among them is Stefano Nicolao, one of Venice's most esteemed costume designers, who has dressed Hollywood stars for films including "Elizabeth" and "Pirates of the Caribbean."
A history of craftsmanship
Every day dozens of masked contestants stomp down the runway of the Gran Teatro, a temporary outdoor theater, hoping to make the grand final. Costumes skew toward the elaborate, with men and women dressed as brightly-colored court jesters, kabuki princesses, and glittering animals.
He does not approach his responsibilities as a juror lightly. "The theme of the mask is absolutely essential to help your imagination arrive at what I call the dream," he says. "For me, emotion must - 20 -
The origins of the masked carnival remain a mystery, though it's often said the festival first appeared in the 12th century to celebrate a military victory. Today the city uses the carnival to showcase Venetian culture, which includes a long and proud history of mask masking. Artisans have passed down mask making skills over successive generations.
