The Ingenuity Bal: Flights of Fancy is just days away, so we figured we`d wrap up our "What to Wear Wednesday" series with a bit of a history lesson and some vintage inspo!

Did you know... Ingenuity`s annual Bal is a nod to Cleveland’s exclusive arts club, the Kokoon Klub, that dominated modernist arts in the city from the 1910s until the 1940s. The Kokoon Klub’s annual “Bal Masque” challenged artistic norms with the most unconventional parties around. Raucous and bawdy, the events were "wild (and wildly creative) celebrations of bohemianism that featured one-of-a-kind costumes, exotic dances, provocative art, periodic nudity, chaotic processions, giant props and over-the-top decorations." According to clevelandhistorical.org, "Newspaper writers were enthralled. Cleveland elites were appalled..." So much so that "In 1923, the Bishop of Cleveland denounced the Klub’s annual Bal Masque’s `moral defects` and `immoral excesses.` That year, citing the event’s reputation for debauchery, Cleveland’s mayor cancelled the Bal."

100+ years later, we won`t take things that far, and we`ll ensure the party does go on! But in the spirit of one of Cleveland’s most radical events which ran for more than 30 years (1913 to 1946) we hope you`re excited about what to wear! ...