collars with elongated trains. Texas has variations within its various regions. In Laredo, middle class debutantes wear beaded suede garments. In San Antonio, the dresses are of elaborate colors and covered in beads of different designs. The beads add extensive weight having some dresses weigh in at about 75 lbs. Another coming of age event is the quinceañera, an event in Latin American cultures when a girl turns 15. Their gowns are often very brightly colored and resemble traditional ball gowns with very full ruffled or ruched skirts. First Ladies Collection In 1912, Helen Taft along with collection founders Cassie Mason Myers Julian-James, Rose Gouverneur Hoes, and the Smithsonian Institution started the “First Ladies Collection.” It is customary for the first lady of the United States to donate the dress she wears to the inauguration ball but it is not required. Every first lady is represented in the collection although they are not all inaugural dresses. Mrs. Taft started this tradition when she donated her dress that she wore during President Taft's inauguration. Typically the dresses were added to the collection after the first lady had left office but in 1955 the public uproar to see Mamie Eisenhower's inaugural dress was so strong that the Smithsonian changed their policy and added her dress immediately, not waiting until she left office. See also Ball (dance) Ballerina skirt Crinoline Clothing terminology Dress codes References Further reading 19th-century fashion 20th-century fashion 21st-century fashion Dancewear Gowns History of clothing (Western fashion) History of fashion Balls (dance party)