] ] Would they be pinning up each other’s train for dancing whilst in the ballroom, just to keep it out of the way...

] It's quite clear to me that one could not possibly dance in such a gown without tripping-up or, horror of horrors, having one's partner stand on it!

I remember a scene from the movie "Pygmalion" (1938, with Wendy Hiller) where the newly-elegant Eliza Dolittle moves onto the dance floor with just the kind of train that would get in everybody's way if she tried to dance in it. She gracefully picks it up and flings it over one shoulder as though it were a long scarf. Of course, hers is long enough and heavy enough to stay put and continue to look elegant at the same time (no hint of petticoat or leg). I remember it was a small "aha" moment when I first saw it, as in "Oh, *that's* what they did with those things!". I guess *pinning* it up would be a more reliable way of achieving the same goal.