How to Pack for Mardi Gras

by Ashe Mischief on February 8, 2010

packing, suitcase, packing for Mardi Gras
Via We Heart It!

Krewe de Vieux kicked off the Mardi Gras season this past weekend– just in time for me to receive an email from a friend-of-a-friend, asking what she should pack for Mardi Gras! Most of the guides I found online related mostly towards weather–

“Winter” in New Orleans is a fickle thing. Be prepared for warm-to-cool days and cooler nights.

But aside from the weather, how does the fashionable traveler pack for Mardi Gras–when it’s for a week or a weekend?

I feel lucky to have had several experiences packing for Mardi Gras and Halloween in New Orleans, making me a quasi-expert at packing for these over-the-top, extravagant, theatrical, and dramatic holidays.  Afterall–it’s one of the few times you can dress like Lady Gaga at the Grammy’s & not get put on a “Worst Dressed” list.

What to Pack:

  • Pack 2 pairs of shoes. One delicious and dangerous, the other flat, completely enclosed, and stylish.  These will carry you from brunch to parades to dancing. If you pack them well, they can even go with any costume you may have.
  • Pack your make-up essentials “+1.” The last thing I want when I’m traveling for a weekend is to have my make-up bag taking up 1/3 of my carry-on. So I pack my basics +1– +1 dramatic or bright eyeshadow, +1 pair of faux eyelashes (learn how to put them on here), +1 great striking lipstick (or body glitter if you don’t wear lipstick). That little extra +1 will help transform you from brunch to parade quickly, with little added weight to your bag.
  • Mix & Match Your Wardrobe. The one thing that gets me best through a Mardi Gras weekend is being able to easily mix and match regular clothes with costume pieces. For me, packing goes something like: 1 pair of jeans, 1 flouncy, full skirt, 2-3 lacey/ruffled tops, a cardigan/light jacket, and accessories.
  • Layers, Layers, Layers! With New Orleans weather bouncing around like early Spring, you’ll need things to tide you over from a 60F day to a 40F night.  It’s best to bring ones that will mix & match in to your wardrobe… bring a short sleeved shirt for under a corset by day, and a long sleeved one (or cardigan) you can layer under & over by evening & night.

Example Time! My Alice in Wonderland costume. If I added a black or white tank top under my lace blouse, and added jeans & flats, suddenly I’ve got an outfit I can wear on Saturday, with a costume I can wear Saturday night by adding a full skirt + accessories (the corset, headband, tights, & heeled shoes).

  • Make accessories the bulk of what you pack. I’m not talking about your shoes here! Those get heavy & cumbersome. I’m talking about headbands, corsets, tights or leggings, necklaces, scarves…anything that can quickly transform your outfit from one scene to another.

What NOT to Pack:

  • Flip Flops. I can’t emphasize this enough. You do NOT want to walk through the French Quarter, during Mardi Gras (or ever) in Flip Flops.
  • Dry Clean Only. Unless you HAVE to have it, bring things you can toss in a washer & dryer. You may get drinks spilled on you, cigarette burns in your skirts (I have a crinoline that has seen many), or covered in vomit while holding a friend’s hair back…. so don’t pack or wear anything that can’t take damage.
  • Valuables.  Don’t bring that beloved necklace, ring, watch, purse, etc.  The likelihood of losing (or having stolen) something of valuable is high.  I lost a tiara once at a viewing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show in Bloomington. Miss Malaprop lost a favorite, handmade necklace in a bar on Decatur Street.  This wasn’t even during Mardi Gras, yet it happens.  If you love it, leave it home, & find an inexpensive replacement to last you through your visit.

Stash in Your Bag:

  • Hand sanitizing wipes or toliet paper.
  • Listerine tabs
  • Your preferred pain reliever (I recommend Excedrin Migraine for pre-hangover prevention)
  • Band-aids
  • Eye drops (great especially since most bars in New Orleans allow smoking, which can really dry your eyes out)
  • Emergen-C
  • Cash & Driver’s license

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Black & Gold Forever

by Ashe Mischief on February 7, 2010

new orleans, new orleans saints, the saints, saints football, saints football team,

You’ve probably stepped back a minute, asking yourself why– why is there a picture of football players on a style blog?

Today, for the first time in many, many decades (like 40 years or something!), the Saints are going to the Superbowl. I have male friends in their 30s, who have been going to games lost their entire lives, who wept like babies when the Saints became NFC Champions, who have waited their whole lives for this moment.

But beyond that, there’s something more powerful going on in New Orleans.

There’s a feeling of hope, a feeling of change, a feeling that a miracle’s been slowly happening over the past few months.

For a city who has seen it’s share of devastation in the past 5 years, whose crime is still out of control as an aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, who watches its citizens get shot down in the most sacred of spaces out of desperation, rage, and fear.

A girl friend wrote this on her Facebook recently, and it really struck me…

On the streetcar this morn an old white woman starting yelling at an old black woman about ‘chatting on her cell phone too loud’ and they were about to rip each others eyes out when the noble streetcar driver walked down the aisle and said ‘ladies…. the saints are going to the superbowl’ and they both uttered an automatic ‘who dat’ and sat down peacefully. We could end the violence in this city!

Transitioning back to life in New Orleans has been difficult at times… but while I really couldn’t give two shits about football…it’s amazing to watch the impact this event is having on a hopeless city. Having beaten the challenges, difficulties, and injuries, that laid in their path, the underdog has made it to the Superbowl. It’s a wonderful metaphor for the problems and struggles that New Orleans faces on a daily basis, wrapped up in a black and gold bow.

It goes to show, all you need is Hope.

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Waiting

by Ashe Mischief on February 6, 2010

andy warhol, andy warhol quote, warhol, warhol waiting, warhol exciting, andy warhol portrait

As I wait for the Boy to arrive (1 more week), this seems too true…

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Finding LucieLu

by Ashe Mischief on February 1, 2010

A reader recently tipped me off to LucieLu, another great website with plus-sized clothing for the modern gal.  I love the manifesto of the company,

“The day is here. Fashion knows no size & cool is determined by individual style & confidence.” –LL

It is my goal to drive my brand with style, rather than size. To make as many original pieces as i can, all the while striving for great fits, wearable looks, not too young, not too old, gotta have them in my closet CLOTHES!

The LucieLu line will always be part timeless classics & part trend. A mix & match collection that will easily lend itself to cultivating your individual style. Play it safe or take a risk. Borrow from others or invent it yourself. Go neutral or pop a color. Be conservative or be bold. Keep comfortable or put yourself out there. And in the end, your style is born.

The collection right now is small, but there’s definitely some great pieces in there… here’s how I’d wear my favorites (with a little bit of “If Money Were No Object” thrown in):

lucie lu, plus-sized clothing, grunge clothes, octopus ring, alice + olivia sweater boots, plus size jackets, plus size skirtsDelaney Skirt, $36; Dresdin Jacket, $35
Outfit details here.

lucie lu, plus-sized clothing, lace leggings, studded boots, zipper dress, plus size dresses, plus size skirts, plus size jackets, hayden harnett pamela dowel ladybag, corso como Kolbie Jacket, $36; Patience Skirt, $39; Lace Leggings, $19; Tatum Dress, $48
Outfit details here.

lucie lu, plus-sized clothing, joan holloway dress, cowboy boots, studded boots, hayden harnette pameal dowel ladybag, zipper flower, zipper shirt, snake earringsAveen Dress, $39; Skye Cable Sweater, $28; Zipper Tee, $36
Outfit Details here.

Plus sized clothing, that’s cute & affordable? I’ll take it all, please!

Has anyone had any experience with LucieLu? How did you like the quality, what are the products like?

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Sponsorships for February

by Ashe Mischief on January 30, 2010

Sponsorships at Dramatis Personae are going live! All sponsorship packages are designed to be accessible and affordable for independent businesses. For more information, please contact me at mischiefmydear@gmail.com.

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