How to Pack 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