Mardi Gras Costumes

There is nothing better than donning a costume on Mardi Gras day and heading into the French Quarter are of New Orleans. The sights one sees stir the imagination, tickle the funny bone, and elicit more than a few wows. I think New Orleanians are pros at costuming and public partying. They are either clever in their outfits or imaginative, few where store-bought costumes and even fewer are shy about what they pretend to be on Mardi Gras day. Disputes and trouble on Mardi Gras day are the rare exception, not the rule. Fun is the operative word.

My costume ritual the past 15 years to so has been to wear a satirical one (this year it was a "Crooked Louisiana Politician" theme) and head into the Quarter early (parking in the area is hard to find after 8 am) to beat the 1 million or so who are on the streets Mardi Gras day. This ritual started long ago at the urging of a friend, now deceased, who also loved to photo the sights there and urged me to go with him one year. I haven't stopped going since. Most often I have brought a video camera , but this year my camera is not available. I used a still camera instead. Cameras tend to lighten the already light and fun loving mood in the Quarter Mardi Gras morning. They are like the a favorite dessert one is offered. They disarm and enchant.

There is something about costuming that both bind the wearer more strongly to fellow costumed celebrator and also to the non costumed voyeurs who walk about gawking at what they see. It's hard to not feel good about someone who is in costume. This year I even got a sexy proposition from one lady who thought my prison outfit was cute. The lady, also in costume, must have already been vodka filled when she grabbed me by the arm and uttered that she wouldn't mind being naughty with me. When one dresses in character for Mardi Gras he or she is a participant, not merely a spectator. Those who have never costumed can not quite understand the concept. It's sad what they miss.

The costumes this year were tamer than usual, given the colder temperatures we had for Mardi Gras day. On warm days sexy costumes are frequently spotted, but when the temperature starts at a little above freezing and stays cold most of the day those who will costume switch to "my winter costume". Veterans of the costume parade usually have a "summer costume" and a "winter costume" as a backup for unusually cold Mardi Gras days that was this Mardi Gras day. This is not to say that the fleshy types won't shed some or most of their winter wear later in the afternoon when the liquor makes the temperature irrelevant.

I didn't see either the tacit or blatant sexy outfits as much this year. Layered costumes and beautiful feathers and fur were more often the replacements for uncovered skin. There were also more humorous/clever costumes, and to my bewilderment, many more costumes I am still trying to decipher. It appeared those hard to define modes were the result of being quickly thrown together to beat the colder than normal temperature of Mardi Gras day. My satirical costume was a hit with quite a few locals and tourists, who stopped me frequently to pose or pose with them for photos and comment that their home city has corrupt politics too.

The most amusing satirical outfit I saw was the "Tiger Woods and Mistress" group. Tiger was there with facial injuries and a golf club embedded in his head from the beating wife Elin gave him after she discovered his cuckolding manner. The Woods' mistresses were less than gorgeous, blonde wigged, men in drag who sang a clever ditty about why a man shouldn't cheat and what happened to Tiger as a result of his naughty ways. It was funny and worthy of a comedy act on network TV. There were allot of men in drag this year, most of them hairy, bearded and un feminine in keeping with a good natured and humorous theme that Mardi Gras day was and usually is. The transsexual beauties who are so often seen barely clothed and prettier than most naturally born women, must have been discouraged by the cold. It is a pity.

Dirtiest costume (loved it though) was that of a very pretty lady and her man dressed....in minimum wear as she showed off her two best assets...her lovely breasts. The boobs were uncovered but painted with a simulated tattoo to avoid arrest for indecent exposure by police who roam the Quarter in case too much liquor takes hold on anyone and produces unruly behavior . Yes, the crowd of cameras around the lady was never ending, like school boys attending their first peep show. The gentleman accompanying her seemed embarrassed but she loved it. Runner up was the equally beautiful Dominatrix who wielded a pair of whips and posed menacingly for the men who drooled as she strutted.

The prettiest costumes were the many with gigantic feathered headpieces or rhinestones gowns that usually take month to construct and can cost as much as $10,000 each. The gay community here has always done that best. There were too many of those to select one favorite, but they are the costumes that bring the most wows from the crowd. This year we had many more locals on the streets, some say as many as before Hurricane Katrina in 2005. But quite a few tourists, some from other countries like Italy, Belgium, Slovakia and France asked to photograph me in costume. The locals know what to expect on Mardi Gras day....fun..and are less out of control than the tourists. Many of the tourists are vow to return, and that their French Quarter Mardi Gras experience was the most unusual and fun one they have had.

As we say here, yesterday we had Mardi Gras, and you just had Tuesday.