Making Mardi Gras: A Quasi DIY Part One

Mardi Gras isn't some random Tuesday where everyone day drinks and goes to parades, although that is certainly part of it. It's an entire Carnival season, steeped in revelry and traditions, some going back hundreds of years. 



I'm on the hunt for costume pieces year 'round. If I see something with potential I buy it, even if I don't have anything specific in mind. This year I bought a flamingo hat during the summer, and while I was shopping for our Halloween costumes I found the sequined tux blazer for him. It's all very serendipitous, which makes for the best costumes I think.

Flamingo hat, beaded jacket, oversize hoop earrings, men's sequined tuxedo jacket

 Everything in the above image looks finished and ready to go right? Nope, not by a long shot. I never buy something off the rack and just wear it out- that's a big no no in our house. While most sane folks wouldn't even wear a sequined jacket on a dare, I see a plain tux just begging to be embellished.

Pants from Red White & Blue. Feathers, fringe, and flamingos from Jefferson Variety




Follow my adventures in craftiness this Carnival season with needle, thread, feathers, and more sequins than legally allowed each Thursday as I share the process of  transforming raw materials to Fat Tuesday worthy garments. Trust me, there is a method behind this madness.