Mardi Gras 2015

I have a lot of images to upload in the next couple days, but I'll start with a few of my costumes.

First of all, MOM's Ball. MOM's is an annual all night warehouse party held the Saturday before Mardi Gras. It's infamous for its Bacchanalian debauchery and a level of costuming the requires full commitment, not only to the craft of the perfect masque, but to the semi-possessed performance art of it all. Those in sub par costumes (usually store bought Bourbon Street garbage) are pulled out of line by lieutenants prior to entry and thrown into costume jail, where they stand, shivering in the cold, berated over loud speakers for their lack of originality, and eventually forced to relinquish their pants.

Since MOM's tends to tap into one's inner pagan, my date and I decided to embrace our Black Metal alter egos. I already had the headpiece and collar lying around from previous projects (because that's how I do), and I managed to throw together to papier mache goat head in three days, a new record for me. Also, it should be noted that between by 6 inch heels and my two foot tall headpiece, I was nearly 8 feet tall, and fun novelty for a shorty like me.

Please ignore the white socks, ha,

Now for Mardi Gras day. Mardi Gras can be overwhelming, especially if you're not the type that always knows what to do in massive crowds of people. I, personally, have found that I do much better when my costume has some interactive quality to it that allows me to connect with strangers. My absolute favorite insect is the cicada because of how impossibly loud it is, which inspired me to make a cicada costume with a noisemaker as a prop. I put a majorette themed twist on the costume, because, if you've ever been to a Mardi Gras parade, you know the incredibly talented marching bands are the absolute highlight, and I loved the idea of a cicada, with all its musical talents, marching in its own little insect parade. For the noisemaker, I bought up a bunch of ratchet-style noisemakers after New Years, and constructed a Frankenstein mega noisemaker, so that I could as loud and obnoxious as possible all day long. 

Here's a few videos:

And here's a few images, alongside our dear Baphomet and an angler fish costume that I made a few years ago and lent out to a friend: