Spring Headdresses

A new batch for Fifi Mahony's. I've been playing with some new flower techniques, as can be seen in the first one. I love how three dimensional it is. Also, I found an amazing Indian textile shop online, and went a little crazy. But it worth it, because now I have incredible, elaborately embroidered trim and appliques to last me all year.

New Headdresses

Here's a new round of headdresses, just in time for Southern Decadence!

This last one I wore last weekend to Midsummer Mardi Gras. I like to take them for test runs ever so often, to see how they hold up, how people respond to them, etc. Overall, a great success, and I even ended up in the Times Picayune. Here's some detail shots of my makeup for the event: 

New Headdresses!

While the rest of New Orleans was busy deglittering their apartments as part of the annual Lenten purge, I was determined to make one last costume run. Mardi Gras might be over, but festival season is just around the corner, which means it won't be long before people start shopping for their next bedazzled get up. Hopefully I'll be sending these off to Fifi Mahony's in the next week or so. 

Nagin Showing Some Muffin Top

Ray Nagin's conviction meant some last minute additions to the Chaos parade:

A guess it puts a new twist on the whole "Chocolate City" controversy... What? This is Mardi Gras. We ain't about being classy here.

 Also, The Advocate published a lovely article on the owner of Royal Artists, Richard Valadie, and his fiance, Scarlett Torrence. I'm glad to see The Advocate giving some recognition to the talent and passion that goes into making Mardi Gras right.

The Carnival power couple that is Richard and Scarlett in their home studio.

I was stoked to see a painting I did for a 2012 Proteus float (which Richard salvaged at the end of the season to hang in his house) made it into the slideshow:

I'm famous!

It's Carnival Time...

I'm heading over to Fifi Mahony's on Monday with a fresh batch of feather headdresses to sell. I'm really proud of these! I feel like I tried a bunch of different techniques - even made my own silk flowers, as seen in the very last piece.

I'm spending the weekend blasting out the studio, and then on to my Mardi Gras day costume. Pictures to follow soon...

Fire!

Unleashing my inner showgirl...

The ostrich feathers up top are my first attempt at dying my own. I'm not totally satisfied with the results - the feathers lost a lot of their fluff, even though I did what the internet suggested, gently blow drying them, then steaming. Luckily, they were high end feathers to begin with, so they still look nice and full despite everything. Not that I'm giving up. I really want more control over my color palate, and I love the idea of creating subtle color gradations. Maybe I'll do a feather dying tutorial if I manage to break the code.