A Fashionable History of Mardi Gras

02/17/2017

Becca Miller,

From Brazil to Italy, Mardi Gras is not just a New Orleans tradition. Other countries have taken on the inspiration of Carnival and turned it into their own creation.

This January, as the Carnival season began to gear up, Adriana Williams took that inspiration and turned it into the theme for her first fashion show as a producer. The series was labeled Fashion Tales. Many were there to see the story unfold at Republic NOLA on S. Peter Street. Malika Ubaka, from “Making the Band Three” with P. Diddy, acted as the host and DJ Kelly Green spun some tunes.

The night was full of laughter and surprises as the show consisted of four scenes, each with their own story and theme.

Scene One: Medieval Merriment
(Before the fall of the Roman Empire)

Before the fall of the Roman Empire, Romans would celebrate carnival. Carnival eventually became known as a Pagan holiday, due to the lively festivities that preceded Lent.

Instead of showing the traditional fashion of that era, Williams flipped the fashion script and translated it to our modern day times.

Goddamer Gang, a local designer, provided the clothes for this scene.

Scene Two: Masked Balls.

This scene focused on about the mid-18th century when French and French Canadians settled in New Orleans. Their introduction to the city brought with them the regal masked balls they so commonly practiced.

Highlighted in this scene was local designer Keno Kouture.