Mardi Gras Shirts

Video: Mardi Gras brings New Orleans to the Peconic River

Four-year-old Keagan Rios might have New Orleans roots, after all his mom Heather was born and raised in Louisiana, but living on Long Island means the boy has little exposure to the music, food or the vibrant parades of his mother’s home state.

That’s why when Ms. Rios heard of Riverhead’s Mardi Gras Festival, she knew she had to bring her son.

“I wanted him to see what Mardi Gras is all about,” Ms. Rios, who lives in Brentwood, said in a southern twang.

She said the Riverhead festival and the parade was a good tribute to, though much tamer than, those held during the Carnival season in New Orleans. She said she was disappointed she couldn’t find any “crawdads” at the festival and that in her opinion, spectators weren’t hooting and hollering enough during the parade.

An estimated 3,000 people gathered in downtown Riverhead Saturday to grab one of 15,000 strands of beads or 2,000 masks provided by the Riverhead Business Improvement District, and listen to the music from bands from all over the nation for the first Riverhead Mardi Gras Festival.

The organizers, members of the Riverhead BID, aimed for the event to replace the two-day Riverhead Blues and Music Festival which was held for the last time last year. The non-profit Vail-Leavitt Music Hall, the sponsor of the blues fest, decided not to run the event this year after the Riverhead Chamber of Commerce tried to wrest control of the festival in 2010.

Saturday’s event kicked off with a parade at noon and continued with concerts until 11 p.m. The event was free to the public.

“It’s to bring people downtown and I think we do it successfully every time,” said BID president Ray Pickersgill. The organization  also hosted an oldies concert last month and began sponsoring an annual cardboard boat race and weekly classic car shows last year, all of which have drawn thousands to the riverfront.

Juan Micieli-Martinez, winemaker at Martha Clara Vineyards whose wife Bridget is from New Orleans, gave the BID some pointers to make the festival feel more authentic. He put them in contact with Beads by the Dozen, a New Orleans-based company that makes bead necklaces for Mardi Gras.

But Louisiana natives probably won’t call them “beads,” he said.

“We call them throws,” Mr. Miceli-Martinez explained adding that the term can extend to other items like cups and T-shirts.

How to Make Renaissance Clothing | Swaag Clothing | Swagger styles ...

The Renaissance was a cultural movement that roughly spanned from the 14th century to the 17th century that affected every aspect of life, from education to the arts. Mathematics, paintings, music, architecture and even clothing were all reformed. The Renaissance era is one of medieval dress that portrays a classic, romantic air that is distinctive to the era. Dressing up in Renaissance clothing can be exciting when attending a costume ball, masquerade or Mardi Gras. You can even gain inspiration from the Renaissance era to incorporate Renaissance elements into your clothing style.

Things You’ll Need

Corsets            

Long dresses

Chemises

Petticoats

Vests

Ruffled shirts

Boots

Step 1

Incorporate corsets into your clothing designs. Either sew a corset directly into your bodice or include a separate corset to be worn directly beneath the outfit. Corsets were extremely popular in the Renaissance era. Tiny waists were the height of fashion, and it was actually considered improper for women to not wear one—much like a bra or panties.

Step 2

Design long dresses as they are particularly distinctive to the Renaissance era. All skirts and dresses were long, as it was considered improper for women to expose their ankles. Moreover, chemises or petticoats were also worn under such dresses as slips. These dresses may be long and flowing gowns, or they may be thick and full-skirted.

Step 3

Create clothing with vests. Vests were actually popular among both males and females during this era. A fitted vest complemented many skirts for women, and a long vested coat completed a pair of trousers for men. Men’s vests were usually long, reaching to the thighs, whereas women’s vests reached just to the top of the hips and were fitted to show off a tiny, hourglass figure created by a corset.

Step 4

Make ruffled shirts for men. Ruffled shirts were renowned among both men of the royalty, peasants and pirates. Loose and comfortable, these were almost always part of a man’s clothing. They can be worn alone or with a vest or coat. The style of ruffles may very from slight to elaborate. Shirts may be ruffled at the collar, chest, wrists or all three or a combination of two.

Step 5

Finish your Renaissance clothing off with boots. Boots are another item that was universal among both men and women. In addition, such boots can be long knee-high boots or short ankle-high boots.

A history of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras Mambo

Frommer's New Orleans 2010

New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian Chiefs and their costumes: Trans-cultural communal icons

Encyclopedia of clothing and fashion