Missing Mardi Gras

I visited New Orleans for the first time this past December and fell in love with the city. We stayed only a few days, but as soon as the wheels of the plane pulled up, I felt certain I would be moving there. After watching Spike Lee's documentary "When the Levees Broke" about Hurricane Katrina (wow), I may have changed my mind...but a part of me is still pining for NOLA.

As a person who loves a good excuse for a costume, I am especially sad to be missing the Mardi Gras. Here are a few ideas I might explore if I were an Orleanian at this time of year (they are costume sketches for Ballet Royale de la Nuit, a 12-hour ballet/opera that starred King Louis XIV):

Source:

Excerpted from the book Ballet de la Nuit (Pendragon Press) featured in April 2010 issue of The World of Interiors