Pro strategies for great, last-minute Mardi Gras costumes (2024)

Mardi Gras looms mere days away. Soon, the nonstop party will start in earnest — which means there’s precious little time left to throw together a Fat Tuesday costume.

But fear not, procrastinators. With a little improvisation and some pro strategies, you can still look great on the big day.

Local maker Midge Howe, of Mambo Midge, has crafted award-winning headpieces for Muses crews and hosts costuming workshops across the city for DIYers. She shared some of her quick-and-easy costuming tips for Mardi Gras.

Think big

Adding volume is a classic way to stand out on Fat Tuesday, as anyone who’s hot glued feathers to their hat or bought out the floral sale bin at a craft store can attest. But those options can be costly and, at this point in the game, picked over.

One of Howe’s favorite high-impact, low-cost ways to pump up the volume is dollar store pool noodles. “They’re easy to work with,” she said. “You can use scissors and shape them with a hairdryer.”

Another of her quick tricks is canned expanding foam from the hardware store. Typically used to fill cracks, expanding foams like Great Stuff harden and can then be cut into shapes using hand tools.

For a simpler option, zip ties fastened to a head band can create a lightweight and easy corona effect.

Accessorize, accessorize

If you’re super stressed, think strategically. The majority of your pics are going to be from the waist up, so focus on head and shoulders first.

Visor crowns are one of the fastest ways to get something comfortable and colorful on your head. Flip that baby wrong way around (so the band fastens at the base of your skull and the visor stands tall) and glue on whatever decor you like.

Likewise, epaulets are a quick way to get sparkle and color in the frame. Build your own with cardboard, or use the visor trick again for a dramatic silhouette and an easy place to tack on embellishments.

And you don’t have to ride in Iris to decorate a great pair of sunglasses. Rhinestones, feathers, beads or baubles can all add fun to your face. Bonus: A stellar pair of sunnies takes pressure off of your make-up game. Which brings us to …

Keep makeup simple

At this point, you don’t have weeks to practice a complicated look. YouTube is Howe’s best friend when it comes to tutorials, especially quick cosplay tricks that translate well to Mardi Gras costume makeup.

As for materials, invest in a decent, highly pigmented palette and flip the script a little. Howe likes the affordable Karity 21 Shadow palette in matte. “It’s supposed to be eyeshadow, but I use it as highlighter, blush, etc.,” she said. “I apply lots of layers. You look like a clown when you start doing it, but it will blend very well.”

For those of us with zero makeup skills, an even simpler trick is to find a bit of lace, paper doily or a bit of netting and use it to stencil an interesting pattern onto your face. This works well with both cream-based and highly pigmented powders. Pro tip: Pick up a small bottle of setting spray so your look lasts all Mardi Gras.

Live in color

Brighter is better when it comes to Mardi Gras costumes. Spruce up old, light-colored articles of clothing with vibrant craft-store fabric sprays. In a pinch, regular spray paint works on stiffer materials like jackets. Just apply lightly in the latter case. Likewise, a piece of colorful fabric can become a cape with very limited sewing skills.

Sheets of colored foam paper add a lot of color and impact for very few dollars, Howe said. Plus, they’re easy to cut into shapes and manipulate. And sticking to all one color can also be an easy way to stand out in the crowd. Just look around the house for something you have a lot of.

“I like going big with monochrome,” she said. “Like gluing a whole bunch of those ball pit balls on you, but they’re all one color.”

Shine on

There’s nothing more magical than a sunny Mardi Gras morning (fingers crossed) with everyone’s costumes catching the light. You can be part of that sparkle.

Tinsel fringe and garland can add shine and movement to a look. Likewise, some well-placed, flat-backed rhinestones go a long way. When gluing to fabric, hot glue works, but E6000 adhesive dries clear and flexible so those stones don’t pop off. And something as simple as old CDs cut into pieces can give your costume a disco-ball effect.

“I love metallic spray paint,” Howe said. “And you can do that in your driveway on the morning of with cardboard you have laying around.”

And forget the intricate glitter designs at this point, Howe said. It’s time for spray adhesive with a sprinkle of glitter on top for a faster application.

When all else fails, buy handmade

Makers markets like Miette on Magazine Street, the new She Comes in Peace on St. Claude Avenue and Glitter Box on Royal Street all curate handmade costume pieces from local artists that are great for Mardi Gras.

But don’t forget to check makers' Instagram accounts for last-minute pop-ups to support artists directly, Howe added. “A lot of people have awesome stuff,” she said. “And Instagram is a great resource to find it.”

Email Jessica Fender at jessica.fender@gmail.com.