Mardi Gras dress styles through the years

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

During the 60 years that the Mardi Gras Dance has taken place at McNicholas High School, the female students on court have worn tea-length or longer, formal dresses. However, the styles of these dresses have changed dramatically over the years.

In the earlier days of Mardi Gras, the dresses of those on court had more fabric. They were bigger and fuller, had higher necklines, and weren’t very colorful. Today, the queen is the only one in a white dress, but the colors of the dresses in the earlier years were mostly white and beige. This contrasts the dresses of more recent courts, which show a great variety in pattern, neckline, backline, cut, and color. “The dresses have changed a lot, but they have always been fancy,” said McNicholas High School Archivist Anne Marie Daniels.

For the 2012 Mardi Gras dance, styles on the dance floor ranged from short and fun, to long and decorative. Some had purple feathers outlining their shoulder straps, while others had dresses made entirely of gold sequins. Unique styles have always been welcomed at this event, and the diversity was an appropriate blend of new style mixed with old formality. The styles at Mardi Gras change over the course of time but the tradition and the excitement of the dance never fade.