Queen Gowns & Collars
for Mardi Gras

Queen gowns & collars

Welcome! So happy you stopped by our site.  We create Mardi Gras Queen gowns & collars.  We understand the business of Mardi Gras and take it very seriously! Debutante age queens exemplify their family’s esteem in the community. Thus, a gown should reflect her social station.  Obviously, a Queen’s gown & collar should also embrace the traditions of Mardi Gras and the Krewe. Let us be your guide through design, fabric, and embellishment selections. Thus creating the perfect Queen’s gown and collar for you.

Inspiration for gowns & collars...

Inspiration for a Queen’s gown & collar is often drawn from past European royalty. Certainly, couture and current fashion influence a Queen’s gown as well. Our collection of inspirational art books and couturier clippings is vast. In fact, the research process is one of our favorites. There is nothing quite as thrilling as finding inspiration for the perfect gown, meeting the Queen and her mother’s expectations. 

Our methods...

We use couturier methods when constructing our gowns & costumes. Without a doubt, couture techniques require time and patience, but they are certainly worth the effort. Each garment begins with a muslin. After fitting and altering the muslin, the next step is to reproduce the garment in the fashion fabric. We line and underline our gowns. They also have sewn-in interfacings. To achieve the desired color, we often layer fabrics as well as layering to create dimension. To add weight to the hem of a gown, we use faced hems. A faced hem not only adds weight but it creates a more luxurious folded edge. Lastly, our gowns have all of the inner structures necessary for supporting a collar and mantle.

Specialties...

Our specialties include layering fabrics, lace manipulation, and fabric embossing. By layering fabrics, we achieve dimension as well as adjust color. We utilize lace manipulation techniques including, lace on lace appliqué seams which appear seamless. Frequently lace borders on a variety of fabrics are not wide enough to make a visual impact. When that is the case, we seamlessly increase the depth of the border with lace appliqué. For this reason, the borders can graduate in depth from the front to the train of the gown. Fabric embossing with emBELLAtex® gives us another design tool. The process offers an alternative to hand beading and metallic embroidery. Specifically, embossing allows us to create our own surface patterns. We can create embossed brocade, damask, and all-over patterns, as well as trims and appliqué. The 2020 Queen’s gown is an example of fabric embossing.

Time & Cost

As previously stated, the methods we use require a lot of time. As soon as you know you need a gown or costume, please contact us. They require 4 to 9 months to complete. Therefore, the earlier we can begin work, the better for everyone.

A basic gown without embellishment begins at $3000. An undecorated collar begins at $700. The prices do not include materials. Once we know the scope of your project, we will offer an estimate.

embossed Queen's gown

2020 Queen
Mystique Krewe of Louisianians

The custom decorative patterns were created with emBELLAtex®.  
View the Gown Pictorial to learn more about its design and construction.