Members
Costume Info:
The Bearded Oysters costume is the preliminary element that unites us as a troupe. Every Oyster is required to
wear her entire costume for parades.
Summer uniform includes from top to bottom:
-flapper headband with white ostrich feather and oyster shell
-mardi bra made from pearls and oyster shells
-silver spandex sleeves with white fringe
-white satin skirt
Winter Costume includes:
-flapper headband with white ostrich feather and oyster shell
-mardi bra made from pearls and oyster shells
-silver spandex sleeves with white fringe
-white satin skirt
-white fur stole
-white fur legwarmers
ALL OYSTERS MUST WEAR SOME KIND OF BEARD!
I know many of you have yet to come to the great joy that wearing a beard can bring. If you are uncomfortable
wearing a big furry beard on your face, here are some ideas:
-Rhinestones: use some spirit gum and plastic gems to create a glam beard.
-Fringe: use fringe and perhaps pin to your headband or glasses
-Fur Beards: use a small clipping of fake fur or any kind of hair with some spirit gum.
-5 o'clock shadow: try some coffee grounds
Taking Care of Your Costume:
The best way to care for your costume is after each parade to inventory the pieces, clean them, and store them
safely in a place you'll remember.
Cleaning:
Flapper headbands should not be cleaned. Do not wet your feather. You can wipe the sequence with a wet cloth.
Mardi Bra can be wiped clean with a wet cloth. Loose beads can be repaired with a hot glue gun. Loose oysters
should be dry when re-gluing. Use a hot glue gun to adhere. Test the oyster shell for strength once it has cooled
down.
Skirts can be cold water washed. Use stain remover to whiten stains. Steam or iron.
Spandex sleeves can be soaked soapy/detergent water and hung dry.
White fur legwarmers and stole can be machine washed. Wash with cold water and you can fluff (low heat) in dryer
or hang dry.
Missing Costume Pieces
It is important for you to make sure you have your entire costume prior to the parade. It is not fair to me to have
to bring you costume pieces the day of, I have a ton of things to do. Therefore do me and yourself a favor and
inventory your costume for all pieces, correct fit, and that they are in good condition. If you need to exchange
pieces or purchase new pieces please do so at least 2 weeks before the parade. Most replacement pieces are
available for sale at www.misskarinas.com before Carnival.
Accessories for Sale
Available at www.misskarinas.com some logo-ed and themed accessories are for sale for Oysters during the pre-
Carnival period.
These include: parasols, merkin hair panties, oyster purses and backpacks, boas, and more.
Accessorizing your Costume
You are welcome and encouraged to accessorize your costume. Many oysters choose to make their costumes
unique and more extravagant. The only rule is that you must only wear/use white and silver. Oysters in the past
have added sequence, rhinestones, glitter, and feathers to their bras and skirts. They have worn pearl themed
jewelry. They have worn white or silver petticoats and bloomers. They have added boustiers or corsets under their
bras to cover their stomachs. They have also dangled fringe to add more coverage to the midriff. Funky tights
including white fishnets, silver sparkling nylons, and white striped stockings look great.
Dressing for the Weather
If It's Cold:
Most years the Muses parade has had a temperature in the high 30s. This is very cold. In such cases, it is
important to be prepared so that you can enjoy your special day. Here are some tricks from past years:
-Use hand warmers which are sold cheaply at sporting stores
-Layer nylons: try wearing 3 pairs of nylons or a couple pairs of tights
-Wigs are great for keeping your head warm
-Gloves can be worn under your arm bands
-White, Grey, or Silver scarves can help you keep warm
-Wear a shirt or two under your bra
-Wear knee high socks under your legwarmers and comfy boots or sneakers
-Cute earmuffs
-Bring a warmup outfit for before we start the parade and after. A big comfy sweatshirt would be great and can be
stored in the van during the parade, but please label it with your name
Hot Weather Costume
Well, when its really summer hot like during Mid Summer Mardi Gras just wear the basics or as much as you feel
comfy in. Usually your flapper headband, bra, and skirt will do. If you can handle a bit more add your sleeves or
legwarmers.
Bizarre History of the Merkin:
Although the merkin may seem like a “fresh” idea to you, it actually has a centuries old history through many
continents.
By its name, “merkin” the pubic wig is said to have been worn as far back as 1620. Originally, prostitutes as well as
other women with pubic lice used the merkin to cover the pubic area after shaving. The merkin was also popular
after being treated for “French Pox” or syphilis which was back then treated with mercury which caused the pubic
hair to fall out. The word merkin is believed to be a derivative of the word “malkin” which could mean a mop and
was also used as a demeaning word to describe low class women. The Japanese are also famous for their merkins
which are often used to add pubic hair to those lacking it for one reason or another. Through history, merkins have
been made of many different materials or animals. The skin and hair of an animal was cut in a triangular shape and
applied to the shaved pubic area with glue. Clearly, the merkin has evolved with the times and is now sometimes
worn by striptease dancers in combination with perhaps a set of pasties. Still a great way to trick your pubic
audience into thinking they saw the real thing. However, today’s merkin audience is hopefully only about to
contract some laughter.
Choreography
Totally unlike other dance troupes, the Bearded Oysters does not have rehearsals. Instead bringing your own best
moves, parasols, hula hoops, ribbons and other dance accessories is encouraged. We will have a van or truck that
drives with us during Muses but not Krewe of OAK. The van will have a very large PA system that will play songs
you probably already love to dance to. Including famous Mardi Gras tunes and dance and funk classics from the
1970s-2008. High energy is the key to our success. The parade route is long (4.5m) and it is important to give the
crowd a great show all the way to the end.
Parades
The Krewe of OAK is a small neighborhood New Orleans Mardi Gras krewe and parade held in the Carrollton
neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana. The parade starts and ends on Oak Street, presumably the origin of the
name, although members say that OAK stands for "Outrageous And Kinky".
The krewe's Carnival parade is held on the Friday night before Mardi Gras Day. OAK also holds a "Mid Summer
Mardi Gras" celebration, usually in August. The Krewe Ball is held at the Maple Leaf Bar, and parades start and end
outside that neighborhood landmark.
The Krewe of OAK is an example of neighborhood Carnival celebrations. Since the 1980s it is the only parade still
marching in Carrollton during the Carnival season, as the neighborhood's older Krewe, the Krewe of Carrollton,
now parades on Saint Charles Avenue and Canal Street, one of the routes which the city government now strongly
pressures parades over a certain size to follow.
The parade traditionally features golf cart floats with effigy heads of notable Carrollton characters, including James
Booker. Additionally, there are jazz brass bands, dance troupes, and home-made floats and costumes.
The 2005 Krewe of OAK Midsummer Mardi Gras Parade on Saturday night, 27 August 2005, was the last parade
held in New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina.
Make Your Own Throws
The spirit of Carnival is alive all year. So on those days when you are months out from a parade but still feeling it,
perhaps this would be a good time to start making your own throws.
Handmade throws are far more special than those imported in mass quantities from China and can actually be
even cheaper. So here are some ideas to get you started.
There is perhaps no greater free natural resource in New Orleans than oyster shells. Local restaurants and bars
that serve oysters will be happy to hand off the shells to you. Not only will they be thrilled to help our dance
troupe, but this is a great way for them to reduce the cost of waste removal. So just find a neighborhood oyster
chef and ask for a favor.
So now you have hundreds of dirty (possibly clean) oyster shells...what do you do? You'll need to clean them well.
The best way I have found to do this is first to hose them off outside as well as possible. Lots of guts will remain.
Take a bucket and fill with warm water and a lot of bleach and let it soak for several days. Stir every day if possible
to help loosen the oyster body parts. Once you are satisfied with their cleanliness, remove, rinse and lay out to
dry preferably in the sun.
Now you're ready to create! This is the fun part. In the past, I have made custom oysters using materials like:
-a sharpie
-glitter
-hot glue gun
-modge podge (to decoupage)
-fake pubic hair
-pearls
-feathers
-plastic gems
-paint or spraypaint
-nail polish
-elmers glue and paint brush for adding glitter
You can use any of these materials to create custom throws. While they're all laid out in the sun it may be fun to
spray paint all the backs one color like silver. You could add a bit of fake pubic hair or write bearded oysters in
colored sharpie.
The Bearded Oysters Dance Troupe
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