Dec. 22--You don't need a secret password or handshake to get into New Orleans' most hidden museum. You just need to ask someone at the Arnaud's Restaurant's host stand to direct you to the Mardi Gras museum. Upstairs from the nearly 100-year-old restaurant is the Germaine Cazenave Wells Mardi Gras Museum, a compact collection of costumes worn by Arnaud Cazenave, wife Irma and daughter Germaine. Most costumes are women's, on mannequins, spanning from the 1940s into the 1960s. Arnaud and Irma were king and queen of various krewes, or Mardi Gras social clubs. Germaine is said to hold the record for reigning as queen over 22 Mardi Gras balls from 1937 to 1968.
The free museum opened in 1983 and features more than two dozen costumes. All are made out of a variety of fabrics -- silk, velvet, netting, rhinestones -- and many are the worse for wear. After all, no one goes to Mardi Gras to stay on the sidelines, especially the king and queen. The oldest costume in the museum is the Empress Gown, worn by Lady Irma in 1941.
On your self-guided tour, you also will see a collection of more than 70 vintage photographs, carnival masks, faux jewels, ornate krewe invitations and party favors. The U-shaped museum's darkened aisle helps make the colorful, lighted costumes stand out.
Open during restaurant hours, the museum takes less than half an hour to tour, so you'll hardly miss a beat of the revelry on Bourbon Street if you go for Mardi Gras on Feb. 9. Plus, you'll get a history lesson and can compare today's over-the-top costumes with what was over the top back in the day.
Arnaud's Restaurant, 813 Bienville St., New Orleans. www.arnaudsrestaurant.com
Cathy Trawinski is a freelance reporter.
