Established in 1917, Krewe of Iris is the oldest all-female krewe and they truly set the standard. The queen wears a traditional beaded gown, jeweled crown a wide, ostrich-feather-trimmed, lace collar. But it’s the rest of the royal court that sets this krewe apart with their sequined gowns topped with giant, elaborately beaded collars depicting different themes. I especially like the Maid in the Saints collar and her Duke’s matching Pelicans cape.
Their floats are gorgeous. My favorite was back – the woman’s face with long hair flowing, purple irises nested in the locks. But I realized today that she has my coloring, so maybe I’m biased because there was another float that I loved. She was a fairy in a pink dress with butterfly wings that actually moved, opening and closing behind her. Dang, just realized she had my coloring too. Strangely, there are an inordinate number of strawberry blondes and redheads around here. In any case, the wings were amazing.
Sunglasses are Iris’ signature throw with the hand-decorated ones being the most coveted, but I loved the Krewe’s signature purple glasses crested with irises. The parade’s lineup included dozens of bands who do their schools proud, the Krewe of the Rolling Elvi, bagpipers in kilts, and the Amelia Earhawts and Nola Cherry Bombs dance krewes.
Next up, the toilet-themed Krewe of Tucks parade.
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- Krewe of Iris
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- Krewe of Iris
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- Krewe of Iris
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- Krewe of the Rolling Elvi
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- great throw
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- Amelia Earhawts
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- bagpipers
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- NOLA Cherry Bombs
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- NOLA Cherry Bombs
L.A. to N.O.LA 
It’s amazing how much time, effort, and I’m sure money must be invested in this parade. The colors, costumes, and pageantry is exceptional.
So far, this has been my favorite krewe. I hope to see it in person in 2021. Thank you for sharing, Laura.
You must! It’s beautiful.