PARISH CHIC: Sippin’ in Seersucker
New Orleans Style for Men & Women:
Sippin’ in Seersucker Preview
New Orleans gave jazz to the world, and the music made a home everywhere it landed. The world has given the Big Easy gifts, too, including bread from the French, ki ngombo from West Africa, and “shir o shaker” from India. New Orleans took those presents and gave back po-boys, gumbo, and seersucker.
Seersucker, that quintessential southern clothing, was born in New Orleans in 1909, when Joseph Haspel used the lightweight fabric for suits to combat the hot summers. “Shir o shaker” means “milk and sugar” (in Hindi, Urdu, and Persian) and describes the smooth and rough texture of seersucker—it even sounds like the beginnings of a New Orleans dessert. In a city that gave America its first lightweight suit and its first cocktail—the Sazerac—“Sippin’ in Seersucker” is a fitting name for an event that aims to give back to a grand home of Southern art, the Ogden Museum.
The highlight of the party is a contest for the best seersucker ensemble. Anthony Lamanna, an engineer and two-time winner, will guest-judge the contest this year along with Trixie Minx, a local burlesque dancer. (“I had to run that one by my wife,” joked Lamanna.) Lamanna also said that not everyone uses ready-to-wear clothing and recalls an attendee with a seersucker toga and a flowerpot on his head.
“The outfits range from serious, semi-serious, to what the fuck?” he said. But that’s all part of the fun.
The eighth annual Sippin’ in Seersucker fundraiser takes place this Friday, May 18 from 6 – 9 p.m. at the Shops at Canal Place. There will be live music, specialty cocktails, food from top local eateries, discount shopping, and, as always, a contest for the best seersucker outfit.
Anthony Lamanna, this year's judge and a winner in 2007 and 2009
Pelican pendant from Mignon Faget
Channel Gauthreaux, one of two winners in 2011 and a local writer. She hand-dyed her own seersucker fabric using shibori, a traditional Japanese technique.
Golden Richard IV, the 2010 winner and also the youngest winner ever (at age four)
Street Photeaux
Style on the Spot: Rosé Fest at Bacchanal in the Bywater
Jade Brandt, Bacchanal employee
Kama, sex-toy consultant, and Jessica, slumber-party consultant
Chris Rudge, Bacchanal co-owner
Tyler Chauvin, pursuing an M.A. in English
Kim Bertucci
Blaire Arvin, owner of a media company
Lindsey Mayer, global grant writer
Style on the Spot: Burrito Juke Joint
Muhsinah, a singer, and Eli Turner, her road manager
J.R. Ramakrishnan, pursing an MFA in fiction
Meg Jagger, Muhsinah's producer
Aiji Daste, one of the creators of the Burrito Juke Joint
