Another Mardi Gras dress option: Leave pins at home

Justin presented a handy guide to how to dress for Mardi Gras, stay stylish, but leave your good clothes at home. If you’re interested in really standing out in a crowd, consider a balloon dress. I’d plan carefully what you have on underneath since I can’t imagine an outfit less practical. But isn’t this fun? I was on the lookout for these when I wandered onto the Balloon Twister’s Convention and kept on looking. The browsing led me to “Balloon Fashion” and this dress featured in the photo.

This “dragon dress” is the creation of Ori Livney, a balloon artist who has been blowing up balloons and twisting them magically into fanciful items for 10 years. People hire him to design dresses for special events and parties, plus he has a whole range of other things he creates, some have been featured in two commercials. He developed his balloon twisting art into a full time profession. Livney gives a glimpse of how these dresses are made on his Web site, “Balloon Fashion.” There are other styles to choose from.

Balloon Twisters Convention: Quest for balloon dresses

Watching someone make a balloon animal, particularly if its the two balloon variety is like watching magic happen in a way. Last year I learned how to make a mouse, although I wasn’t very good at it. Yesterday, when a relative sent me one of those forwarded emails that add a bit of whimsy and amazement to a day, my balloon animal mouse seemed much less of an accomplishment. The email included several photos of balloon dresses with women in them.

Since I had no idea where these women were or who did the balloon art, I poked around for some answers. This was not at a kid’s party for sure. As it happens, at the Balloon Twisters Convention in Burlington, Massachusetts near Boston, February 20-24, people do wear balloon dresses. At least there is a picture of one woman wearing balloons on the Web site. At the convention with an aim to elevate balloon art, people who are experts at turning balloons into objects compete to see who is the best. They also give instructions and conduct classes on how to make balloon animals and other whimsical creations. Plus, there are balloon twisting supplies for sale. This is one place you might learn how to make a balloon dress.

To see loads of wondrous balloon art creations, go to the Balloon Twisters Convention Web site. You’ll find images like this one, and more.