Sometime soon, we could see Louisiana license plates emblazoned with the familiar lipstick-smooched compact mirror logo of the Mystic Krewe of Femme Fatale Mardi Gras parade.
District 83 State Representative Kyle M. Green, of Jefferson Parish has introduced legislation that would institute the specialty plates. Bill number 117 requires a vote of the House of Representatives, then Senate, then governor, before the Department of Public Safety and Corrections could begin manufacturing the Femme Fatale prestige plates. There is no exact approval schedule.
The proposed permit would require that “there are a minimum of 1,000 applicants for such a plate.” That should not be too high a hurdle for the 1,480-member parading organization.
Mystic Krewe of Femme Fatale logo
In addition to standard licensing fees, the state will collect $25 annually from those wishing to acquire the Famme Fatale prestige plate. That fee will be returned to the krewe to foster “the organization's community engagement events, to support its mission of uplifting the community through various endeavors of engagement, awareness, and social enhancement in order to make a difference in the New Orleans Metropolitan area and across the state of Louisiana,” according to the bill.
The Department of Public Safety and Corrections and krewe leadership will collaborate on the design of the plate.
Femme Fatale was established 11 years ago by Gwendolyn Rainey. The website says it was “the first krewe founded by African American women for African American women, but all women are welcome."
The Mystic Krewe of Femme Fatale parade rolls on the Uptown parade route in New Orleans, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023. (Photo by Sophia Germer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
The krewe, which rolls on the first Sunday of the parading season, is known for its signature compact mirror float, Cherchez La Femme dance troupe, and jeweled compact mirror throws.
With 200,000 votes, Femme Fatale topped all 34 other krewes in NOLA.com’s 2024 favorite parade poll. The Iris parade came in second and Tucks came in third.
Rainey said the custom license plate is meant to raise the krewe’s public profile as part of the organization’s constant evolution.
The Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club and the Mystic Krewe of Nyx also have specialty plates.
The Mystic Krewe of Femme Fatale parade makes its way along the Uptown route in New Orleans on Sunday, February 4, 2024. Their colors are candy apple red, black and white, and their signature throw is a designer mirror compact. (Staff photo by Brett Duke, The Times-Picayune)
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