Apollo King and Queen XLIV, David D’Aquin and Giulia Valentine, agree that the highlight of what they expected to be a one-year reign was the moment they stepped onto the stage at the 2020 Mystic Krewe of Apollo de Lafayette Ball Masque. “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. I questioned whether it was worth it in the months of work leading up to the event,” said D’Aquin. “But that night, when I walked out on that stage, that’s why people tell you it’s worth it.” In the wake of the pandemic, the 2021 ball was postponed until 2022, extending D’Aquin and Valentine’s reign for a year. “I am the never-ending queen,” Valentine joked.
Both say the February 8, 2020, confetti-filled extravaganza was magical. When they were presented on stage at the Bal Masque, to the crowd of about 2,200 spectators, the work of the preceding year was worth the effort. “I had 120 people there. The whole room was full of people, but I could see my friends — and, this doesn’t make sense, but it was almost like I could hear what they were saying,” Valentine said.
D’Aquin, who has called the Apollo Ball the “Met Gala of Lafayette,” said his biggest take-away from his experience as King of Apollo was relinquishing control. “I’m a Type A personality most of the time, especially in that I want to control everything I can,” he said. “But in my role as King, I learned I had to relinquish control. When you’re surrounded by experts who do this year after year, they know what will work and what won’t work. I learned to rely on other people on their input.”
He’s referring to the current krewe captain Darrell Frugé and long-time captain Ted Viator, who has continued to work with Frugé to help design costumes, floats, backdrops and develop themes. “I didn’t realize the depth of the captain’s responsibilities,” D’Aquin said. “He names the king and queen, creates the theme, decides upon the theatrical performances and more.”
Viator, who was captain for 20 years prior to Frugé, said he enjoys remaining actively involved in the event, and he’s also pleased with the krewe’s decision to postpone the 2021 event. “It was the right thing to do, and we made the decision giving everyone enough notice,” Viator said. “Now, the next king and queen have an extra year to work on and pay for their costumes!”
Viator said he’s had enough experience to work with Mardi Gras royalty that he has good-hearted advice for them all. “First of all, I stress to them that this is all make-believe,” he said. “We give them an estimate of what this is going to cost. We work with them to develop a budget. I learned long ago from some of the original krewe members that we all have real jobs, and this is not our primary life — and the focus is not to outdo anymore.” Instead, Viator said royalty costumes “show and tell.” He believes and works with Apollo royalty so that the costumes express the individual’s personality. “For example, with David and Queen Giulia,” Viator said, “they are both very formal, very classy and very tall.” So he worked with them to create costumes that were in line with their personalities and tastes and the event’s theme.
D’Aquin said he enjoyed working with Viator and offering feedback in terms of what he wanted his costume to look like. “My only command, shall I say, is that I wanted to look like an actual king and not someone dressing up like a king. I didn’t want it to look overly garish or cheesy,” D’Aquin said. Viator and Frugé worked with D’Aquin and Valentine, as well as the seamstress, Karen Guidry, to create regal platinum-themed costumes, inspired from the XLIV’s ball’s Mixtape theme. The costumes were over-the-top, literally — with a headdress that measured 16-feet high. Everybody, including the king and queen, got involved. D’Aquin and Valentine helped with the DIY finishing touches. “We were gluing on sequins. Wait. They would punch me in the face if they heard me call them sequins. I mean crystals!” he laughed.
Both D’Aquin and Valentine had to go through the Mystic Krewe of Apollo’s version of royalty charm school with Rebecca Landry, including lessons on how to handle one’s scepter. “There is a certain way one has to wave his royal scepter,” D’Aquin said. And, as it turns out, learning the skill pays off. “Even though it’s all for show, I realized that listening to the experts and doing things correctly mattered,” he said. “You cut the air and slice back through.”
Both D’Aquin and Valentine came to understand that the traditions matter — and the traditions add up. “It’s such a special moment. There’s a particular way to do things. I’m goofy. To have to be so composed, it is not the person I am,” D’Aquin said. “I said I was waving my wand. Rebecca said, ‘No, you are presenting your scepter.’”
The night of the big event, D’Aquin, who was wearing four pounds of ostrich feathers and about 50-pounds worth of crystals, said he could see Landry out of corner of his eyes. “And I was doing my best to do it right,” he said. D’Aquin and Valentine’s costumes and backpieces are in storage. They plan to don them again at the 2022 ball. “Staying the same size for two years might be the hardest part!” D’Aquin said with a laugh.