Inside Moxie’s Classic Grill on Davie Street, customers’ eyes popped as, outside the plate-glass windows, leather and PVC–clad Velvet Steele, Drew Ridley, and Mitch McGuire vamped it up for the camera. It was a miniature preview of the third annual Mardi Gras, which kicks off Thursday (February 21). Davie Street will once again be home to Vancouver’s most colourful crew, thanks in part to sparkling style icons like Steele.

“Mardi Gras is about feeling good about yourself and having the balls or the guts to pull it off well,” Steele told the Straight in a phone interview. “It’s about getting together warm hearts and warm bodies, and showing affection and dancing it up.”

This year, Steele’s Mardi Gras look is fetish-glam. The dom, performance artist, fashion designer, and makeup artist mixes equal doses of soft and severe for an image that stands out—even on Davie. In general, colour, feathers, and loads of beads are the event’s uniform of choice, during which a $10 wristband gets you into several Davie Village bars and restaurants, as well as discounts at select stores. At the man-panty and play store Priape Vancouver (1148 Davie Street), Quebec-made leather masks are a luxury choice (from $29.95 to $89.95, see photo at left).

The traditional Mardi Gras occurred on February 5, the Tuesday before the 40 days of the Christian Lent began. But this sparkly Mardi Gras is, as event producer James Steck said in a phone interview, an excuse for a party.

“In January and February, nothing happens in this city,” he told the Straight. “Even though with Mardi Gras you think of hot sun, there’s no reason we can’t celebrate it inside. Vancouver just needs an excuse to come out and play.”

Steck—who is the vice president of the Davie Village Business Improvement Association and the marketing and promotions manager at Celebrities Night Club—said he’ll be wearing a black, silver, and gold mask, but he’s not sure what else. Mardi Gras has no dress code, but organizers encourage guests to dress up. If nothing else, beads and masks will be handed out at the door of Celebrities. On Saturday night, watch for “sexy skin” at the Celebrities Mardi Gras fashion show.

For women, Celebrities is hosting a costume night on Thursday that features burlesque and belly dancers, and aerial dancers suspended high above the throng. Organizer Sara Smallenberg hopes folks come in costume—with feathers, bright colours, and beads, again—but she says the emphasis is on comfort. For a burlesque theme, she suggests vintage.

Just in time, Lace Embrace Atelier opened its first storefront at 219 East 16th Avenue (at Main Street) on February 9. Owner Melanie Talkington has a full selection of corsets ready to go ($195 and up), along with lingerie, fishnet gloves, petticoats, stockings, garters, and other fancy bits. She dresses men and women, from the vanilla to the dom. Just opened next door is Pesky Peacocks (221 East 16th Avenue), a new vintage offering from Burcu Ozdemir, owner of alt-fashion emporium Burcu’s Angels.

Smallenberg, who founded Sneaky Kiki’s Girlesque dancers and throws burlesque events across B.C., said Mardi Gras is a grand opportunity to play up style. As for all those beads, she imagines Thursday night will feature “lots of boob flashing. It’s Celebrities,” she said. For the rest of the weekend and at the man-centred events, Steck promises beads will earn you “some sexy skin”, in Mardi Gras alt-tradition.

Wristbands for the events are available at www.celebritiesnightclub.com/ , Priape Vancouver, participating bars, and Little Sister’s Book & Art Emporium (1238 Davie Street). The $10 fee is a donation to the LGTB Centre (1170 Bute Street).