It’s good to be the King – Spanish Town Mardi Gras royalty speaks

Robert King had to have the shoes.

It was one of those “Helloooo, lover,” moments. They sparkled at him from behind the glass at a Plank Road haberdashery in all their glory.

Pink with silver tips.

“I knew they were special,” King says. “I had to request to see them.”

In the early-morning hours before the Spanish Town Mardi Gras Parade, King will slide his toes into radiant pink fishnet stockings.

Then into pink Italian socks.

Then into his shoes. The shoes.

King, who is, well, the king at the 2013 Spanish Town parade, has hand-made or collected the pieces that make up this outfit for 30 years.

Like layers of geography, each item is associated with an era of King’s life.

There are the boxer shorts from his wife.

The first year he wore those in public, the construction manager felt a little naked. But he got over that quickly.

Three years ago, in 30-degree gales, a police officer pulled him over while he was wearing this getup.

“The cop just looked at me and kept shaking his head, kept asking me questions,” King says. “I thought I was going to jail at 2:30 in the morning dressed like that.”

A stuffed flamingo King wears on his head is well endowed, in the naughty sense.

The Fun section photo of King wearing that nasty avian cap became among the most downloaded in the history of The Advocate.

The sequined flamingo on King’s back was lovingly stitched.

The flamingo on his shoulder gets a … ahem … bird’s-eye view of the crowd, that sea of outstretched fingers waving and begging for fuchsia baubles.

There are always flamingoes around King’s house, ready to be placed in a yard or worn with burlesque flair.

Come Mardi Gras, King wears the love on his sleeve.

Krewe of Southdowns Parade

Friday, Feb. 8. Starts at 7 p.m.

Passes by Lee High School and along Perkins Road and Lee Drive.

This family favorite parade offers a change of scenery from the traditional downtown routes. This year’s theme is “Time Machine.” southdowns.org

Spanish Town Mardi Gras Parade

Saturday, Feb. 9. Starts at noon.

Begins at Spanish Town Road and North 3rd Street and ends at Lafayette Street near Pentagon Barracks.

The iconic pink plastic flamingos and their subsequent thefts are indicative of the Spanish Town Parade’s approach. This year marks the iconic flamingo mascot parade’s 33rd birthday, and true to form, it is celebrating with the theme “A Spanish Town Twinkie Ate My Ding Dong.” An alcohol-free family zone is located on Convention Street between 5th and 7th streets. spanishtownmardigras.com