Black Magic Woman

She’s tryin’ to make a devil out of me.

It was my first trip to NOLA last weekend and I’m already trying to figure out when I can get back. That city has such an abundance of culture and history. I knew that before I left, but there’s just something in the air when you walk through the French Quarter. The uneven brick, rod iron porches, street musicians, boutiques I could spend hours in, the tarot card readers…every square inch of that city has a story to tell. My first walk down Bourbon Street was at 2:30 am on a Thursday night, and after a long talk with a bartender I came to the conclusion that Bourbon Street is a mix of Amsterdam’s red light district and Vegas stuffed into a very small alley. With way more drunk people. I mean completely toasted out of their mind.

I think I need a whole week to shop in the French Quarter next time. One of the first things I look for in a different city are their vintage stores. You can find so many unique items that are very specific to the region. This wig shop was pretty fantastic too!

I picked up this voodoo doll at a witch craft store in the heart of the French Quarter. I had no idea that the the original purpose of a voodoo doll was not to harm someone. That’s just what Hollywood has created. Voodoo is an African religion brought over the the states. If you were an African-American during the during the height of slavery, being able to read and write was often times punishable by death. So if you became ill and needed medication, the prescription could not be written. Instead, a doctor used a specific color pin in the exact spot of the ailment as the prescription. Each color pin was associated with a different medication. I was completely blown away that I had never heard of this before!

Thanks for the history and awesome memories, NOLA! I’ll be back soon.

Bells Novella Royale / Crop Top American Apparel / Belt vintage / Platforms Jeffrey Campbell

Photos by Justin Zangerle