FIRST PERSON
Inside the Parade
Patricia Levinson, lead coordinator for float escort costumes, Macy’ s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Patricia Levinson predicts a“ flawless” stream ofcostumed characters to delight uswhen the 90th Anniversary Macy’ s Thanksgiving Day Parade airs nationwide from the streets of New York City onNovember 24. She should know. It’ sher job to help get 4,500 people dressed aspirates, Rat Kings, pieces ofcake, pineapples, Statues of Liberty and the like, and she has already done it flawlessly for the past five years. AsCoordinator, Float Escorts & Special Characters for Macy’ sParade Studio, Levinson spends the big day inside agiant hall at The New Yorker Hotel, and never gets tosee the parade live.
DRESSING THE ESCORTS
I have a background as a costumer and seamstress, including work at the Paper Mill Playhouse. At the parade studio, I am lead coordinatorfor floatescortcostumes, including banner carriers, stilt walkers and trykaloons, whichare cartoon-likecharacters riding big tricycles with matching inflatedmini-balloons. For example, a person dressed as a Rat King rides alongside the Nutcracker float witha Rat King helium balloon attached. Other studio peopleare leads forclown costuming, foam costumes – the 3-D pieces that people wear to dress asapiece of birthday cakeora Christmas tree – and so on.
WHATCOULD GO WRONG?
We have to size the costumes we design sight unseen. Weget the names of the parade participants, who are Macy’ s employees or friends and families, and theyfill out aform with the basics of their body types. Thenwe assign and number the pieces of each costume. Let’ ssay youare a pirate: Youhave your shirt, pants, eye-patch, boot covers and sword, each one different from the others and assigned to you. Ninety-eight percent of the time, we are quite accurate on parade day.
PARADE MARCH!
We fill 14 moving trucks with costumes on rolling racks. The eight of us in the studio pack every single item on the Tuesday before the parade. Wednesday morning, we unload at the hotel, wherewestayovernight. Pre-parade meeting: 3a. m. At 4a. m., we areatour racks, and the extradressers who work for the daystart arriving. It looks likechaos, but it’ s completely choreographed. Really, nothing ever goes wrong – and by noon, we simply shift into reverse.
— AS TOLD TO ANTOINETTE MARTIN
COURTESYOFMACY’ S
20 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE HOLIDAY 2016