Carroll Guilbeau, who made Pangay’s the place to party in New Iberia, was telling me about Tammy Wynette’s appearance at the club, which I talked about in a previous column.

Tammy, he told me, was wet behind the ears, being only 16 at the time. She was a little nervous, but Carroll assures me that everyone went all out to make her welcome. Carroll is battling cancer and we wish him a quick and total recovery.

Show business is not all glitz and glamour. The stars can’t even dress themselves. That chore falls to the costumer. Mitsi Moreaux, a New Iberia native and a graduate of New Iberia Senior High and University of Louisiana-Lafayette, has worked on several high-profile projects in movies and TV. She studied fashion and design at ULL.

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Her break came when a friend introduced her to a designer who offered her an apprenticeship as a costumer. Mitsi works 16-hour days and works on some grueling tasks. She must do distressing, which consists of sandpapering a costume to make it appear worn or old.

There are fun times, she says. There is a party at the beginning of the project and wrap parties when work on the film ends. It sounds like just the life for a good Cajun girl.

Mitsi’s mom and dad live in New Iberia and are employed locally. Her grandmother, Jane Kibodeaux, can be found at the Cut and Curl on Charles Street, cutting and curling hair and making her clients look young and beautiful. This is what people refer to as “The Miracles on Charles Street.”  

Never retire, Jane, those who depend on you for their youthful looks will have to look their age.

Mitsi was not a movie fan growing up. Her passion was clothes. This passion has led her into several high profile assignments in movies and TV. Mitsi has worked with some really nice stars like Sandra Bullock and John Goodman. She’ll remain mum on the not so pleasant ones.

Mitsi’s first job on a feature was “Preminition.” with Sandra Bullock. She went on to work on a Disney film, “The Initiation Of Sarah” with Morgan Fairchild. Her next picture, “The Mist,” filmed in Shreveport, opened at the local Grand on Dec. 21st and at theaters nationwide.

“The Electric Mist,” filmed in New Iberia and based on a novel by local author James Lee Burke, was next and Mitsi was a costumer on that film.

Mitsi then traveled to Austin, Texas, to work on “Friday Night Lights,” a new series on NBC. The series was cut short due to the writer’s strike, but Mitsi expects to be back to work by February.

We hope Mitsi will keep in touch and fill us in on her future projects so when the credits roll on one of her films, we won’t leave the theater before we see her name. One day she may top the list as the designer.

Mitsi spent the holidays in New Iberia, but she doesn’t expect to settle in for good. Travel is another one of her passions. We wish her continued success at her craft.

NANCY PEARCE is a resident of New Iberia and a former contributor to a liturgical guide for priests. Many of her features appeared in a major national publication for teenagers.