MOBILE AREA MARDI GRAS ASSOCIATION Queen Richlyn Sydney Pugh

Mobile area native and graduate of St. Paul’s Episcopal School, Lady Richlyn Sydney Pugh is thrilled to be serving on the Court of the Mobile Area Mardi Gras Association as the 2023 Queen. Richlyn is the daughter of Mr. Richard Pugh, and Mr. Raymond and Mrs. Frances Johnson, and the first of her family to have been chosen for such a prestigious honor. “This really is a privilege. Not only for me, but for my family,” says Richlyn. “It is a very humbling honor, and, in a way, I feel as though I have opened the door for others who may be the first-generation. I have blazed a trail for someone to accomplish something grand without the perfect blueprint.”

Considering herself a Renaissance woman, Richlyn’s reign is coined, “A Renaissance Reign,” and it is just that. This overall theme has inspired the various outfits she will wear throughout the entire Carnival season. “I drew inspiration for my coronation regalia from Coco Chanel’s quote, ‘Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.’ This is evident in my choice of whites, golds, and silvers throughout my attire,” Richlyn explains. Richlyn’s 16x8 ft. train is show-stopping. With its base layer of white satin overlaid with a layer of seed bead studded lace, ostrich feathers, gold bullion ribbon imported from India, and fur encrusted with antique broaches and Swarovski crystals, designed by Johnny Weaver and the staff of Royal Clothiers, Richlyn’s train is truly one of a kind. For Richlyn’s Queen’s Luncheon, an event where the Ladies of the Court don some of their finest frocks, Richlyn will be wearing a white Isabel Sanchis Carapelle long sleeve dress featuring a high neckline, fitted bodice, and accentuated with rosette detailing. For the ladies of the court, there is a seemingly endless social calendar of balls, events, and parades throughout the Mardi Gras season— all of which Richlyn is excited to attend. But, one of the events Richlyn is looking forward to the most is the Mobile Area Mardi Gras Association’s Magazine Release. “It is a regal event where we are officially revealed to our loved ones and to the City of Mobile,” Richlyn tells us. “It is the official start of the Mardi Gras season for us. My aunt designed and custom-made my dress, which is a tribute to MAMGA’s 85 years of history. It features newspaper articles, magazine clippings, and tales of past royal courts. It is truly a heartfelt-masterpiece that will transcend time.”

Richlyn is currently attending nursing school, where she is working to obtain her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. She hopes to become a Woman’s Health Nurse Practitioner or a Family/Emergency Nurse Practitioner with a specialization in Oncology. When she is not studying or attending school, you can find Richlyn reading, dancing, or spending time with her loved ones. She says she credits a lot of her success as an adult to her late grandparents who are “watching over their Queen from above.”