What could dd wear to school for a Mardi Gras 'carnival costume'?

[Earlybird]

In the spirit of not leaving things to the last minute.....in a few weeks, DD's school is having a Mardi Gras celebration where pancakes will be sold to raise money, and the children will be allowed to dress up in 'carnival costumes' for the day.

Anyone have any 'carnival costume' ideas so that I'm not scrambling around the night before trying desperately to concoct something suitably festive? Unforunately I am not good with sewing, so ideas will need to be easy! Thank you!

If she's little, a butterfly or Spring Bug is nice: One swimsuit or leotard. Sew or pin on 2 squares of see-through fabric in bright colours at each shoulder (i.e. a scarf pinned by its corner, so it hangs down in a triangle shape); you could add some lengths of glittery ribbon or tape. One hangs at the front, one at the back. Do this on both shoulders, so she has 4 'wings'. Take a headband or alice band and fasten on two wires with a pompom at the top (antennae). Suitable face paint. Glittery socks/tights. Shoes or ballet pumps.

Thanks for your suggestions toadstool. Very creative.

DD is almost 6, btw. Any other ideas?

Hmmmm...the silence leads me to think you lot are as stumped by this as I am. So, here's one last shameless bump in hopes that brilliant/inspired ideas will emerge....

Well, a jester type costume is pretty classic for Mardis Gras. The traditional colors are purple, green and gold - unless it's different in the UK?

How about going as a bag of jellybeans? Get hold of a see-through plastic bag from a dry-cleaners, and cut out armholes in each corner. Then fill it up with different coloured blown-up balloons from a multipack. Print out a JELLY BELLY label by googling the name on the internet and enlarging it lots before printing out. Stick it in the middle on the front. Seal the bottom of the bag around the legs and voila : a costume without any sewing...