Fifi's Wig Shop Brings Halloween Transformations to the Next Level

It makes sense that New Orleans is a hot destination to celebrate Halloween. From the spooky ghost tours to the haunted hotels, the Louisiana city is a prime spot for getting into the macabre spirit. It’s unsurprising, then, that it’s also the best place to find one-of-a-kind costumes, too—and if you so happen to be still in need of an over-the-top wig this Halloween, there’s one particular shop that draws in both locals and tourists alike. Meet Fifi’s Custom Wigs.

The French Quarter wig shop was founded in 1977 by Marcy Hesseling, eventually taken over by Thomas O’Donnell and his husband Neil Ard back in 2023. The couple had just relocated from New York City—where O’Donnell worked in theater, and Ard in fashion—and both saw opportunity as a natural next step for their combined careers.

“I'd taken a part-time job at Fifi's, just for fun,” says O’Donnell. “Then Marcy Willy Wonka-ed us. We bought the business with the intent of carrying the torch for the foreseeable future, and so far, so good!”

Today, Fifi’s has maintained its legacy as a must-visit shop located in the heart of the French Quarter. The shop’s creative director, Bridget Broyles, leads all of the wig designs, though the co-owners also make wigs there as well. “Fifi’s exists for fun,” says O’Donnell. “Walk in and you're surrounded by stacks of wigs in every color, headpieces and fascinators on every surface, and glitter in every nook and cranny. Nothing is quiet about it—and that’s the point.”

The store offers both ready-to-buy and custom-made wig options to fulfill any look or vision. “We have hundreds of wigs in every style, color, and length, piled high and ready to go out of the box,” says O’Donnell. “Anyone can walk in off the street and walk out looking like Dolly.”

The custom wigs are what the shop are known for best. Year-round, clients will walk in with a specific character they want to embody—and the shop will create the perfect wig to complete the look. The sky is the limit when it comes to creativity: They have fashioned wigs to evoke butterfly wings, disco balls, tropical gardens, and have even designed a Friday the 13th-themed slasher wig, too. “We love meeting people where they are, bringing their vision to life, and making them feel beautiful, and we work to make that experience accessible to everyone,” says O’Donnell. “They might have $60 to spend or $600.”

The design team can create a wig in just a few hours—or more involved styles may take several days or weeks. “I love any wig where I get to craft the elements that go into it, especially the ones with entire scenes on top,” says Broyles. “I've done pirate ships being taken down by tentacles, and the Popeyes Chicken wig, where I had to figure out how to make fried chicken. I love the challenge of turning these wild ideas into something wearable.”

The demands, obviously, ramp up every Halloween season, when they are busier than ever. Well, almost busier than ever: It’s their second-busiest season after Mardi Gras. “We start taking custom orders in the summer, so by October, the back room is a full creative machine,” says O’Donnell. “Up front, you can feel the excitement build as Halloween gets closer: Every chair is filled, and people wait patiently for their turn at a new look. It's chaotic in the best way.”

This Halloween season alone, the custom orders have begun rolling in. Though the shop can never quite predict what customers will ask for, the team says there are some annual styles that always pop up. “The perennial favorites are always in demand: bloody prom queens, sexy Medusas, and darker takes on Marie Antoinette,” says O’Donnell.

But the busy Halloween rush doesn’t just end on November 1st. In New Orleans, a city that prides itself on a good costume, there is always demand for such creations. “After Halloween, we focus on Thanksgiving fascinators and holiday wigs,” says O’Donnell. “New Orleans has so many events, parades, and luncheons, plus a steady stream of bachelorette parties and private parties all year long. That's the life we've found here: In New Orleans, we will always find an excuse to wear a wig.”