Rupaul’s Drag Race is not exactly a show known for subtlety. From the outrageous outfits to the sickening lip syncs and contestants who almost exclusively speak in double entendres, there is very little left to the imagination with RuPaul and her cohorts. Most fashion tips taken from the show probably aren’t applicable to everyday fashion, unless you’re looking to slay your next zoom meeting like it’s the finale runway, but even the more colorful queens have fashion tips that you can apply to your next outfit.
So put on your best caftan, bust out the cheesecake, and prepare your charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent, because here are some subtle fashion tips that you can take home with you from RuPaul’s Drag Race. Jesus is a biscuit!
The girls on the show sometimes like to talk about being “a vision” of a certain color. If you’re decked out head to toe in only a single color, from the shoes to the wig to the nail color, then you’ve achieved “vision” status. Oftentimes the challenges on the show call for very specific looks using very specific criteria, so most contestants have multiple wardrobes filled with dresses, heels, and hair in every conceivable color just on the off chance the RuPaul wants an all-purple challenge or a “no-red” runway.
It might seem cheesy, or a little overwhelming, to only rely on a single shade for your outfits, but the reality is that keeping your look streamlined can lead to an overall better final product. If the accessories and jewelry don’t match, chuck ‘em. If you love those shoes but they don’t go with the rest of the outfit, save them for next time. It doesn’t have to be an insane dayglo orange either: all black looks are sleek and never go out of style, while the all white inverse gives off a lovely sense of refinement. Whatever color you end up embracing, try to make it the basis of your whole look to make it gag-worthy.
Again, it makes sense for drag queens to start with the silhouette: they are the unholy mix of superheroes, corporate logos, funhaus clowns, and department store mannequins. They want to be recognized even if you can’t quite make them out. If the look is unique enough that all it takes is an outline to be fierce, you’ve reached peak polish.
Now apply this to your own look. Are you really planning on going out in the same white shirt/blue jean combo that all of your sorority sisters are also going to be wearing to Thursday night rails? Being part of a gang is nice, but you have got to look out for number one. Maybe it’s a singular pair of earrings that no one else has. Maybe it’s some boots or heels that make you tower over everyone else. The goal is to be the center of attention, and to be picked out of a crowd. If you can make your look singular without taking into consideration the color or brand, you’re on your way to world domination. Opulence, ladies. You own everything!
It’s usually edited down in the final cut, but one of the most indelible parts of any Drag Race episode is when the girls gossip, joke around, and trade insults as they finalize their makeup before the runway. These moments might seem innocuous, but take another look: they’re in every episode, and they’re the breeding ground for some of the series’ best moments, like Phi Phi’s “Party City” fight with Sharon in season 4, Bianca’s endless stream of roasts in season 6, and the burgeoning romance between Yvie and Brooke in season 11.
Now, these are drag queens. They need time to put their faces on and beat them into a proper look. But a rushed canvas leads to sloppy execution, so take a cue from their deliberate natures. If you are painting your own face, or even just picking out which accessories match with your outfit, budget out enough time to be happy with those decisions. The worst feeling is when you’re rushing out the door and you’re still not ready. You should be made up for the gods, so take an almighty amount of time.
There’s a scene from season 11 that sticks out in my mind a lot. The vivacious and curvaceous Silky Nutmeg Ganache is walking the runway during the face-kini challenge, where all or most of the face is obscured as part of the look. Despite this, she’s the only queen who isn’t wearing any makeup. Her reasoning: nobody’s going to notice, so why bother? But the judges did notice. She was rightfully called out for cutting corners and not taking the look seriously enough.
Let this be an apt overarching metaphor for fashion, and maybe even life as a whole: never go halfway. Yes, it’s easy to just not finish off the look, but chances are that somebody will notice if something is out of place. Ask yourself this: is it better to do too much or not enough? Doing too much might raise the ire out of some people, but they’ll have to respect you and your look for fully committing to whatever your outfit is trying to say. Not doing enough is a one way ticket to getting clocked. They will see those back rolls. You will not be feeling your oats.
Kelly Mantle died for our sins. Heed her words. They will serve you well.
You are more than yourself. If you have good genes and a perfectly sculpted face (from the gods! Alright that’s enough of that reference), or have been sweating it out at the gym for that body-ody-ody, or you’ve embraced that mole or gap in your teeth as a minor flaw in an otherwise perfect package, congratulations! It’s great that you’ve got assets, but no one likes a one trick pony.
If you don’t watch RuPaul clock Drag Race contestants week after week (which would be kinda weird if you didn’t, considering you clicked on this article), “Resting” is the act of relying on something as a gimmick, making you one-dimmensional as a performer. If you are naturally fishy but can’t make it during a standup/singing challenge, you’re resting on pretty. If you’ve got that cheesecake but can’t beat your face or sew your own outfits, you’re resting on body. If you’ve got a ridiculous singular look, but can’t make it as a beauty queen, you’re resting on ugly, as Courtney Act might say. The big takeaway is to diversify your talents: pretty girls (and guys) are a dime a dozen. That’s not what is going to truly make you stand out, especially if it’s the linchpin of the look you’re trying to pull off. There’s nothing wrong with being hot (or being ugly), but it shouldn’t be crutch that you rely on.
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