The final episode of the show “RuPaul’s Drag Race-Season 16” will be on April 19. Therefore, today we will talk about the talented queens, the challenges, and the unforgettable moments of this season. So who is your winning queen?
This season of RuPaul’s Drag Race is the highest-rated season in a decade and for several good reasons. Season 16 is packed with loud, shady queens, dominant personalities, diversity in culture, background, sexual identities, and of course, fashion!
It’s expected of queens to spend thousands of dollars on fashion before coming to film the show. However, this season some queens went overboard to ensure their fashion stood out in the crowd of hungry queens. Sapphira Cristal, for example- has spent over 100K on fashion alone(!) and it’s shown on the runway.
The Sewing Showdown: Challenges and Controversies
Not all queens are seamstresses. The ones who didn’t struggle the most this season, like for the first time since Season 3, had a lot more sewing challenges than we’ve seen on RuPaul in years.
Queens like Mhi’ya Iman Le’Paige had no sewing background and therefore were at the mercy of her fellow sisters to help craft a decent runway look.
Mirage is also a queen with no sewing experience. She relied on her lean and toned body to showcase what little fabric they were able to create and add a dubious backstory to make it believable.
a boxer, with her outfit. Homage, or a dubious excuse?
Image from rupaulsdragrace.fandom.com
Crafting Queens: From Cosplay to Couture
Alongside those queens, we had Megami this year, a Brooklyn cosplay queen. Although not favored by judges, Megami stood out with her sewing talent and intentional craftsmanship. For one of her challenges, she made a sparkly suit in royal blue and added accessories to pay homage to her hometown NYC!
The cherry on top of this delicious cake, we had true seamstresses this year who showcased outwardly pieces of art to wear on the runway.
The Most Memorable Runway Moments
Q, Nymphia Wind, Sapphira Cristal, and Dawn stood out from the crowd. They presented unforgettable outfits from the most iconic fashions shown on RuPaul’s runway.
Dawn, is a Brooklyn queen known for her elf ears and fantasy looks. The queen turned heads and brought campy to a new level of aesthetics and beauty. She used her engineering skills to defy gravity and use different materials to bring her fashion to a new level of uniqueness.
Q, a Kansas City queen, is notorious for the level of detail she puts into her fashion. Despite the short time they had to construct a final look, Q created fashion that is Broadway-ready and would be acknowledged by any designer. She excelled and got her first win in the “Welcome to the Dollhouse” challenge, where the queens were asked to create a doll in their figure and create a matching piece for themselves.
Nymphia Wind is a Taiwanese queen who brought fashion with meaning. For one of the sewing challenges, she made a wedding dress that was painted by all of her drag children. Additionally, she constructed an outfit solely from men’s wear and deconstructed ties. Needless to say, the judges gasped when she came out on the runway. Nymphia captures how she made every piece of fashion in photos and videos that can be found on her Instagram.
More queens
Sapphira Cristal, a Philadelphia queen, brought a more mature style to the runway. Her attempts to camouflage her dancing shoes became the cast’s joke this season, as she used them for most of her runway looks. However, her fashion never let the judges down. One memorable look that Sapphira brought onto the main stage was the latex bodysuit, showcasing her versatility as a drag artist. Fans are curious as to why Ru decided to amp up the sewing challenges this season, but we got to enjoy creativity and inspiration.
That’s it for today. Many thanks to my dear friend Yair Sade who helped me analyze the queens and the show and create this post.
I hope you enjoyed today’s post, don’t forget to watch the final episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race on April 19th. Let us know in the comments who you think will win this season.
