The line to enter the Palladium on September 9 stretched deep into the block and around the corner. It was full of people from all walks of life dressed in bright colors. An elderly gay couple and her teenager in rainbow face paint stand side by side in the cool evening air and show their tickets at the door to find a vantage point for the Queer AF fashion show I was waiting for
Inside the building, show hosts make final preparations for an evening celebrating LGBT style and culture.
“Maybe it’s because I’ve been involved for so long, but I feel the energy coming here,” said Josh Croke, founder of Love Your Labels.
The show was a fundraiser for Love Your Labels, a non-profit organization serving LGBT youth in Central Massachusetts, and featured clothes designed by two teenagers who participated in the Threads Fashion Design Program. Other designers who exhibited their work included her Asha Ama and Sam Donovan, who starred in “Project Runway,” and Rufus Dixon, who grew up in Marlborough a few minutes away.
Before the show, in the press area, Cloak turned around and showed two reporters what he would wear on stage as one of the show’s co-hosts. The Dixon-designed outfit included a blue and black leather vest with a cutout in the back, which Cloak paired with dark, glittery makeup.
Dixon said he was looking forward to seeing models and drag queens take turns taking the stage, and said the collection he showed at Queer AF was meant to play with conventional ideas about gender. rice field.
“I wanted to do something unexpected, something hyper-feminine in menswear. Silhouettes have no gender. My clothes are really sensual for men to wear,” Dixon said.
Upstairs, anticipation and perfume hung in the air. Veteran drag-her queens Lady Sabrina and Boots mingle with models at a pre-show buffet, while singer and guitarist Giuliano prepares for her solo acoustic set.
“I remember my first appearance was at Club 241. The police were sitting in the parking lot waiting for us to leave and they pulled us over and stripped and searched.” said Mrs Sabrina. “I’ve been in drag since 1986, and I’ve seen the community evolve, drag evolve, sexuality evolve. It’s been great.”
“Even 14 years ago when I started, security guards were with us just in case something happened to us. It’s so different now,” says Bootz. “This culture, queer culture, is so inclusive. That’s the way it should be.”
During the show, dance groups, musicians, drag performers, and models of all ages and backgrounds took turns on stage. One drag her queen did a somersault across the stage, splitting her legs and leaping, doing a handstand against her wall while the audience cheered her on.
New York drag queen Peppermint, who gained international fame as a contestant on “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” co-hosted the show in a flowing black gown.
“This is my first time in Worcester,” Peppermint gushed at one point.
The models who walked on stage were all from the Worcester area, and the crowd cheered especially loudly as they sprinkled their runway walks with Vogue dance moves. Voguing, a dance style devised by black trans women and gay men in the 1980s New York ballroom scene, has been featured on multiple TV shows and after being mentioned on Beyoncé’s recent album Renaissance. It has been attracting attention in recent years.
The “Renaissance” cut served as the soundtrack for Ama’s show, and models showcased her designs on songs like “Cuff It” and “Alien Superstar.” Ama said the collection she exhibited at Queer AF was dedicated to black women and dedicated to using love and empathy to address the pain society causes.
Another designer was 13-year-old Finn Santora, who participated in the Threads LGBT Youth Fashion Program earlier this year. He sent models down the runway in his loose button-down shirt and shorts set, then waved to the crowd in his self-made Dark His Galaxy His pattern suit.
“I never thought I’d find out who I am,” Santora said, standing next to a model wearing his design.
Worcester drag queen Robin Millions, crowned second at August’s Pride Worcester pageant, was the final performer of the night, with three dancers behind her, lip-syncing to Doja Cat’s “Vegas.” did.
Afterwards, some of the audience sat near the stage for a Q&A session with Peppermint, some hit the dance floor at the Float’s afterparty upstairs, and others left the Palladium to head home or downtown Worcester. headed to the bar.
“This is the most queer energy of joy I’ve ever felt,” Croke said.
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