Ru’s Queens bring glamour and high fashion to the runway every season finale; serving us Face and Beauty
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’, a show “by a DRAG QUEEN, for the Drag queens“, has garnered unparallel popularity across the world. Mama Ru not only made “DRAG” a mainstream phenomenon but also gave a platform to gender-bending artists to showcase their supreme talents. Before getting shortlisted for the show, queens are given a list of runway categories for which they have to produce a sickening look. Netizens are gooped by the stunning avant-garde looks these queens revealed throughout the competition. The season finale is the last time when all queens get to show their most iconic drag looks. This is also considered the most awaited episode of the season. Here are the top 10 most EXTRAVAGANT finale looks from ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’.
10) Blair St. Clair (Season 10)
Internet’s darling Blairr St. Clair may not have impressed us much in the acting and dancing challenges, but the queen sure knows how to pull ‘Internet exploding‘ looks. Season 10 and ‘All Stars 5‘ royalty mesmerized viewers by her extraordinary makeup skills and tasteful fashion. For the finale look, she wore a beautiful polka-dot rose gold princess gown cinched at the waist.
9) Ivy Winters (Season 6)
Miss Congeniality from Season 5 made one of the bravest choices on the runway when she came out on the stage towering above everybody else, on STILTS! Having performed in the circus for several years, Ivy walked perfectly in her gorgeous black ruffled gown which extended down to the floor. A talented seamstress, Ivy ensured that she makes a statement on the runway by balancing on stilts, and boy did she deliver!
8) Shea Coulee (Season 9)
Shea Coulee’s iconic black gown fantasy from the season finale is still fresh in the mind of viewers. One of the top contenders for the crown, Shea’s dream was crushed after she lost the most legendary lip sync battle to her friend Sasha Velour. But her black ensemble, covered in rhinestones and floral embroidery, left fans gasping for air. Ironically, the gown like ensemble was an ingeniously designed pantsuit which is shocking as you zoom in to the picture.
7) Plastique Tiara (Season 11)
Tik-Tok sensation Plastique Tiara entered the competition as an ‘Instagram-Look Queen’ and she lived up to her reputation. The youngest contestant from Season 11 gave us ‘Asian Princess Realness’ in her gorgeous all-white outfit. The MVP of her look was the headdress. Paying homage to her Vietnamese heritage, she adorned the look with a fake Mikimoto crown worn upside down. With that flawless make-up, she knew she stole the show.
6) Sasha Velour (Season 10)
When the brainy-artistic queen from New York came on stage to crown season 10’s winner, it left everyone’s jaws dropped.
Sasha, dripping in pearl, rhinestones, and jewels looked nothing less than a majestic ‘alien-goddess’, with a red snake figurine wrapped around her body. This body-fitted outfit is an entire story in itself. And let’s not forget the weapon heels.
5) Detox (Season 5)
Whenever we talk about ‘Fashion Queens’ on ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’, Detox is definitely one of the pioneers of this category, besides Raja (from season 3).
Having produced several iconic looks throughout her run, Detox’s monochrome look for Season 5’s finale stands at the helm. The LA-based queen mesmerised the audience by looking like a Black & White photo. Detox covered herself in grey paint from head to toe and paired this subtle black dress with a silver wig. She may not have won the crown but she sure stole the show that night with this iconic monochromatic ensemble.
4) Violet Chachki (Season 7)
This season went down in “Drag Race Herstory” as one of the most despised seasons, but as every cloud has a silver lining, this season gave us some jaw-dropping high-fashion looks.
Violet ruled the runway throughout the season and never landed in the bottom. Her finale look was too good for her competitors for which she chose a transparent peplum dress dipped in purple jewels with a matching lavender coloured wig.
3) Shuga Cain (Season 11)
This final look from the New York-based queen deserves to be in the best “RUveal looks of all time”.
Shuga glided on the runway in an exquisite Christopher Palu’s ensemble followed by two reveals (Are you kidding us?).
The free-flowing maroon gown with a long star-detailed cape had us shook. With so many extravagant looks from season 11, this look deserves a place in the Hall of Fame.
2) Violet Chachki (Season 8)
In a ‘Best Looks’ list from ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’, it would be criminally sinful to not include another Violet Chachki ensemble. Wearing a skirt silhouette and a corseted waist (typical Chachki aesthetic), the former ‘Drag Race’ winner reminded Ru that she still owns the runway. As she pulled her hood back, the viewers were thunderstruck when she revealed a prosthetic crown melded with her head. With this look, Violet stamped her name in the “Herstory of Drag Race”, high-fashion, super queens.
1) Sasha Velour (Season 9)
In the final lip sync battle for the crown, Sasha Velour left no stone unturned and came to the stage with guns blazing. In a stunning gown by Diego Montoya, Sasha stood on the stage, shining in pearl and white lace, with an encrusted white headcover. She removed the bottom part of the mask to the early beats of the iconic song ‘It’s not right but it’s okay’, thereby revealing her staple ‘Bright red lips’. The audience rose to their feet in applause when she further cracked her mask, revealing her bald head and bold eye (Sasha’s signature). The long silhouette perfectly harmonised with her theatrics and movements which consequently led her to win the coveted title of America’s Next Drag Superstar in 2017.
The queens of RuPaul drag race have never ceased to amaze us with their charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent. These iconic runway looks have inspired several haute couture designers to create something as mesmerizing as these iconic ensembles. Campy or Pageantry, drag race runway features every drag style.
