Drag Race RuCap: “House of Fashion”

Janelle Monáe is this week's extra special judge.

CLÁUDIO ALVES: Five episodes and four weeks in, Drag Race season 15 finally delivers an episode that isn't criminally ill-paced. Sure, the beginning is rushed as fuck, and there are still no judge deliberations to be seen, but it’s miles better than the previous episodes. Some would call this a filler episode, I wager, as no storyline moves forward in any significant way. Nevertheless, “House of Fashion” left me satisfied in a way I hadn’t felt yet this season.

NICK TAYLOR: The truncation of the reading challenge was a clear sore point, but it’s maybe my only complaint in what’s otherwise a well-paced episode of television. It looks like dropping a few contestants really has eased up the editor’s gas pedal. This week’s elimination keeps “House of Fashion” from being as paradigm-shifting as Snatch Game, but it’s about the best showcase for all of the queen’s talents so far...

CLÁUDIO: Things start off with a bizarre little fight, as Marcia and Mistress quarrel over who was the second-placer behind Loosey’s Snatch Game-winning performance. Is this going to be a thing the entire season? I sure hope not because it’s flimsy drama that convinces no one and feels beyond silly. 

NICK: It’s weird drama that also makes the judge’s choices more sacrosanct, which I don’t need. Remember how Monet X Change and Eureka! told Aquaria they didn’t think she should have won Snatch Game? Those bitches wouldn’t pretend to care about who got second place unless it was for throwing shade! Mistress deserves better than to squabble for second place.

CLÁUDIO: At least we get to see reactions to Sugar’s mirror message - Poppy was done dirty by the editors - and find a new side to Spice. She’s bitter about her twin’s elimination, believing another queen belonged at the bottom last week (cough*Aura *cough).

NICK: Aura brings this up to Spice during the morning pow-wow, but Ru saves her by entering the Werkroom to introduce the first mini-challenge since the premiere - the reading challenge! 

Loosey La Duca, wielding some really off-color humor to cinch the prize, gets three jokes to air while only Sasha and Mistress got two apiece. But fundamental as reading may be, the other queens just get one joke each. Who stood out to you? 

CLÁUDIO: If I had to single out a read from one of the under-represented dolls, I’d give my flowers to Luxx’s assessment of Marcia’s wardrobe. Marshalls Marshalls Marshalls, indeed.

Speaking of fashion, this week’s maxi challenge finds the remaining queens split into three groups, each assigned to a different house. That last bit is quite literal since they’re making a fashion line out of repurposed interior décor. Amethyst, Aura, Luxx, Mistress, and Sugar-less Spice have to ransack House of Visage, a Jersey Girl inferno full of tacky satin and animal print. Anetra, Jax, Robin, and Salina tackle House of Kressley, all equestrian shenanigans and plaid aplenty. Finally, Loosey, Malaysia, Marcia, and Sasha get House of Matthews, a tropical nightmare that stinks of Palm Springs Gay.

Which house would you wish for if you were in the queens’ shoes? Also, would you take a seamstress class before going on the show, or would you be as lost as some of our underprepared contestants?

NICK: I’ll be presumptively generous towards myself and say that I’d want to have some basic level of skill as a seamstress under my belt if I ever became a drag queen, let alone competed on a reality TV show. If I had to pick between the three houses, I’d probably be more tempted by Houses Visage or Matthews - the former has some fun risks, and the latter has a breezy vibe.

This episode also brings back a seminal bit I didn’t realize I’d missed until it returned - Ru visits the Werkroom! Ru quizzes the queens about the sewing history and the directions each team wants to take for their House looks.

CLÁUDIO: Mama Ru’s audience with House of Kressley allows us to see our first interactions between the queen of queens and some of the contestants who’ve been skating by on safe until now. I sense a skepticism towards Salina’s messy style, and a surprising confidence in Robin’s skills as a fashion queen. In this group, all the queens know their way around a sewing machine.

NICK: It’s a nice surprise! No one’s stressing about their (lack of) experience as a seamstress, and they seem pretty synchronized as far as runway theme. Even if Salina gets singled out for skepticism (and her idea sounds risky enough that it might pay off), the group is warmly received. 

For team Visage, Luxx wants the runway to cohere around a royalty theme, but Ru suggests leaning harder into the animal prints, which I agree works better. Spice is stressing about not having her sister there, both for moral support and because she has no experience sewing - Sugar made the clothes from Spice’s designs. Meanwhile, Amethyst - the queen with no sewing skill or eye for clothing or illusions about her fate in the competition if she bottoms again - is just stressing.

CLÁUDIO: Spice should stress about the fact she cut up a defenseless pillow cover when there was a zipper right there! This Long Island twink isn’t the sharpest condiment in the rack.

House of Matthews gets no Ru convo, which either indicates they’re all professionals who need no guidance or (more likely) the editors were running out of time. Malaysia, for sure, seems in need of good counsel. This foxy lady figures her shit out soon enough, however, and we must thank the heavens for small mercies. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to say goodbye to Miss Babydoll so early in the season. If possible, I don’t want to say goodbye to her at all. 

NICK: She’s my frontrunner for Miss Congeniality, unless something happens to Mama Colby’s ankle. Team Matthews know what they want to present and are very aware about not defaulting to previous beach-themed runways. Loosey and Malaysia also have a quick, insightful conversation about designing for a dark club versus the bright lights of the main stage that only adds to Miss Babydoll’s pressure.

We get a quick interaction with Jax and Spice, before the both of them have separate Tragedy Mirror scenes. Jax presses Spice on who she thinks should have been in the bottom last week, and Spice deflects by telling her she’d hoped someone from the other group had done worse. Spice immediately throws Aura under the bus in her talking head, but it doesn’t seem like Jax (or Mistress, for that matter) believes her prevarication anyways. 

Jax then has a one-on-one with Aura, who asks her about growing up in Connecticut. Jax goes deep about the alienation she still feels in her hometown, as a Puerto Rican kid adopted by supportive white parents in an overwhelmingly white neighborhood that constantly treated her as a novelty or an invasive species. Moving to New York helped her recognize herself as a real person who belonged in the world. After that, Spice tells Luxx about getting into fashion and drag via the dolls she played with throughout her childhood. Eventually she began hiding her dolls from friends, pretending they were gifts for other people when she bought them. She literally closeted herself by hiding her dolls. As wary as both queens are towards each other, it’s nice to see them get some parallel depth about being able to express parts of yourself that were serially repressed in childhood. 

CLÁUDIO: With all the deep stuff out of the way, it’s time for fashion and frivolity. On the runway, Ru looks like a filler queen when compared to special guest judge Janelle Monáe, who’s a fabulous presence with great humor, pointed critiques, even some insight. Weirdly enough, Carson is absent, thus unable to tell us if House of Kressley got his aesthetic right or if they failed miserably.

However, as the fashion show begins, we start with some Jersey trashiness instead of his Town & Country realness.

First, from House of Visage, we have Mistress Isabelle Brooks in a solid design that manages to make animal print and a boob-forward top look kinda tasteful. Moreover, it all fits perfectly, showcasing this queen’s usual level of technical finesse. My only major quibble might be that, while fun, that ostrich merkin does the purse no favors. Still, a fine showing from a big girl that feels bound for the finale. 

NICK: Oh, I liked the merkin! Would’ve been more fun if they had the same wig, but I can’t actually complain about that, not when everything else looks so goddamn good. It’s a great distillation of House Visage’s style, and she wears Michelle’s tits as well as she ever did. The word I always come back to with Mistress is “finesse”, and I don’t know if anyone of this crop deserves that descriptor more.

Next is Aura Mayari, whose outfit is not at all my favorite and feels like it could be a couple degrees from serving cunt with a better idea behind it. The mix of gold and zebra print is a solid match, but none of the lines or angles make sense for any aesthetic reference or cultural pastiche. 

CLÁUDIO: It’s fine, I guess, like a posher, slightly more conservative version of what Spice’s serving later on. The faux zebra glued to the sunglasses is a fun touch, while the gold scarf feels awfully out of place. Aura needs to metaphorically soak her pussy in lighter fluid and set it on fire if she hopes to last much longer in the competition.

Still, for as much as I might complain about Aura’s perpetual safeness, it’s better to be unremarkable than to be remarkably bad. Amethyst isn’t as lucky, serving the worst look of the episode, bar none. The alter top is sloppy, the slit is a puckered horror, the accessorizing a crime against good taste - seriously, why did she pair a gold outfit with grey fur? The ruffled panty is the cherry on top of the shit sundae, making her crotch and derriere into a bumpy mess, satin diaper vibes. 

NICK:  This runway has seen worse looks, sure, but it’s the clearest misfire of the night.

Then there’s Spice, looking like she’s an evolution or two from turning into Sasha Colby’s Metallica chicken look from the second runway. I’m not wild about this either, honestly, but she sells this better than Amethyst, and the mess at least seems (seams?) intentionally part of the piece. Still, not the surest foot forward with her other half gone. 

CLÁUDIO: It’s a polished presentation, even if there are mountains of details to nitpick - I hate the skirt, the color mismatch between tights and body, how messy it looks from the back. Still, from the chest up, she looks amazing.

Saving the best for last, House Visage closes its presentation with a divine vision of zebra tailoring and a flurry of purple. Luxx looks amazing, styled to sheer perfection, down to the glued pendant. Nevertheless, what makes her the best of the best this week is her walk, werking that cape like a 90s supermodel. 

NICK: It’s an absolute marvel, utilizing the royal colors of her House as fully as the zebra print, yet imparting her own inflections of cultural heritage and radiant beauty. The belt’s a fantastic touch, as are all the gold accents across the entire outfit. The second-nicest thing I can say about Luxx’s design is that it looks like something Shea Coulee could’ve worn for AS7, but the actual nicest thing is to acknowledge that the season’s residing fashionista has made her own voice heard loud and clear.

Good work from Robin Fierce, another queen we’ve both dissed as perennially middle-of-the-pack. It’s not a winning look, but she announces the Westwood-inflected designs of House Kressley with a memorable stride in her step. Love the braids, too. 

CLÁUDIO: This was a good week for Robin. Her look is fun, playing with asymmetry and a well-executed pleating technique that’s probably to blame for her top placement. I wish the styling was better and that the shoulder element didn’t have that crap around the rim, but the general outfit is stylish. The mug is on point, as always.

The judges weren’t as keen on Jax, but I honestly thought they were being too harsh. The jacket doesn’t look so hot on a closeup, and the styling leaves something to be desired - wrong wig, bad choker - but this is a preppy delight overall. If nothing else, Jax should earn points for ambition, coming up with a top, a jacket, a pleated skirt, and boot covers while some other queens made a simple frock and called it a day. 

NICK: I liked this, and am once again very baffled by Jax’s low placement. It’s a great character piece - though the punk-ness could probably have been better integrated into the whole look. But the design and ideas are far stronger and more coherent than the worst looks of House Visage. Would be a great design for a video game character.

I certainly like Jax’s look more than Anetra, whose overall polish doesn’t quite help this look make sense It honestly reminds me of Gigi’s third Ball Ball look - I see the “fashion”, but the details of it just don’t excite me, which maybe says more about me than Anetra. 

CLÁUDIO: The top looks overworked, the bottom unresolved. The shoes are a hateful afterthought, and the whole thing looks like it’s covered in shiny pimples, like a textile rash. This was not a good week for Anetra.

Anetra took a bad design and executed it flawlessly, guaranteeing herself a safe placement. Saline EsTitties suffered the opposite fate. Honestly, her idea is the most interesting of the episode. The comforter/poncho that turns into a backpack/train is a version of something you might actually see on a runway. I can’t say any of it is flattering, but a bottom placement is an unjust fate.

NICK: It’s very ambitious! I agree with Janelle Monaé’s critique that less might have been more for this - take out a couple elements, focus more on the comforter, and it’s a complete hit. This is maybe my favorite thing Ms. EsTitties has worn on the show so far, and it feels unfair to see her get dinged so harshly.

You likely couldn’t argue Sasha Colby or anyone from House Matthews of taking a risk like Salina, but the success of each look is so striking it barely matters. Could we give Sasha the win for last season’s JLo ball? I just love this. Her mug is on point as always, the jewelry and wig doing so much to shape her face. The body’s exquisite, and she fully owns her robed bathing suit. Not being able to remove her sleeves is the one demerit I can find, but even then, who cares.

CLÁUDIO: In my book, she’s a close runner-up to Luxx’s Visage perfection. The thing about the disrobing faux pas is that it wasn’t necessary. Sasha might have skated to a win if she had rehearsed the runway presentation before showtime. Still, the bitch looks incredible.

I wish I could say the same for Loosey. Miss LaDuca delivers a consistent character, looking like she came straight out of a Golden Girls episode where she might have played Blanche’s ex-bestie, who’s as much of a slut as Southern Belle Devereaux. In other words, this look is aging as fuck. That’s not necessarily a problem, but I also don’t think it’s much of a feature. Maybe I’d be nicer if the blouse didn’t look so ill-fitting.

NICK: I do like Loosey’s pants! She looks like if Katya’s Jet Set Eleganza runway character retired to Palm Springs.

Next is Malaysia Babydoll Fox, who proved to be an unexpected highlight for the judges. Love Monaé describing her as the first mistress of the Palm Springs Baptist church. I really enjoyed the predominant pink with palm tree accenting, which read as in sync with her House but also presents the hardest color divergence of her team. Miss First Time Sewing showed well, impressing the judges by confessing this was the second garment she’s ever made, and had this gone the route of other team challenges, with the winner being chosen from the highest-scoring overall team, I suspect Malaysia would’ve won this challenge.

CLÁUDIO: I was not as impressed with Malaysia as the judges were, though I commend her for serving a fully realized character. Honestly, take out the wrinkled cape and the chintzy cord trim, and I’d be rooting for a victory. It’s the little things that make the biggest difference.

Finally, we have Marcia Marcia Marcia looking the best she ever did on the Drag Race runway. That this is an unconventional material challenge and she still ends up looking basic should tell you everything you need to know about Miss BFA in Musical Theater. Still, it’s cute, flattering, with a great circle skirt and a twirly presentation to match. 

NICK: She could give Loosey some tips about how to maintain a consistent character without seeming emulsified by it. It’s basic, sure, and she doesn’t transcend the quintessential like Sasha did, but this theme allows for some basicness, and I think she makes all the right choices with this look.

From here the judges offer their critiques. The tops of the week are Luxx, Robin, Sasha, and Malaysia, while Amethyst, Jax, and Salina make up the bottom three. Luxx wins, as inevitably as every other queen has won a challenge so far, but it’s such a knock-out runway that I can’t argue with it. I agree with their top four, but I would have likely swapped out Jax and Salina for Aura and Spice. Meanwhile, Amethyst and Salina wind up in the bottom two, with Salina giving us the first really good lip sync of the season and sending Amethyst home to Janelle Monaé’s “Q.U.E.E.N”. How did it feel to finally see a good lip sync this season?

CLÁUDIO: FINALLY! I was starting to lose hope and was immediately charmed by Salina’s high energy, comedic cum cunty performance. While I wouldn’t put her up for elimination this week, I’m glad she got to show off her skills. For the first time this season, I’m on the EsTitties train.

Sadly, that means we must say goodbye to Amethyst, a fun queen with plenty of promise. She was perhaps too green for this competition and will fare better in a future All-Stars season - only time will tell. Any last thoughts?

NICK: I did not expect to miss Amethyst after her talent show, so it’s nice to have some fond feelings towards her. Maybe she’ll get that Jaymes Mansfield glow-up once she’s got a few more years and plenty of new experiences under her belt. I wish her the best, and look forward to seeing her in the reunion.

I’m also looking forward to next week’s challenge, doing the Girl Group challenge by way of The Golden Girls. I’m not sure anyone’s had a chance to show off their musical skills so far (poor Amethyst was looking forward to writing lyrics for a song), so this’ll be exciting. And god dammit, it’s about time they did a Golden Girls-themed challenge! Let’s fuckin gooooo!!!

Previous RuCaps:

• Episodes 1 & 2: "One Night Only"
• Episode 3: "All Queens Go to Heaven"
• Episode 4: "Snatch Game"

Comments

[dharsan priya]

Girls are looks pretty.

[Philip H.]

The judging was interesting. Salina usually looks the worst on the runway, but this week she didn't. Perfect? No, but it was easily one of the most interesting / daring and should've won major points for that.

Jax also should've gotten more points for effort, even if it wasn't perfect.

Anetra, Aura, or Spice deserved the bottom more.

Marcia has so much potential but continues to deliver Marshalls Marshalls Marshalls (hah!).

Lux totally deserved the win, and Sasha was easily second place.

I'm not sure what kind of crack the judges were smoking when it came to Malaysia's look, though... I was absolutely bewildered when they began praising it.

Even with a gun to my head, I couldn't push that narrative. It wasn't TERRIBLE, but it was definitely rough around the edges, lacked finesse / taste, and was at best, safe.

--

Between the sloppy editing and the obvious producer manipulations, this season is definitely one of the worst, and I'm curious if it can turn it around when there are fewer queens.