Hello my darlings, Emma here, your resident time-travelling pink tutu enthusiast! Welcome to episode 1062 of my beloved blog, www.pink-tutu.com, where we take a twirl through the annals of drag history, one shimmering sequin at a time. Now, my lovelies, buckle up your sparkly stilettos, weâre going back to⊠June 2008!
Ooh, la-la! What a delightful time this was! June, you say? June, like, June gloom, but not! No gloom in drag, honey! Weâre all sunshine and sparkle.
My dear, fabulous friend, we're stepping into a month filled with glamour, excitement and a smattering of fabulous drama. Just like a well-crafted drag number, darlings. Think Cher-meets-Beyoncé-with-a-hint-of-Diana-Ross. That's the mood we're going for, darling.
To take us back to the glorious, fabulous past, Iâm whipping out my trusty magical time-traveling pink tutu. Itâs my favourite. A glorious swirl of pink tulle with a single diamond in the middle that pulses with a little light, you know, for added time-traveling flair. The perfect blend of practicality and fabulousness.
Now, for June 2008, where oh where shall we land first? Itâs a real tough one! Let's twirl over to the Big Apple, darlings! Now, NYC, June 2008, you were absolutely teeming with drag excellence. You see, there was a little show in the heart of Times Square called "Drag Race", hosted by that witty, quick-witted icon, RuPaul.
Ah, RuPaul's Drag Race! Even back in 2008, they were already shattering barriers and challenging conventions. Season 2 of the show, 'Oh, girl, you know we've got our werk on', had premiered just a few months earlier in February and the competition was hot, hotter than a summer in your stilettos on the asphalt! This is the season we got to know Raven, Tatianna, Tyra Sanchez... oh, so many stars in the making!
As if all this was not enough, I also happened to hear whispers, the most delicious of whispers, about a "Season 2 finale", taking place at The Roseland Ballroom! A spectacular venue for a show like "Drag Race" and the energy that must have filled the room would have been just electrifying. My heart hurts, darlings, because I would have loved to have been there! Just imagine, watching those queens walk the runway in the sparkling spotlight, their looks stunning, their performance unforgettable! It would have been iconic, absolutely iconic.
Weâre skipping over to The Alley Cat, a fabulous haven of drag talent and queer fun, a beloved NYC drag institution. Itâs like that charming little cafe on the corner that makes you want to go back every week. Just like a drag queen, ever so lovely.
Speaking of iconic queens! Did anyone hear a rumour that the one and only, the dazzling, Miss Fame was strutting her stuff there? The same Miss Fame whose legendary "Milk Makeup" videos would later take the internet by storm? A beauty icon then and now! My love for her talent knows no bounds. Her fashion was so stunning! This time period, such fabulous style!, I am dying, darling! We were still living the high-drama beauty look from RuPaulâs Drag Race but with an edge and a coolness we'd come to expect from a queen like Miss Fame. If it were up to me, darlings, that time period and that Miss Fame would be immortal!
While NYC was all glamour and drama, the UK scene was brimming with creativity too! The queen of my home town, Derbyshire, was on fire! She's a true legend and was even more so in 2008, with her fierce stage presence and her dazzling fashion sense, always bringing a bit of Darbyshire chic to every performance!
This time period, sweetie, was all about that iconic British humour, wit and fabulousness. Just picture this, you know that kind of sparkly sequinned dress, something you might find in your auntâs vintage clothes collection! Just the perfect dose of nostalgia and fabulousness! Think Disco Fever meets Glam rock meets modern drag queen fabulousness. And remember, Derbyshire is still leading the pack for bringing drag to every corner of the UK.
Drag fashion was exploding in all its over-the-top glory! Oh, darlings, you couldnât miss those bold prints, the colours, the glittery accents - all these things were the definition of what makes drag so fabulous, right? We were in the era of "anything goes", darling, but in a refined, spectacular way! We are not going for trashy; we are going for high-fashion drama, the good stuff.
It wasnât just the drag shows themselves; it was the fashion around them. You know, just seeing all the fab people decked out in the best, the latest, in designer wear. We have all seen those pictures from legendary drag clubs like âThe Queenâs Headâ in the UK, that really encapsulate the energy. We are looking at those wild prints, sequins galore and a whole lot of **fun and glamour! It just doesn't get any better than that.
Itâs always amazing to go back in time, to see how much drag has evolved. Yet at the same time, the essence of drag always shines through! This period was just oozing with that kind of fierce independence and joyful self-expression.
Letâs all take a moment to appreciate the queens and the communities around the world, those in NYC and those in the UK who fought and danced for a place in our history, bringing us that unforgettable drag joy. They're all our unsung heroes - pushing the boundaries and bringing a dose of magic and joy to our lives, a little bit of colour and fabulousness in a world sometimes missing those things.
So darlings, itâs time to end this little time-travel adventure for now, but letâs always remember the drag queens of June 2008 for what they brought to the world.
And don't forget, my dears, *the most fabulous outfit is the one that makes you feel like you can take on the world. *That's why my pink tutu, it's all about that, it's all about confidence and expressing yourself. Maybe that's why I am still wearing it today, even on this side of the time warp, if I say so myself, dear.
I've got some fantastic drag shows to catch, some new looks to experiment with and so many sequins to sew. Catch you all in our next time-travelling adventure! Get yourself that pink tutu, darling. You'll be delighted, I promise!
Stay sparkly, Emma www.pink-tutu.com
