This Friday RuPaul’s Drag Race queens Shangela and Alyssa Edwards will be performing in Perth for Swagger, the gay hip hop night busting out at Villa Nightclub.
If you’re still in need of outfit inspiration, look no further. I have just appointed myself Lord Emperor of the Fashion Team here at OUTinPerth and I have an array of sartorial splendor sure to amaze and delight you! Behold!
TLC – No Scrubs
There is nothing like TLC when it comes to late nineties realness. Bust out those shiny parachute pants you have in the back of your closet, or if you don’t happen to have any lying around, DIY it and make your own out of garbage bags. Light up belt buckles are timeless. Especially if you have a matching bra.
Ciara – Like a Boy
Here Ciara demonstrates her well-earned PHD in rocking the hell out of menswear. DAMN. If you need to work out how to coordinate your baggy jeans with your flannel shirts and huge sneakers, look no further than Ciara’s dyke-tastic entourage, who can also school you in some sweet moves. Also that SUIT. I’m pretty sure women in suits were a major part of my sexual awakening.
Mya – My Love is Like…Wo
DID I MENTION WOMEN IN SUITS?! Pretty sure Mya was a pioneer in the crucial wave of sexual liberation entitled ‘Women in the Early to Mid-2000s Wearing Wicked Suits’ (which is the title of my upcoming thesis). Here Mya generously gives us a whole catalogue of options- ranging from the classic ‘more white than you can handle’ (made ever-popular by P.Diddy) and shows us that if you don’t have a jacket that works, just promote your shirt to jacket status and wear a matching bra. It’s still classy if you wear suspenders and a fedora.
MC Hammer – Can’t Touch This
Remember what I said about garbage bags and making your own parachute pants? The same applies with Hammer pants except with some duct tape around the ankles to acheive that sensual shape! Here we also see another classic example of bra-as-shirt. If hip hop has taught anything, it is that shirts are optional.
Nelly – Hot in Herre
Like I said, shirts are optional. Nelly also brings some sportswear to the table. A member of his entourage is wearing a hockey mask despite there being no hockey games or machete bloodbaths in sight. The trick here is to dress like someone who is going to the gym for the first time, but has never seen a gym before and dressed themselves by running into a sportswear store blindfolded and grabbing whatever they could find in two minutes. If it’s several sizes too big, so much the better. In a display of individuality, Nelly wears a sweatband over his eye because he is too cool to need depth perception.
Iggy Azalea & Charli XCX – Fancy
I started our style journey with some nineties realness so I thought I’d end it that way too. This is Australian artist Iggy Azalea’s homage to Clueless, which reminds us all that tartan and plastic hats are always a good idea. Always.
Sophie Joske
