Well, if that isn’t just the theme of the last three episodes.
Would anyone like some flan…? No? Can’t think why.
Almodovar’s Leading Ladies
Forgive me Pedro for I have sinned… I am a very bad film student and have to admit, I’m not very familiar with Pedro Almodovar’s filmography so I can’t really tell whether some of these looks nailed the brief or not beyond the clips and stills they showed and a lot of it was lost on me – everyone going ballistic for Sharonne removing a bracelet being the most baffling to myself
I shall trust them that this reaction was warranted.
Drag Sethlas: The Human Voice
Ok, this look, I know! Because of course I’m familiar with The Tilda Swinton Cinematic Universe and I think Sethlas did this pretty brilliantly – I love the axe as a fascinator and the Supremme 98 gas can was a nice touch. I do wish the skirt had maybe wobbled a little less, it did take it from Tilda Swinton Intrigue to Jelly No.4 in the junior school production of Food Glorious Food. I would have also liked her to maybe change up the makeup a bit, I’m worried she only has one very specific face she can do and it was particularly jarring with this outfit.
But what I love most, and I spoke about this last week, was the fact OF COURSE there was petty online drama because a queen from New York unironically claimed that “everyone is stealing my looks these days” and posted pictures of her in a gown very similar to Angeria’s Finale gown and then one like the one Tilda wears in The Human Voice… Both gowns are references – Angeria’s is from Beyonce’s “Black is King” and Sethlas’s is the one from The Human Voice which is right off the Balenciaga runway anyway… But you know… get your 5 minutes of attention.
Estrella Xtravaganza: Kika
This was very good – I don’t usually love a fake nose and teeth gag on the runway, it always makes me feel a little ick but given that Rossy de Palma’s nose is kind of one of her most defining features and I didn’t get the impression that Estrella was making fun of it I didn’t mind so much? I could probably have done without the teeth though
back to Kitty Scott Claus’s Walk-in Dental Wardrobe they go.
Samantha Ballentines: Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
I think having a very clear and obvious reference really helped Samantha because this is the most put together she’s ever looked – ironic given the title of the film. I do wish the outfit had been a little fitted, but she of course had a whole other suit on underneath because she had to do her VERY clumsy reveal
going from Lucia to Pepa was a really good idea and I wish she had found a way to change quicker – or the editors had been *a little* kinder – and really, this could have been a little more fitting just to make it a touch more ~draggy~ and we know Samantha likes a fitted outfit, she’s worn enough bodysuits to prove it.
Venedita von Dash: Bad Education
of course when she came out in the hat and cloak you knew she was going to reveal to something – see also the sequined dress poking out at the bottom. But I really loved the sequined, nude body she revealed to
this is stellar – I wish her hair had been more of an exact replica, I just love the shape and style of the one Gael Bernal wears in the movie and the one Venedita wore just felt a little too polished and pristine.
Diamante Merybrown: The Skin I live In
Of course someone was going to do the face mask look from The Skin I Live In, it would have been a scandal had they not! The difficulty is translating it into big enough a look for the Drag Race runway – and while I think many a queen would have gone for the Britney Spears bedazzled bodysuit approach
I really did enjoy Diamante going full gore with it
as ever, her presentation just elevates what was kind of a not-great outfit – the mask was just a plastic sheet and I’m not sure she had *any* makeup on but it was nice of her to put some shoes on this time.
I don’t really know why she was in the bottom 3 – I found her to be one of the funniest in the maxi challenge, but it might have just been that her jokes were the easiest to follow along with, as someone who doesn’t speak Spanish – and the image of her lying flat on the floor in her omelette costume shouting “SOMEONE FLIP ME!” really tickled me
as far as I was concerned Marina should probably have been in the bottom 3 instead of her, but then we wouldn’t have had the argument between her and Juriji…
Sharonne: High Heels
This look was completely lost on me, but judging by the reaction she nailed the characterisation and just became Marisa Paredes – and the transformation was pretty damn good
so, good for her! I wish I had seen the movie so I could properly appreciate her ~performance~ but it seemed to tick all the boxes for the judges and the Sharonne Train to the Crown continues at a steady pace.
Jota Carajota: Kika
I appreciate that she tried to advance and elevate the look – the problem is the look already operates at a 11 on the Official Sontag Camp Scale and this just became too cumbersome and looked like the sort of thing you see put around a TV to jazz up the set of a magazine show on Nickelodeon in the late 90s. But I think her makeup was beautiful and I kind of loved the liquorice string hair?
Sure, her real hair pokes out and it’s not the best execution in the world but I liked the texture and shape of it all.
Juriji der Klee: The Broken Embraces
Fuck me sideways she looks INCREDIBLE – I have to say though, while I think Juriji’s is the more polished and well executed dress (especially in terms of the chain details), I really liked Willow Pill’s addition of the leopard print
I do think it adds an extra dimension to it – but both are good.
Marina: The Skin I Live In
I really love this, but I do fully believe this was a Halloween costume she owned prior to the show and she was just lucky enough that someone, briefly, wears a tiger print costume in one Almodovar’s films – I do wish she had the tiger-esque cowboy boot though, they were kind of a serve
but what I did love is that Marina being dressed like a villain from Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever and Juriji dressed as the very vision of opulence made their little backstage tiff into high art
the casual way in which Juriji said this TO MARINA’S FACE is the most “vintage Untucked” that post-season 8 Drag Race has ever managed to be.
Onyx: Kika
I love that you could line up all three of the looks from Kika that featured on this runway and most people wouldn’t have a clue that they were from the same film. Of course this is well executed, I would expect nothing less from Onyx – even if the tap-light tits were a little goofy and I did love that the way she painted her face was giving me Angelina Jolie in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Lens cap.
An Almodovar’s Leading Ladies Look Ranking
- Juriji’s Chanel Courtcase
- The Statue of David’s Winter Coat
- Marisa Paredes Appeared on Stage
- Onyx’s Speed Camera Costume
- Diamante’s Merybrown’s ~performance~
- Estrella’s Kitty Scott Claus Rental Pieces
- Harley’s Sugar-free Jelly Gown
- Marina in Catwoman’s Pyjamas
- Samantha Ballentines’s Office Capsule Collection
- Jota’s Craft’n’Kika
- Diamante Merybrown’s Outfit
And if you’ve enjoyed this recap of Drag Race Espana’s Pedro Amoldovar inspired runway and would like to support the blog you can donate to my Ko-fi account HERE!