Radiant drag extravaganza is the most accurate way of describing the positive, uplifting performance Opening Ceremony staged for its spring collection at the West Village cabaret venue Le Poisson Rouge. The performance was called “The Gift of Showz” and was cocreated by Sasha Velour, winner of “Rupaul’s Drag Race“ season nine, and New York’s drag community.
Carol Lim and Humberto Leon haven’t offered a traditional runway for quite some time, opting instead to use performance art as a means to champion other creative fields and the people within. This particular performance held weighted significance for Leon. “Drag was the epitome of freedom and fantasy — everything a closeted teen could dream of,” he wrote in show notes. “What drew me to drag shows as a teenager is the same thing that propelled Carol and I to start Opening Ceremony: a celebration of individuality, freedom of expression, and the idea that realizing your dreams is only a fabulous outfit away.”
Experiential performances like these are often less about the clothing than the underlying social themes — in this case love, diversity, inclusivity and strength. That was immediately clear with Velour’s impassioned introduction: “What’s the point of having freedom of expression if you’re
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