Darling, you were divine

Divalicious and fabulously queer when drag performers step onto the stage they enter a transitional space where all notions of conventions slip away blending performances with parodic femmeness and mythological selfsculpting ldquoDrag allows me to tap into my happy feelingrdquo says Delhibased drag performer Lush Monsoon Drag encompasses more than just the contouring the gluing of eyelashes and the securing of wigs Itrsquos a celebration of progress and joy within the community for whom song and dance is deeply ingrained in cultural expression Together they foster camaraderie werking the collaborative spirit of a divine sisterhoodWe were privy recently to this communal spirit and the remarkable ingenuity that goes into creating their drag personas And we couldnrsquot help but think they could rival the whims guiding the Met GalalsquoMy attire featured 400 different stitchedon ghungroosrsquoGlorious Luna 31Modeldrag artistentrepreneur launched IT Ball Indiarsquos first drag ballroom night in Mumbai Identifies as nonbinary heshethey We live in a radical time with safe spaces available to lesbians and gay persons but not much for those who identify as nonbinary and express themselves in the language of fashion So a small group part of the House of Luna decided lsquoLetrsquos change thatrsquordquo This is how the IT Ball was launched in 2023 which Glorious Luna clarifies is not a competition ldquoItrsquos about throwing a bash where every single person who shows up is a starrdquo At the IT Ball 02 show in Mumbai last month she announced ldquoIt took 14 days 100plus hours and three people including Pramod Bhange and Krisha to make this custom look Itrsquos fully handstitched making it couturerdquo Indeed it was couture in its most avantgarde form right down to the shoes Her barelythere bustier and dhotiskirt was accessorised with old pumps revamped with mirrors and ghungroos ldquoIt gave off a Jeremy ScottMoschino vibe donrsquot you thinkrdquo Glorious Lunarsquos initial sketch of the outfitIn resonance with the overarching theme of Godx and Goddexxes Glorious Luna chose to play a flamboyant Natarajamdashthe divine cosmic dancer avatar of Lord Shiva famed as ardhanarishwar embodying both feminine and masculine energies in harmonious unionAfter several trips to Bhuleshwar market she found the perfect fabricmdashthe netmdashfor her dhotiskirt intricately pleated in the front which she paired with a conical tasseled bustier oozing red crystal denoting the cycle of life death and rebirth She describes the final design as a blend of influences including the Thai Apsara dancers Naomi Campbell in John Gallianorsquos autumnwinter 1997 Dior couture costume and French couturier Jean Paul Gaultierrsquos bullet brassiereldquoThe standout feature was the 400plus ghungroos in varied shapes the matha patti repurposed from a skirt belt alone had 150 ghungroos stitched onrdquo says the drag artist who despite lacking formal fashion training sketches and designs her outfits A peacock shrug extralong enamel nails a serpent choker and ruby droplet positioned on the forehead to denote the ldquothird eyerdquomdasheverything was repurposed from jewellery drawersThe hair and makeup moodboard drew from Indian temple sculpture featuring brows that arched impossibly high a touch of red eye shadow and bold scarlet lips all done by Glorious Luna herselflsquoIt was tough to find a masterji willing to make womenrsquos costumes for menrsquoLush monsoon 31Human rights lawyerdrag performer and member of MehfileDrag ensemble Identifies as nonbinary shehertheythemIn MehfileDrag we flipped the script on the history of tawaifs with a queer twist Therersquos a lot to love here a dazzling 30 minutes filled with a wonderfully intimate energy and it is happily queerer than the recent Sanjay Leela Bhansali opus Heeramandi Lush Monsoon identifies with Manisha Koiralarsquos character Mallikajaan The songanddance numbers blend genres styles and cultures from Pakeezah and Umrao Jaan to Devdas and the recent Netflix series Lush Monsoon standing with MehfileDrag cast including Hash Brownie Betta Naan Stop and Whacker Cracker at Kitty Su nightclub Pic CourtesyKitty SuLush and Hash Brownie reign as the elder queens of their gharanas while Betta Naan Stop and Whacker Cracker represent the spirited hopeful youth ldquoItrsquos about subtly peeling back the intricacies of our relationships and dynamics as we transport you to the heart of gharana culturerdquo Lush says in a phone interviewCostumes were critical but with limited funds and no access to designers Lush and her ldquodrag sisterrdquo Hash got creative scouring Katran Bazaar a wholesale cloth market in New Delhirsquos Mangolpuri for embellished georgette that would twirl elegantly as they danced ldquoFinding a tailor open to stitching outfits for men proved to be a challenge but we finally found a masterji in SeelampurrdquoldquoDrag is about jugaadrdquo she says While Heeramandi boasts 300 kgs of jewellery crafted reportedly from real rubies emeralds cultured diamonds and polki the MehfileDrag crew had to rely on rented costume jewellery Lushrsquos Anarkali ensemble bling included ran a tab of Rs 20000 ldquoWe did our own makeupmdashthe fun part we all love Isnrsquot it funny how it takes three hours for makeup but just five minutes to wipe it offrdquo Lush a bodypositive model has struggled with distorted body image since childhood which has impacted her experience in the drag scene where physical appearance takes centre stage ldquoIrsquove received comments on my drag persona being compared to an XXL Mallikajaan But as I learn to let go of shame remarks donrsquot hold power over merdquoRs 20000Cost of making Lushrsquos Anarkali ensemble lsquoDrag stretches the boundaries of fashionrsquoZeesh 30Drag artist and host of the 9th edition of Kittyversary Identifies as nonbinary heshetheyWhat becomes of a wedding lehengamdashonce brimming with hope now burdened by the painful memory of a couplersquos divorce ldquoIt is transformed into a celebrated piece of clothingrdquo says Zeeshan aka Zeesh who designs her own outfits ensuring they are repurposed from handmedowns or thrift store findsldquoDrag is my passion my art my sense of belonging This is something that I am good at whether I am painting my face repurposing my outfits performing or hosting events at Kitty Surdquo Zeeshan says Pic CourtesyWanda Amber HendrickThe right to marry is a significant experience denied to LGBTQiA individuals in India So when a friend donated her zardozi wedding lehenga to Zeeshan she saw an opportunity ldquoI wanted to bring a campy element to the basic bridal look With the help of my tailor Raju bhai from Vakola we shortened the floorlength lehenga into a flared skirt We repurposed the dupatta to make a sash bustier and bust cups I still have excess fabric remaining which I plan to use in future costumesrdquoZeeshanrsquos mother sourced the jewellery bangles cummerbund necklace and jhumkas by rummaging through her own trinket box and shopping at a wholesale market in Malad From the early days of drag Zeeshan has been fascinated with makeup often experimenting with face paint in the sanctuary of the bedroom ldquoIt is where I learned the ropes of DIYing and I still do my own makeuprdquolsquoI live my fantasy through my outfitsrsquoNin Kala 27Modelentrepreneurartist Identifies as nonbinary sheher participated in both editions of IT BallNin Kala was probably the only participant at the IT Ball 02 party to have two outfit changes ldquoI had actually planned threerdquo she admits rather sheepishly ldquobut settled on two totalling Rs 12K in expensesrdquoNin Kalarsquos two ensembles showcased the art of DIY fashion on a budget Pics CourtesyAk Mishra amp Mohit Varu Dirty MagazineFor the first outfit Nin looked at Goddess Saraswati envisioning an embellished bellbottom bodysuit tailored by Altaf bhai But it was the elaborately detailed accessories including the headgear and cummerbund all handstitched by Nin over 10 days that stole the spotlight She stumbled upon a readymade fabric swatch at the Chindi Market in Kurla typically used to embellish the yoke of kurtas ldquoFor me it made for a stunning headpiecerdquo The circular crochet zari hoops each priced at Rs 7 were sourced from Bhuleshwar ldquoThe rest of the jewellery borrowed from Luna Glorious Luna and Rutviq comprised a choker earrings neckpiece and beads were originally part of a bridal setrdquo And the bangles ldquoThey are not bangles but elements used in wedding stage deacutecorrdquo Nin explains stressing how each piece was crafted either as standalone or with elastic bands for effortless dressingGreen Tara revered as the fully enlightened female Buddha infused vitality into the second outfit handstitched by Nin from four recycled dupattas sourced from scrap dealers in Dharavi ldquoI used the dark green dupatta to cover my ballerina shoes and brassier for the appearance of a bustierrdquo says Nin who makes up for lack of an illustration training with imagination ldquoI embrace my fantasy through my outfits and performances seeing myself as someone extravagant and extraordinaryrdquo10days for Nin Kala to handstitch her accessorieslsquoThe conch corset 3D printed in Dadar weighed four kilosrsquoDeedeepls 31Illustratordrag artist performed the opening act at the IT Ball 02 Identifies as nonbinary hesheWalking in sixfeet platform stiletto boots with a crown of 120 peacock feathers and a corset of horns a tall lean figure towered over the crowd like an otherworldly monarch As the music gained tempo the figure began to sway the long sleeves of royal blue taffeta moving in a puppetlike dance her gestures alternating between robotic and languid With a lift of her head her face revealed fake eyelashes pencilthin brows and extreme contouring cascading down her cheeks all converging towards a buglike mouth painted in bold redldquoThe green bangles in my costume completed my look mirroring those worn by married Marathi women and adding femmeness into my actrdquo says Deedeepls Pic CourtesyMohit Varu Dirty MagazineThe opening act of IT Ball 02 led by drag artist Deedeepls gave us a sartorial portrayal of the feminine aspect of Lord VishnuCreating the look was a twoweek affair but Deedeepls had been sketching technical flats and planning every detail long before Each feather had to be individually inserted into twoinch waterfilter pipes to stand upright Before entrusting her Bandrabased tailor Sarfaraz with stitching the billowy mermaid silhouette she scoured the local markets for 30 metres of taffetaWhat really kept Deedeepls up at night was the making of the surrealist corset with conch sitting on the bosommdashan homage to her favourite couturier Schiaparelli ldquoThe corset weighed a whopping four kilos It took a solid 12 days just to get the boning and form right To add to the fun the beads kept unravelling until the day of the showrdquo laughs the artist sharing her experience of getting a polymerbased pair of conch 3D printed in Dadar and tracking down 1000 stone and glass beads for the body of the corset Deedeeplsrsquos mother Laxmi Sharma cheered proudly from the sidelines especially loving the peacock head gear ldquoHer support means the world to me her approval is everythingrdquo