Fabulosity 101
DIY femme drag for nights on the town.

By Alissa Chadburn

YOU MIGHT NOT think it to look at me, but I'm really in drag. No, I don't strut the stage singing show tunes – I'm not that kind of performer. I'm a high femme and a lifetime student of glamour. Of course I didn't pop out of the womb with perfectly applied eyeliner, a keen fashion sense, and the ability to walk gracefully in high heels. I've developed those skills with practice and effort. I've learned that being femme is a performance requiring creativity, ingenuity, and just plain hard work.

No one works harder on style than a femme in drag. Doing drag makes you an expert on excess, frivolity, and the kind of in-your-face genderfuck everyone wants to see on the dance floor. Not only do dragsters know how to be stand-out-in-a-crowd fabulous, but they also get the most mileage out of their wardrobes and their wallets. I've asked some local femme drag aficionados to share their tips on how get high style without going broke. You may not want to be a drag star, but with a little do-it-yourself know-how, you can become as glamorous as one.

Drag-out makeup

Lifestyle femme Annalise Ophelian, a multimedia makeup artist for drag queens and musicians, says there is no formula for fabulousness. "When you read the beauty dos and don'ts column, give yourself a good pat on the back if you're blatantly violating at least a few fashion rules."

But there are some guidelines you might want to follow when you're heading out for the evening, especially if you're a glamour novice. "Avoid painting your whole face, and opt for emphasizing a single feature," she says. "Mad eye makeup, full-on blush, and bright lipstick should only be attempted by fierce queens – on straight girls, you're going to look like you walked off the set of Dynasty." But don't hold back if you're going for glam. "Just don't forget to include a big old tube of irony in your makeup kit."

Drag queen Manley Lennox's motto is "More is better." Bar lighting is low and flattering, so you can get away with extremes, he says. Ophelian agrees it's important to keep in mind that in low club light "makeup that looks bold in your bathroom mirror [can] fade away completely." Better to go over the top than look washed out.

Ophelian and Lennox both say there is absolutely no reason to shell out your hard-earned dough on expensive products when you can spend less on drugstore lines and get the same results. Ophelian, who claims she has tried every beauty product ever made, notes that although fancy cosmetics have nicer fragrances and textures, "your pocketbook doesn't care how your lipstick smells."

Ophelian also recommends saving money on makeup brushes by heading to an art supply store like Pearl Art and Craft Supplies (Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sun., noon-6 p.m., 969 Market, S.F. 415-357-1400). "Sable paint brushes are often made of better material than the fancy cosmetic-counter option, but for anywhere between $3 and $10 a brush."

The only product worth spending any money on is foundation. Ophelian opines, "It's important to match your skin tone, which is easier to do at a cosmetics counter where you can actually try it on." If you're makeup shy, have a Sephora (Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sun. 11 a.m.-7 p.m., 1 Stockton, S.F. 415-392-1545) staffer show you some techniques. "Let them know that you're new to makeup and you aren't in a position to make a big purchase today but that you'd really appreciate knowing what colors and products work for you," she says. Once you have the makeup basics down, Ophelian says, don't be afraid to experiment, because "being glamorous is about being unorthodox."

Lennox says the most important thing about your look is exactly that – it's your own. "I've always had the smoky eye. It's in now, but it's always been my look," he says. "Figure out what works for you and go with it."

Feathers, flowers, and fringe – oh my!

"Fashion over function," "The more the merrier," and "If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing." These are Irena Solomon's mottoes to live and dress by. A self-described drag queen trapped in a woman's body, Solomon takes a trip to the fabric store as a pre-night out ritual. "The fabric store is your best friend. It will inspire you, even if you can't sew," she says. At her faves, Britex Fabrics (Mon.-Wed. and Sat., 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Thurs.-Fri., 9 a.m.-7 p.m., 146 Geary, S.F. 415-392-2910) and the Fabric Outlet (Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m., 2109 Mission, S.F. 415-552-4525), marabou, feathers, sequins, fringe, fake flowers, ribbon, and other supercheap accoutrements in an array of colors can be purchased for next to nothing and can be used for many purposes. A marabou puff can make a fabu hair decoration. An elastic band of sequins can make a flashy belt or garter. Solomon loves ribbon because it comes in "so many different sizes and textures. You can wear it as a choker, a bracelet, in your hair – a little ribbon spruces up any outfit."

Because Solomon doesn't have time to shop for new outfits, the fabric store is her one-stop fashion destination. "I'll take a basic outfit with one or two colors and get all different kinds of textured accessories in one of those two colors to match," she says. Voilà! Instant glamour.

Solomon is also a fan of accessorizing with fetish wear, which is generally plain black. But instead of buying expensive collars, she cuts down belts to size. She says little-girls' belts are particularly good because they come in bright, sparkly colors. You can pick them up for under $5 at any Ross (various locations throughout the Bay Area).

Costume shops are also great accessory sources and, as Ophelian points out, often charge half of what the fetish boutiques do. Costumes on Haight (Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sun., noon-6 p.m., 735 Haight, S.F. 415-621-1356) has a good selection of crinolines, hosiery, and gloves.

Fishnets are a staple of drag and fetish, and they never fail to instantly make an outfit sexy. Ophelian says if you're planning on wearing fishnets clubbing, you should consider investing in the industrial-strength dance version. They can run up to $20 at San Francisco Dancewear (Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sun., noon-4 p.m., 659 Mission, S.F. 415-882-7087), but "they're strong enough to withstand a nuclear winter." Lennox likes dance tights – Diva and Capezio brands are under $10 at Piedmont Boutique (Daily, 11 a.m.- 7 p.m., 1452 Haight, S.F. 415-864-8075) and Foxy Lady Boutique (Mon.-Thurs., 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m.-6 p.m., 2544 Mission, S.F. 415-285-4980) – because the Lycra holds his padding in tight. Even for those who don't wear pads, dance tights and fishnets smooth out your lines – and that makes everyone's legs look good.

For femmes of all genders, wigs are quintessential drag accessories. Lennox, who says he'll skimp anywhere else but never on hair, recommends investing in a high-quality wig with a realistic-looking scalp. A headdress from Helen's Wigs (Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-6 p.m., 773 Divisadero, S.F. 415-921-4647) will cost you a pretty penny, so if you're not sure what you want, go for a cheaper version from the "one-night stand of wig shops," Wig America (www.wigamerica.com). For people who want to turn their shortish locks into luscious, full heads of hair, clip- or tie-on hair pieces can be found at any beauty supply store for under five bucks.

Clothing makes the queen

So, now you've got all the accessories you could ever need, but what about the clothes to wear with them? Ophelian has it right when she says that "thrifting in San Francisco is a double-edged sword." We're a hip city, so clothes aren't hard to find, but vintage shops are often overpriced and picked over. With diligence, you can find cheap, unique items at Thrift Town (Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m.-6 p.m., 2101 Mission, S.F. 415-861-1132), Clothes Contact (Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sun., noon-7 p.m., 473 Valencia, S.F. 415-621-3212) and Mission Thrift (Sun.-Wed., 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Thurs.-Sat., 11 a.m.-7 p.m., 2330 Mission, S.F. 415-821-9560), to name a few. But be prepared to do alterations yourself. Ophelian uses Stitch Witchery (found at any fabric store), a tape that seams fabric with iron heat to make quick alterations. "You can put together cute wristbands and belts, fuse patches or accessories onto your clothes, or shorten a skirt of pair of pants," she says.

Lennox and Ophelian agree that having even a little sewing skill can really stretch the potential of your wardrobe. "I think mimicry is everything when it comes to DIY tailoring," Ophelian says. "Being able to hand or machine sew can help you alter inexpensive mass-produced or thrift pieces into one-of-a-kind statements."

Both stress that no matter what you wear, comfort is the key. If your outfit, hair, or makeup is high maintenance, you'll end up spending your night fussing – and that's no fun no matter how good you look.

Attitude is everything

Dressing up can and should be fun – and femininity, like fashion, is a performance. Ophelian says, "Glamour is a show we put on for ourselves." Whether on a drag queen or a femme, that show isn't natural – but who really cares anyway? Lennox says his goal with drag is to defy nature. "It's so perfect it could never be nature."

Whether you strive for perfection or ragged excess, bringing out your inner drag queen might be easier than you think. Ophelian reminds us that being fabulous is about much more than what you wear. "Confidence and individual expression are the most attractive accessories you can possess." And those are things you can't buy, even at the fabric store.

Manley Lennox performs at "'TilFriday," 10:30 p.m., second and fourth Fridays, 10:30 p.m. and midnight, Club Rendez-Vous, 1312 Polk, S.F. Free. (415) 673-7934. Alissa Chadburn is the Bay Guardian's archivist by day and a drag queen by night. She lives in San Francisco.