RuPaul's Drag Race season 14 has come to a close, and it brought a red carpet full of dazzling drag queens with it. The 14-episode season felt like it dragged on for many fans, but it was capped off with a fun and fulfilling finale. Fans had speculated about the format of the episode prior to its premiere, since some COVID-19 restrictions are still in place.
However, the live audience returned for the first time since season 11. This made for an extra enthusiastic audience. Willow Pill (a fan favorite throughout the season) took home the Drag Race crown, winning $150,000 in the process.
The general theme of the red carpet was Vegas, Baby. Seeing as the finale was filmed in Las Vegas at the Flamingo, where RuPaul's Drag Race Live! has a residency, the whole ordeal was made to feel very thematic. There were a lot of feathers and big silhouettes, but not everyone stuck strictly to the location's theme. There were quite a few stand-outs. Since many of the queens were not able to give their looks a moment to shine, it might be an appropriate time to give them a little extra attention.
June Jambalaya's Godiva Goddess
June was the first official boot of RuPaul's Drag Race season 14, so it may be easy for some to overlook her. With this look, she said, "No Ma'am." It is so elegant, so elevated. She was going to make sure the fans remember her, and she definitely succeeded. This could have killed at the 2022 Met Gala. That is the level this dress is on.
The skirt is separated into two pieces, creating a bigger silhouette in the hips (and a more dramatic turn). It was tailored specifically to fit June and it really shows. She looked beautiful and confident walking down that runway. June shared on Instagram after the finale premiered that she had a panic attack backstage during the show. Thankfully, the other queens were there to help calm her down, and she came out strong.
Kornbread Jeté's Beastly Beauty
Though Kornbread's Beauty and the Beast-inspired garment garnered mixed reviews online, it does feel like a true embodiment of drag. There is a large weight put on beauty and being snatched, but looks like this are to remind fans and queens alike that you can still look beautiful and make a statement while having fun. It's camp! Kornbread said on Instagram that her look illustrated a standard for trans people to look "passing," but wanted to show that there is still "beauty in the beast."
This is one of the looks that broke the mold for the Vegas vibe, but it's safe to assume it was worth it. It is such a fun concept for a drag look, and having the giant rose helped Kornbread bring the camp to an otherwise princess-y dress. It's a nice dress, but that part of the outfit is clearly not intended to be the main focus.
Maddy Morphosis's Elvis Eleganza
Clearly, Maddy saw the Vegas location and took it as a challenge. This Elvis-inspired look had everything a Drag Race could want from an outfit: big wig, snatched body, and enough rhinestones to flag down a ship lost at sea. This costume embodies the Maddy Morphosis experience that fans didn't get enough of on season 14. Maddy is a camp queen at heart. Her storyline for the season focused more on her being the show's first straight drag queen, so it sometimes felt like the fans didn't get to see who she really was.
Monique Vee made the outfit. Her work has been seen a lot on this season of RuPaul's Drag Race. She made the looks that Daya Betty and Bosco wore on the same red carpet, as well as Jorgeous' controversial chaps runway look from earlier in the season, and Maddy's promo look.
Kerri Kolby's Reference on the Red Carpet
A running joke among Drag Race fans online was Kerri Colby collecting the queens coming out as trans on an Infinity Gauntlet, dubbing the queen, "Tranos," Kerri is a trans woman herself, and many of this season's contestants credited her with giving them the strength to come out as trans themselves. It seems like Kerri was in on the joke, too, as she was stunting on the runway in this Infinity Gauntlet-inspired look.
The Gauntlet had its own infinity stones, and a set of long faux acrylics. The look was reminiscent of female battle armor in a video game, covering the most essential parts but useless for combat. Luckily, Kerri probably won't be fighting anytime soon, unless she comes back for RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars, that is. The clock is ticking down on the new season of All Stars, which begins at the end of May. The new season will feature all winners, assuring that the first ever two-time winner will be crowned.
Source: Kornbread/Instagram