Sipping Kraken rum and coke, I chatted with the drag queen next to me. We were in the bowels of the Trophy Room, a bar in Back Bay, Boston, Massachusetts. This historic neighborhood is known for well-preserved Victorian brownstones, restaurants, and stylish boutiques.
The room was abuzz with other models and designers like me, who were prepping for the Halloween Project Runway-style competition, “Walk the Plank: Fashion Show Party.” I was up against nine talented designers. We were battling for the best pirate-inspired garb. Our instruction was to design a costume based on our interpretation of the theme “pirate.” Three-hundred dollars was on the line.
The competition was judged by fashion blogger, Elissa Garza, of StyleWire. Elissa pens articles on “Boston adventure, fashion, and lifestyle.”
Meanwhile, the party had already started upstairs with master and commander, Max Kaplan, creator of FOMO Prescription, at the helm. His curated weekly emails detail the best events around Boston and also include events managed by him.
As I scanned the myriad of colors from the costumes in the room, my eyes landed back on the drag queen, Severity Stone, who was the MC of the fashion show. I looked through her enormous false lashes as she explained that Monday is the best night for Boston drag show viewing.
Elissa came down to wish us good luck. As she sneaked a peek at our designs, her eye caught sight of the fake pet rat that sat on my shoulder.
Mid-show, it was my turn to model my costume. I emerged from behind the curtain and walked to Severity’s reading of my description of my character and costume:
Beware the pirate Alison, known as the Rat Queen, whose curious appellation derives from the feral companion who sits upon her shoulder. His name be Squeaky.
She uses the golden rope that hangs from her black leather belt to wrestle down her prey. Remnants of her last meal devoured on the shores of Africa proudly plume from her leather hat.
Her white ruffled blouse is cinched by a black baldric and fashionably accented by amber jewels that were commandeered during her recent privateering voyage to the Baltic Sea.
The Rat Queen is as dangerous on land as on sea. In need of a sword, she ransacked an ancient house in Sandwich on Cape Cod Bay and discovered a shoe rack from which she built her deadly sword. In the dusty attic she found a fringed red scarf which she courageously transformed into a skirt to gird her loins. A tattered and worn scarf illustrates the rugged glory of the fashionable pirate queen.
Beware, her reputation precedes her: if ye be caught stealing a coin from her hat, know that the Rat Queen shall let loose her boon companion, Squeaky, who shall wreak havoc upon thee.
As I strutted down the runway, event photographer, Chorale Miles, whose photographs you see here, flashed away.
In the end, it was the detail of my costume and the crowds’ cheers that allowed me to take home the prize.
Until next time…
Sign up for Max’s email here: http://www.fomoprescription.com/
Read Elissa’s post on Beat Hotel here: http://www.style-wire.com/
View Chorale’s event photography here: http://www.choralemiles.com/
Travels With Alison 