Check-Up #36

 I've meant to write this one for a while but I keep getting sidetracked by other things. First of all a bit of fashion stuff, recently I've been buying some more stuff: a black maxi skirt with a pleat, a black dress covered in blue and white flowers and a gorgeous red dress, a darker red with a pleated skirt and a roman kind of style. I will probably never have the opportunity to wear it but it's nice to have in case. I do get pangs of doubt now about buying more stuff as I maybe I feel I have enough however I have trouble getting rid of clothes especially my guy stuff which I probably should given how things are going. A couple of other things I've noticed recently too is that more people are wearing coloured tights especially burgundy and extra buttons seem to be back to, the sort that don't really do anything. I've always liked this, especially on skirts, as a kind of rich, preppy girl style look.   

Last month I went to a convention which was a lot of fun and gave me the opportunity to dress up a bit, basically for the whole weekend. I cosplayed as Missy from Doctor Who and as Glinda from Wicked. I loved being Glinda so much! She's not a character I ever thought of doing before a friend took me to see the movie. In fact I did end up trying on the cosplay with a bleeding finger I never spotted before and had to get undressed while trying not to get blood on my clothes. As someone who doesn't dress that brightly it was odd to be dressed in purple and pink and basically be the brightest one there. While not the most forthright person I did my best to chivvy my friends along in a very Glinda style. I had some much needed assistance with my hair and make-up and was called 'Miss Glinda' for much of the day. It was one of the best times I've ever spent in cosplay. 

A friend of mine who is also non-binary said that while they are prepared to present male for work reasons I obviously hate it which is apparently a difference. I think I agree with that. I think dressing male now is so ingrained that there are certain things I'll never stop doing but it's beginning to grate on me more and more.

Check-Up #35

Ok so I wanted to do a brief section on some television I've been watching recently so this may be a bit reality show heavy. 

RuPaul's Drag Race

This year's Drag Race is reaching its finale and this year I've been quite taken with transwoman Lexi Love. I'm not sure that she'll go ahead and win the actual title as there are a few strong contenders this year (although one has just been given the boot which was quite the surprise). I've loved her Werk Room outfits as well and she managed to beat Snatch Game! Notice I didn't say 'win' but she managed to lose in such a funny way that Ru saved her anyway which, after all these years, is surely a game changer. You can be bad but as long as you somehow manage to be funny with it then you'll scrape through. I didn't think her impression of Gilbert Gottfried was all that bad though but as ever it's just that she didn't do much with it. I'm not sure I could either, truth be told, never one much for improv. She has been very funny in other challenges though and had a lovely tender moment when her mum came on during the Drag Families challenge and used her pronouns correctly for the first time. Good luck Lexi!

Lexi Love in a promo shot for RuPaul's Drag Race season 17

The Apprentice

The Apprentice is also entering its finale week and I've already expressed my sadness that Aoibheann Walsh didn't continue (I mean even the coat she left in was fab) and since then there has been some notable fashion from contestants Mia, Anisa (who made it to the finale) and Amber-Rose. In fact I did see Anisa wearing one of Aoibheann's dresses a couple of time throughout? Did she leave it behind? Did they both have the same dress? I've thought about this more than I should have done. One challenge that she would have slayed though is the fashion challenge and in this one I was pleased to see Mia making a passionate argument for skirts and dresses for men as forward fashion. Unfortunately this didn't quite work out for her and, despite being a very strong candidate, she was fired. Despite the crop top, jacket and skirt she designed looking quite high fashion perhaps it was the fact it was made out of parachutes didn't work. The other team had very basic outfits but sailed through on their commercial viability and introduced the concept of a scrunch bum (nope, I didn't either) to a grateful public. It's hard to know if skirts would have been a winner anyway with most of the male populous understandably turning their noses up at the very concept anyway.  Then again whenever the idea of male skirts comes up they usually turn out to be a bit grey and utilitarian.  Perhaps if they had been designed differently, which brings me on to my last section...

Screenshot from The Apprentice Series 19 ep 10: Fashion
(left to right: candidates Mia, Anisa and Jordan alongside a 
model wearing their parachute skirt) 

Doctor Who

Yes, it's back! Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor is no stranger to fashion and indeed in his first full story (The Giggle aside) The Church on Ruby Road he was wearing a kilt which also represented Gatwa's Scottish roots. In the first episode of the new series (and in the promos) The Robot Revolution he wears a long blue pinstripe skirt which looks quite nice. It's this kind of garment that does look more like a male skirt (at least as a concept) should be, made of a hard wearing material, with pockets and worn with trousers but at least with a pattern. It will be interesting to see if the Doctor wears anything similar during the upcoming series. 

Ncuti Gatwa and Varada Sethu in
a publicity shot for Doctor Who

Also, I previously mentioned sitcom Smoggie Queens on here which I really enjoyed and am now pleased that it's been renewed for a second series.