Dressing for Drag Ball: find out what it takes

There's much more than meets the eye when it comes to Drag Ball apparel

There are so many things to worry about as a participant of Drag Ball, (is my hem high enough? how much cleavage is too much?) and no one wants to be out-dressed by anyone else. What outfit you choose can decide how much fun you have, who you go home with and if you go down in history as the 1996 Queen or King, with a free limo ride afterwards. The bolder the better, the more outrageous the dress, the more looks and comments. But where do students start?

Fifth-year Double-degree student Mike Maccaferri was last year's Queen, and he and a friend spent two and a half weeks sewing his elaborate outfit. Because of the cost of the fabric, it ended up being an expensive ensemble, but it won, so it was worth it. Since it was so labor-intensive, Maccaferri suggests malls, boutiques, vintage clothing stores in Cleveland and out of town. Salvation Armies are great sources for clothing. While he was in Chicago over break, Maccaferri found stores that catered to the drag scene, but wouldn't please the hardcore queens who desire racier clothes.

Right To The Moon Alice came to the 'Sco Monday and Tuesday with vintage clothes and large sizes especially for Drag Ball attendees. The owners, Ron and Alice Lindholm, had been anticipating Drag Ball all year and planned accordingly. This is their fourth or fifth year coming to Oberlin, but only the second time they've come for Drag Ball. Last year they found men's shoulders and broad backs to be the major source of fitting problems, so they looked for sleeveless and off-the-shoulder fashions for this year, preferably made out of stretchy materials. Alice Lindholm noted that most dresses, especially the slinky tube-shaped ones, are better suited for men's shapes, with their narrow hips and thighs.

Most of the Lindholm's merchandise comes from Florida, especially the southern parts, where sizes tend to be bigger and people dress flashier. Older people sell the clothes they wore to dress up in when they were younger, during times when people dressed up more frequently. Other clothing articles are acquired at antique shows across the country, and occasionally from stores which have gone out of business.

Other clothes have to be imported from Europe, the Lindholms have found. American vintage clothes have become very popular throughout the world, and that makes purchasing in America very pricey for individuals and small companies, especially when retailers from other countries come to buy large quantities of clothes at sometimes double the prices Americans are willing to pay. So it's no piece of cake to dress for Drag Ball.

There is always the option of borrowing clothing from a female friend, but sizes can be a problem, especially with length. This doesn't stop some people, however. Nighties and lingerie from various stores can fit men perfectly. There are always the stores, especially in the Village and Georgetown that specialize in kinky clothing, such as rubber dresses and chain link pants. That can get very expensive though, and some people just don't have the courage to enter a store called "Dream Dresser" where signs warn "customers must be over 21 years of age" and there are whips and knives in the window display.

Shoes for men have been a big problem. The Lindholms have one customer in southern Florida who wears a size 14 shoe, and she sells all her shoes to men after she is sick of them. Vintage shoes are generally used or retail leftovers when they come to be resold, so there are rarely large sizes or even average sized shoes. Double-degree fifth-year student Mike Maccaferri was last year's Drag Queen, and he has found Payless Shoes sell big sizes at inexpensive prices. "Drag queens would be barefoot without Payless," he said.

Women also go to Drag Ball, and dressing up is no easier, since men's formal wear just isn't that exciting. Bustiers, girdles and petticoats are always popular items, but the men's formal wear is a drag. This year the Lindholms looked for Travolta-esque tuxedoes from the 1970s, but they were tough to find. Many women this year came in with the desire to look like a man trying to cross-dress as a women, so they picked out especially gaudy and outrageous clothes. Some women just follow the "less is more" route and buy lingerie and skimpy slips.

Drag Ball is one of the biggest social events of the year, and people should go all out to show off whatever they want, whether it be broad, sculpted shoulders framed by a turquoise sequined neckline, a lace bustier or that lime-green tuxedo someone's dad wore to his Senior Prom. Or those giant thigh-high vinyl boots.

Don't you have this in red?: Students browse through vintage clothing, one of many options when it comes to dressing in drag. (photos by Allison Hales)