Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
Nobody knows RuPaul like Zaldy.
Im thinking about the season as I would like it to look, he says.
Maybe Rus into feathers, or maybe we should use crystals.
Its about balancing all of our tricks into one season in a way that still makes it feel fresh.
And yes, there are tricks.
ZALDY has created every dress since season one.https://t.co/ZfSlvSUAt5
.Ru-Rule No.
1: It all starts with the shadowed silhouette before the runway walk.
Zaldy:Everything happens so fast when Ru enters the runway.
The lights turn on, and then its that one-second silhouette before you see the full outfit.
We pretty much know whats going to work and what is not going to work.
If the dress is cantilevered, I dont want it to bounce.
Its all that kind of stuff.
.Ru-Rule No.
2: Focus, a.k.a.
My eyes are up here.
So were not going to put two straps that are just nice and the rest is beautiful and beaded.
Its always about whats going up on the shoulders or whats happening on that strap.
We like anything thats three-dimensional embroidery so it feels like its leaping off the screen.
It bounces some light back onto the skin.
The corset is part of that nude body.
.Ru-Rule No.
3: Go big, huge, or teeny tiny.
Zaldy:You really cant understand Rus proportions until youre looking at one of these dresses hanging.
I had to custom-make some rolling racks that are eight feet tall just to accommodate the dresses.
Ru is like a fashion figure.
Everything looks elongated, but then when you actually see her scale, its so overwhelming.
Or is it a tiny look and its about the body?
What are we going to give?
If we do a leopard print, its never going to be like a normal-size leopard print.
.Ru-Rule No.
4: Always the tiniest waist possible.
Zaldy:The closer to zero we can get, the better.
Visually, we want it as small as possible.
Rus extraordinary tiny waist is one of her great features along with her extraordinarily long legs.
We always take a stab at enhance Rus tiny little waist no matter the look.
That was just where Ru was at.
I never put a slit into anything.
It was a big joyous occasion when we could actually start showcasing those amazing legs again.
.Ru-Rule No.
5: Balance make expensive fabrics look cheap and cheap ones expensive.
Zaldy:Sometimes it just works that way.
It relaxes the idea and makes it not seem so elegant.
This is drag, after all.
We are trying to create an original look and original style.
I like to play with things so theyre not as straightforward as they may appear.
.Ru-Rule No.
6: Stretch, stretch, stretch.
Zaldy:Stretch is very important.
Thats how Ru can pull something out from the 90s and have it still fit today.
Plus Ru is sitting many hours in a shooting schedule.
In terms of ease, Ru likes to get in and out of an outfit fast.
Its two seconds before going on, Zip me up, you know what I mean?
That kind of ease.
There are no real tricks.
Its a state of mind.
And the world of stretch fabrics is wide, correct?
Its not just all spandex all the time.Yeah, it can be any price point that you might imagine.
$1,000 a yard, whatever it is, it could have stretch in it.
Its just something that we like to use in this industry.
Stretch helps even with all the gussets that we put in there.
Every little bit of ease you put in is important.
.Ru-Rule No.
7: Dont make a run at reinvent the wheel.
Thats been a Ru-ism forever, and its really true.
Her response was, When it works, it always works.
Ive kept that with me for 30 years now.
