Photography by Ryan Pfluger in Brooklyn on September 17, 2015. Styling by Michael Cook. Prop Stylist: Greg Garry.
At this point, RuPaul's Drag Race has anointed victors of all stripes, from a vaudevillian narcoleptic (Jinkx Monsoon) to a workhorse comedy queen (Bianca Del Rio). Violet Chachki, season 7's winner, doesn't fall into any one category. She's an aerialist. She's a Bettie Page doppelganger with a taste for S&M. She's also a frequenter of thrift shops. "I've always felt very at ease and inspired looking at and touching unique items -- tchotchkes, if you will," she says. "It's part of my creative process." Though grateful for achieving the "personal goal" of taking the crown, Chachki, like her fellow season 7 alum Miss Fame (see page 132), is all about exploring drag beyond Drag Race, the very mentality that sparked her reaction to the Supreme Court ruling in favor of marriage equality. "I remember thinking, finally!" Chachki says. "Now, what's next?"
