Andora Tetee’s creative spirit was informed by her grandmothers — and Bob Mackie!
Michael Collins’ drag career has been built around family — from his supportive grandmothers who taught him to sew to the relationships that have helped his persona, Andora Tetee (@andora_official), thrive.
“Andora’s creative,” Collins told In The Know of his persona. “She makes every single thing that she wears. She cares about every little detail. She cares about every hair, the hair color, the makeup, every little thing.”
The first time Michael dressed in drag, it was simply to get into a club. A friend had the idea to dress him up in drag to get into a drag club, as Michael wasn’t yet 21. Instantly, he realized he loved it, discovering a new feminine side to himself that he had never before explored.
So he turned to his grandmother, who welcomed him with open arms and helped him learn to sew and embellish garments to create a drag wardrobe. “She was really the love and support that people need to flourish,” Michael says.
In creating a wardrobe for Andora Tetee, Michael looked to Bob Mackie, the prolific fashion designer behind classic entertainment icons like Cher, Bette Midler, Judy Garland and countless others. Mackie’s dresses make statements and grab attention — just like those that Andora wears now.
“Bob Mackie is one of my favorite designers, and just looking at all of his clothes and the detail in them, that’s what I wanted to wear,” Michael says.
As Michael frequently travels for performances, he has had to make Andora’s wardrobe adaptable. Pieces are designed to break down to fit into suitcases and then be reconstructed and rebuilt before each show.
Michael’s career has been led by family. “I had a drag mother who was my mentor,” Michael recalls, explaining that he used her as an example when learning everything from makeup to performance style. Now, Andora herself is a drag mother, with two drag daughters, Hibiscus and Anita, to lead and mentor.
He shares that Hibiscus and Anita started out as his backup dancers and that he “saw the light in them.” Michael says, “My drag daughters have tremendous stage presence, and they are much cooler than me… they’re just magnetic.”
“I really like it when a drag queen connects with the audience, so I make sure that I try to look everybody in the eye if they’re paying attention to me,” Michael says. “I think it really connects and evokes some type of emotion, and hopefully, that’s joy or happiness.”
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