Violet Chachki’s New YouTube Series Is a Goldmine for ’90s Fashion Nerds
Of all people, Violet Chachki isn’t someone you’d peg as an Internet creature. Much like her frequent collaborator Dita von Teese, the burlesque dancer and drag queen has an aesthetic harkening back to a bygone era of glamorous Hollywood sirens. Somehow her exquisite waist-cinching sequined bodysuits and wiggle skirts seem at odds with the current generation of social media-savvy content creators.
So you’ll be surprised to hear that Chachki has recently become something of a YouTube sensation. True to her uncompromisingly old-school mentality though, the newly launched channel weaves in a historical thread. In addition to makeup tutorials, she’s hosting a series called “Runway Rewind,” one that parses iconic runway shows from the ’90s and early 2000s with the help of a special guest that for the past three weeks has been Katya, a fellow contestant on season 7 of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
The pair’s cheeky fashion commentary is not to be missed and encompasses everything from under-boob and the out-of-this-world runway props of Todd Oldham’s 1995 Spring collection while also providing some truly entertaining critique: Was the designer thinking about aliens when he created those “spunky” (to borrow a phrase from Chachki puts it) crop top and skirt sets in 1995?
Whether you’re a fashion history nerd or not, the videos are a great opportunity to gawp at Chachki’s wardrobe of show-stopping looks. Her latest throwback runway review is a fantastic example and dropped just yesterday. In it John Galliano’s widely acclaimed Spring 2004 Couture show for Dior is the subject du jour, a wildly extravagant collection inspired by Ancient Egypt and featuring everything from Nefertiti-like headgear to gilded hieroglyphs. Still, Chachki manages to command the spotlight in a colorfully striped (with its fair share of purple fishnet) straight-from-the-runway Discount Universe creation that is arguably a fashion spectacle all of its own. Which just goes to show: an appreciation of fashions past needn’t hinder an obsession with style in the here and now. Chachki for sure makes it super compelling to watch.
