This video is made from crowd-sourced clips of A Night In The Chapel, my final runway showcase held on April 8th, 2023 at Bard College.

This collection and its runway is composed in two parts. The first half of the show comments on the wearability of a woman’s experience. The second half is an exploration of my own beliefs in God, where they have come from and where they are going.

Introduced by my dramatized playing of the cello, the first act consists of the three models wearing earth tones, holding heavy sculptural purses, and walking to the self-mixed version of the song, “Mr. Saxobeat.” Seen through the constructed, tight fitting garments and the carrying of nonsensical purses, these looks symbolize a semi-universal struggle that women share relating to their presentation and the pain that is hidden within it.

The first model, Opener, wears the tightest corset from the show and holds the heaviest bag, Gaga Bag. The steel prism is made using the cursive letters of L-A-D-Y-G-and A. The second model wears a looser fitting dress and holds a purse titled, A Weapon. The third model’s garment is an exaggerated, avant-garde depiction of the utter ridiculousness that is boned corsetry and bustle skirts seen in her wearing of the sculpture from, Sisters. The bag she holds is discarded and replaced with the healing act of communal engagement through music.

Covered in a cascade of crocheted veils and trains, a steel crown composed of the cursive letters “G” and “A,” (For Gaga), and holding Jessica in the classical “Pieta” position, this look, entitled Maria, embodies the most literal and traditional figure of the Catholic religion and its culture. Meant to be dramatic and beautiful, like the classical story and meaning within the figure of Mary in Catholicism, this moment in the show is intentionally interrupted by the model wearing Precious. With Maria’s soundtrack muted, the silence of the chapel is soon replaced by the kinetic clatter of Precious’s ceramic flakes hitting one another as she moves. This moment in the show, where Precious physically rips Jessica out of the hands of Maria and carelessly interacts with the sculpture for the rest of her cacophonic strut, is meant to visualize the abolition and appropriation that I have applied to my Italian Catholic upbringing.

The next model to enter the runway is laced-up in a dress that echoes the angelic palette of this half of the show. She carries a metallically-glazed, dog-shaped ceramic vessel, Doggie with a similar exterior texture to A Weapon. This model, with my direction, walked casually like she was going to The Mall.

The next look after this one consists of a fully crocheted sweater, skirt and pair of shoes. Showcasing the signature symbol that I appropriate in my work, an image of a young Lady Gaga, this moment in the show represents the birth of my newly constructed connection to Catholicism. A cut out of a cross on the back of the sweater protects those who wear it, in this case the only transgender model, other than myself, in the collection.

The show’s closing garment consists of a corset dress created from faux latex, a crocheted canvas train, and a woven collection basket as its accessory. Used to collect both monetary and botanical gifts from the audience, this act alludes to the collecting of money at the end of every Catholic mass as well as the process of “tip-collecting” in drag culture. The soundtrack to this portion, being “I’m Every Woman,” evokes the pure love that I have for womanhood and for creation. This love is seen on my face in the form of a fulfilled and excited smile.

The runway showcase is the first of its kind at Bard College.