Originally published in the San Antonio Current. It’s tough to find a review of Swedish filmmaker Sara Jordenö’s 2016 documentary Kiki that doesn’t reference Jennie Livingston’s iconic 1990 film Paris Is Burning. The New York Times went so far as to call Kiki “a spiritual descendant of Ms. Livingston’s film.” Co-written by Jordenö and Twiggy…
House Of Kenzo Is Throwing A Ball – And Wants You To Dress Up Like a ‘Snack’
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. Long before contemporary white pop stars began using 1980s QPOC culture to further their careers, there existed houses and balls where fierce drag queens would vogue against the confines of a patriarchal society. In the documentary Paris is Burning, Jennie Livingston chronicles mid-to-late 1980s ball culture in New…
Deep in Vogue: House of Kenzo’s Multidisciplinary Movement
I meet House of Kenzo (HOK) on the University of the Incarnate Word Sky Bridge, a phobia-tweaking pedestrian catwalk over the zooming traffic on Highway 281. It’s a sunny afternoon, and House of Kenzo are mid-photo shoot. They are beautiful, self-assured, gender-flouting, working their rainbow fashion gear into wind-whipped battle flags visible for a half-mile.…