New boots and panti

Taking fashion advise from a man would normally land you in a mini skirt and low-cut top, with stockings and a whip for accessories.

I’m guessing, however, that drag queen and Alternative Miss Ireland “hostess” Panti – or Rory, as I am now addressing him – might know a thing or two about dressing up of an evening because, I can assure you, he’s been there, done that and worn the full-length sequined dress.
Take high heels for example. While some of us squirm at the thought of anything more than a kitten heel, Panti “would never wear anything less than four inches”. Four inches? “Yes, but my feet are a few inches longer – I can take it.”
So shoes are clearly a priority. What about that other accessory that makes women the world over go weak at the knees: bags? “I’m not really a bag person because I’m usually performing somewhere.”
Or our best friends, diamonds? “I get a lot of it as gifts. People like to buy drag queens jewellery. But I prefer costume jewellery.”
When it comes to dresses, however, there’s no hesitation. While he made his own frocks back when he was an art student in the late ‘80s (“For my first show I made a dress from hundreds of surgical gloves sprayed gold. The look was crazier then; I’ve tamed down a lot over the years.”), he has designers to do the work for him now. Especially when it comes to hosting events such as Alternative Miss Ireland, “I have four costumes for the night, and they’re all very flamboyant, involving a lot of full skirts and layers, and loads of buttons and hooks.”
When his clothes are not tailor-made however, Panti is certainly not averse to hitting the shops.
“I wear Karen Millen a lot because I really like the cut and the style suits me, but I also like to rummage in places. I use eBay and I look in second hand stores and search through the racks at the Brown Thomas sale.” And what is it he’s looking for? “The ‘40s is my favourite style. I like pinched waists and the curvaceous look. Of course it suits a drag queen to make the most of our little waists.”
So, back to that bit of wisdom he can impart to girlies: how can we make the most of our wardrobes?
“I’m always disappointed that women don’t really do ‘looks’ very much; they just have one look that they’re always working. I think the whole fun of ladies’ clothes and make-up and hair and everything is that you can go, ‘OK, tonight I want to look like an ‘80s pop star,’ and ‘Tonight I’d like to look like a rich woman on a yacht’. I’m always dressing with a person in mind whereas most girls just go, ‘Oh, that’s a nice blouse’. Just experiment and have fun with it, especially at the weekend.”
Right, it’s Friday night. Now, where did I put my feather boa?
The 13th annual Alternative Miss Ireland, hosted by Panti, takes place in the Olympia Theatre, Dublin, on Sunday March 11. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster or from the Olympia box office. All proceeds to HIV/AIDS charities.