Celeb stylist Brad Goreski has always been fascinated by the world of drag, so his latest venture, Iconic, was an easy fit. On the new World of Wonder series, Goreski takes viewers on a journey with some of Drag Race’s most stylish queens, looking back at their fashion evolution and exploring their biggest influences.
“Thinking of somebody like Aquaria, and how currently informed her looks were by fashion — the little mask that she wore during the finale was inspired by the most current New York Dior collection,” says Goreski. “The references that Aquaria has and all the queens draw from is what I wanted to get into on the show. The looks are sometimes so over-the-top, but also sometimes so sexy and beautiful and statement-making. I wanted to dive a little bit deeper and find out what each individual drag queen is inspired by and find out what it is that each individual drag queen is inspired by and being influenced by in their look.”
Iconic, which premiered Thursday, with Drag Race royalty Violet Chachki, will roll out new episodes each week on WOW Presents Plus. Drag Race stars Detox, Eureka and Mariah Balenciaga are also set to appear in the series.
To celebrate the launch of Iconic, we quizzed Goreski on everything from his childhood hero (Madonna) to his biggest pet peeve.
First album I bought: The one I remember is the maxi-single for the song “Angel” by Madonna. In third grade, we had a talent contest in my class and I took my Lite Brite and removed the screen and used it as a spotlight so I could perform “Like a Virgin” for my class. Lip-syncing for my life in third grade.
Childhood hero: Madonna was definitely the be-all, end-all for me. I tell my mom that I’m still scarred that they wouldn’t let me go to the Blond Ambition tour.
Biggest pet peeve: It’s probably people making chewing sounds. That loud, sloppy, wet chew — mouth open, that kind of thing. I can’t deal.
Hidden talent: I can roll my tongue and hoot like an owl. It comes in handy when say, “Hey, wanna hear me hoot like an owl?” [Laughs]
First celebrity crush: Tony Danza in Who’s the Boss.
Favorite feature about myself: My ability to make people laugh.
Desert island album: It would be Madonna’s Immaculate Collection or Ariana Grande’s My Everything. I return to [My Everything] time and time again. It was the album when Ariana started transitioning into a megastar. She’s a wonderful talent.
Cats or dogs?: Dogs! I have three currently and I believe I will end up retiring and opening some sort of dog rescue sanctuary.
Dream date: I’m married, so I like being on the beach with Gary. We’re good sun-babies. Gary and I are our true selves when we’re near the ocean.
Song I have on repeat: “Breathin” by Ariana Grande and “Good Form” by Nicki Minaj.
Favorite movie: Truth or Dare. I watch it over and over again. I’m thinking about organizing charities screenings around the U.S. where people can come and see it. I think everyone needs to know what it was like to be the star of the fucking world before phones and that we were never granted this much access into a megastar’s life. There’d be no popcorn allowed though, for fear that somebody would ruin it from their wet chewing. [Laughs]