Day Drag

Enough of the drama.

Living in a crazy and tropical place like South Beach assures that the eyes never get a rest. Drag--and I mean not just the cross-dressing aspect, but simply outlandish dress, part camp, part costume--becomes an essential part of the day. Since the sun is worshipped as a god, it is only proper that one displays themselves on it's alter. And, in this case, I leave out the freaks; they live in a separate category and are not allowed near The Alter.

As I pointed out some time back, day drag takes even more thought and care inasmuch as The Sun can be unforgiving. You might have the style and brilliance of Elaine Lancaster and be able to carry off a luncheon in your best Chanel, but you can rely on other types of flair.


Color, in the tropical sunlight, is the obvious first choice, and if you can mix it with a personal touch, so much the better. I love the color here along with an island touch of the head band and--to me--an evening wear design to the dress which she wisely does not clutter with neckwear. I love it; she's shopping in a crowd in her own day drag (and feeling good about it).


Neck wear, with this girl, was a must. I can't quite decide on whether this was a fortune teller or shop girl, but it was ten in the morning on a Sunday and she had to be headed somewhere. There was the feeling in her eyes that she was late for something. Here it could be any one of a number of crazy jobs, but I sensed an Eastern European background that, in the "old days", would have had her followed by the FBI. Instead, I guess she was heading to her manicure job.

I KNOW where this expert in day drag was going when I passed her on Ocean Drive: to work at her job reporting local events for WSVN, Channel 7. Daisy D has a nightly spot of that station's program, Deco Drive, and she was just following a story. In her case, "It's my job."

In my case, it's "only in Miami".