KC designer Whitney Manney debuts an entrance look on RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars
Monica Beverly Hillz. // Courtesy photo
KC fashionista Whitney Manney is an extremely talented clothing designer. She’s also notoriously adept at being at the right place at the right time. In fact, serendipity has served her well over the last decade or so while she’s steadily built her clothing empire.
So, it should come as no surprise that—yet again—timely fashion gods have smiled down upon her. Manney received an opportunity to dress Monica Beverly Hillz for her entrance look for the upcoming season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars. The popular show—which brings back legendary queens from previous seasons to duke it out—premieres on May 12 on Paramount+.
If you’re unfamiliar, Monica Beverly Hillz became a near-instant icon on the show’s fifth season when she announced she was a trans woman during an emotional turn on the main stage. Now, the trans trailblazer is back serving some 9021-OMG face and fashion.
To hear Manney tell the tale, the unveiling has been a year-long journey.
“Merrique Jenson, Monica’s manager, and director of the Midwest-based trans rights organization Transformations, reached out to me in late May 2022 to create some pieces for the organization’s board. As the conversation went on, she asked if I would be interested,” Manney says. “Of course, I said, ‘Yes!’”
Manney took suggestions from Hillz’s camp and started working at a feverish pitch to develop the ensemble.
“The team wanted her look to be Troop Beverly Hills,” says Manney. “But inspired by—and not too on the nose because many queens have done that look before. Since Monica stood in her truth as a trans woman on the mainstage, we wanted to use trans pride colors in the design.”
Manney says she had only a few weeks to design the dress before Hillz came in for a fitting.
“Whew—this project was a whirlwind,” says the designer. “Monica and her team really gave me a ton of trust, which feels great as an artist because I could interpret what was needed—the WM way.”
It helped that Manney was both a long-time fan of the show—and had a particular affinity for Hillz herself.
“I’ve always thought Monica was talented, and I hoped to see her back,” she says. “Being a part of this look is so important because Monica hasn’t been on many people’s TV screens since season 5. We needed to reintroduce her in a big way!”
When Hillz stomps into the workroom on the All-Stars season 8 opener, Manney says to pay special attention to the outfit’s details.
The Monica Beverly Hillz “look.” // Courtesy photo
“The cape is the main focus of the look; I really need to make myself one,” she says with a smile. “In true Whit fashion, hand-dyed and painted fabrics are used for the lining and to create the sash. It’s a really cute set—and we wanted to lean into that camp counselor look hard.”
But wait—there’s more. “There are so many special details like the custom cookie box purse, rhinestone patches, beaded beret, and more,” she says. “I got to design, sew, paint, dye, hand bead, do graphic design, etc.”
Given that this is Manney’s first foray into the Drag Race universe, she couldn’t be more excited (and a bit anxious). She thanks her stellar team, notably Cydni Stanford and Maret Cissner, for helping pull everything together at the last possible second.
“I’m nervous, but good nerves! I have so much respect for the art of drag; it’s truly overwhelming,” she says. “I never could have imagined this, but I’m focusing on enjoying and celebrating it because this is a big deal.”
When asked if she was ready for drag queens to start pounding down her doors with their sequined gloves, she beamed.
“I pray so! I would love to work with Mo Heart. We got that KC connection, so I know it can happen,” she says. “Also, Ra’Jah O’Hara, Roxxxy Andrews, and Alyssa Edwards would be on my dream list. Honestly, any queen who calls me—I’m answering.”
