RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 15, Episode 15 - "Reunited" fashion power rankings (2024)

Welcome to my power rankings of the fashion from the fifteenth episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 15 – “Reunited.” It’s a Season 15 reunion to bring the queens back together to reawaken their conflicts, hammer home the plot point you need to remember for the finale, and give early out queens one last crack at proving they are worth bringing back for All Stars.

I’ll be honest: reunion episodes hold little allure for me as a viewer. I’m intoDrag Race for the artistry rather than the reality show trappings, and Reunion specials are all about reliving the drama.

If there’s one point with the Venn Diagram of my interests and the Reunions goals overlap, it’s the fashion! The reunion is one of two last chances for each queen to sell their visual brand to an audience who might quickly forget them once the season ends. While queens are stuck doing eleganza drag for the actual finale, the reunion allows them a free play to wear anything they want.

For some queens, that means getting redemption for their fashion fails from the season. For others, it means hewing close to their established brand. And, sometimes it means wearing something completely outlandish just for the sheer chaos of it!

This year’s reunion looks were all relatively tame compared to what we’ve seen in past years – everything from massive cartoon coats to burnt up horror prosthetics. There’s not a single boundary-pushing look in this bunch, and really only a pair that feel slightly subversive.

Did these queens get a note from producers to keep things simple and classy for the viewing audience on MTV given the climate around drag in America at the moment, or did they each come to that conclusion on their own?

Even in a crowd of unsurprising looks, a few queens managed to distinguish themselves – and several got their much-desired moment of fashion redemption.

I can’t say the same for the actual content of the reunion. Aside from running commentary from Irene Dubois and a pair of touching moments with Loosey LaDuca, the rest of the cast felt invisible up until the final chat with the finalists. RuPaul seemed intent to turn almost the entirety of the proceedings over to Mistress Isabelle Brooks to let her stir up drama.

It wasn’t a good look for either of them. It made Ru seem even more aloof and uninterested in his cast than usual.

Worse, to me it felt like it confirmed that Mistress Isabelle Brooks had been deliberate in pushing everyone’s buttons all season long. For a queen who talks a big talk about wanting to see other queens be their genuine selves, that behavior feels strangely out of sync with what she expects from others. It seems obvious that she wears her catty drag persona as armor to protect a lot of trauma and insecurities that lie beneath. Yet, if the case, why would she be so unkind to Loosey LaDuca for being the same?

I suppose it all works out in the end, since I’m sure Mistress Isabelle Brooks secured her future spot on All Stars with this showing if she doesn’t win next week. However, I feel like I’m less of a fan of her now after seeing this episode than I was during the season.

(By contrast, Luxx Noir London leaned hard into her persona of, “I’m just a girl who is obsessed with myself, is there anything wrong with that?” Even if she came off as an instigator at points in the season, here at the conclusion she comes off as cheerful, self-aware, and mostly-harmless.)

Read on for my countdown of the sixteen fashions of this episode and find out the surprising trio of queens who snagged the top spots! I’ll be back next week with a final retrospective on the season, looking at the queens final placements and performances compared to my initial pre-season predictions.

Readers, start your engines. And, may the best drag queen win!

Reminders: I consistently refer to Drag Race artists with their drag names and with she/her pronouns even when they are not in drag, which is the convention of the show. Some performers may have different personal pronouns. Drag is inherently brave, political, and artistic, and all drag is valid. It’s also hard to do. Every drag artist in the world deserves endless essays dedicated to their talents and life stories. I’m commenting on drag artistry in how it fits the established expectations of this specific television program, but the reason I’m commenting at all is because I celebrate all drag and the people who create it.

RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 15, Episode 15: “Reunited” fashion power rankings countdown

#16. Princess Poppy (15th Place, 1 lip sync, 11 avg rank; Pre-Season #15)

Princess Poppy paid tribute to the original casual beauty ofDrag Race, Rebecca Glassco*ck. It’s a cute joke, but wearing clothes that fit well would’ve worked better. Look at those jeans. How hard is it to find jeans that fit well?

#15. Anetra (Finalist, 3 Wins, 3 Lip Syncs, 2.92 avg rank; Pre-Season #2)

What even is this outfit?! It has a high collar, a spiked harness, random dangling straps, and is it… is itpuffer? Look at how thick the fabric is at Anetra’s shoulder. Pair that with black gloves and black boots when the dress has no black on it and more of Anetra’s always too-small hair and this looked mega-awkward. Also, the maroon lip didn’t work for me. I winced every time the camera cut to her.

I’m not sure there was a way to save this look. The only good part about it is that fun jeweled bang.

#14. Amethyst (13th Place, 3 lip syncs, 12.67 avg rank; Pre-Season #13)

(Instagram | Merch | TikTok)

I was really expecting a strong showing from Amethyst, who loves playing pop star! I was not expectingthis,whatever it is. We didn’t get a very good look at it, but I count us lucky in that regard. Is it a gray velvet dress over a black vinyl body suit? Who could possibly say. And what does it involve carrying a raccoon?

Maybe this is some kind of meme reference that is flying over my head. At least the make-up is snatched and her hair is huge, which gives her a leg up on Anetra. I’m just disappointed that Amythest went with something so dark and dowdy when her actual brand is so colorful and youthful.

#13. Jax (10th Place, 3 lip syncs, 8.67 avg rank; Pre-Season #4)

Jax’s patchwork mini-dress is cute, but it strikes me as more of a Meet’n’Greet outfit than a strong reminder of her banjee brand for the reunion.

That said, her hair and make-up were lovely. In fact, this might be the best hair of the night.

#12. Mistress Isabelle Brooks (Finalist, 1 Win, 1 Lip Sync, 3.23 avg rank; Pre-Season #6)

After a whole season of high quality looks, Mistress Isabelle Brooks returns for the reunion in her BOOT era… and I don’t mean footwear

I don’t like anything about this look other than the joke of her upgrading her black beret from her confessional look. I just don’t understand the catsuit at all. It has gorgeous coloring and stoning, but it has nude delusion see-through panels in places that don’t make a lick of sense – including over an entire breast!

Then, Mistress Isabelle added a massive belt with her initials, and also some dangling chains for some reason. To be fair, MIB has been wearing clothes with her name plastered on them from the start of the season’s press tour, so I can’t object too much to the belt on those grounds. However, it’s so big that it erases any illusion of a waist she gets from being cinched. Also, the chains still puzzle me.

She mostly gets credit for the bold blue color, and also for pairing it with such a bold red lip.

#11. Loosey LaDuca (5th Place, 2 Wins, 2 lip syncs, 5.18 avg rank; Pre-Season #8)

(Instagram | Merch | TikTok | Twitter | YouTube)

Loosey LaDuca struck a terrific silhouette with bold colors and terrifically huge hair!

However, getting into the details of this look confuses me. There’s so much nude illusion to it between the long slits in the top and the mostly-bare legs that I can’t really tell what the garment was supposed to be. I am never a fan of this sort of nude delusion where a real nude panel would never work. I think all of the nude on this outfit would’ve looked better as color – denim blue on the top, and white on the bottom.

That said, you just cannot knock Loosey’s shape or her indelible stamp of make-up. It’s almost as if she should have clearly won a makeover challenge because her mug is so recognizable…

#10. Irene Dubois (16th Place, 1 lip sync; was Pre-Season #14)

Irene Dubois may have been the winner of this reunion, with a high-impact look and plenty of charming, snappy comebacks that showed off the personality we missed out on this season when she went home first.

Yet, I am not fully sold on the fantasy of this alien look. Sure, it has some nifty HR Giger qualities to it which are striking when rendered in stark white. Yet, I’m not convinced it’s doing Irene any favors when it comes to shape. The tiny nipped waist and massive articulated straps seem to emphasize the squareness of her shoulders while completely obscuring any illusion of a bustline.

Also, the peek of pinched chest between the two elements looks awful – the top should’ve married right to the cincher. Same for the awkward, lumpy bottoms. I think this would’ve looked much cooler if it was all one piece, or maybe two, rather than three separates.

Irene had almost the same proportions (and problems) as the Episode 1+2 runway look that sent her home, so I guess it’s just her aesthetic.

#9. Aura Mayari (11th Place, 1 Win, 1 lip sync, 11.0 avg. rank; Pre-Season #9)

#8. Marcia Marcia Marcia (7th Place, 1 lip sync 6.56 avg rank; Pre-Season #10)

Has Marcia Marcia Marcia worn this look before? It’s a near neighbor to her signature drag look, but this plaid power-suit is definitely a style upgrade that feels a bit more high fashion.

(It’s unfortunate that the stage-lighting turned this look a bit green. In the full-body shot in the intro it looks more properly yellow, as it does on her Instagram.)

But, let’s be honest: Marcia’s appearance on the reunion was always going to be about telling a story about her makeup journey since the season ended. I love that she’s gone on a quest to apply the most possible black eye make-up between her brows, her crease, and her winged eyeliner. Yet, I think the bigger story here is the amount of blush and contour on Marcia’s cheeks.

Honestly, I’m happy she got to show of her growth to Ru, but I’m not certain all this makeup is all that flattering. Marcia’s face looks crowded. She’s drawn a softer version of this look on her Instagram recently, and Iloved it.

#7. Sasha Colby (Finalist, 4 Wins, 1.62 avg rank; Pre-Season #1)

Sasha Colby leveled up her Lalaparuza lip sync costume into a slinky dress that still shows offall of her assets.

I know we all wish Sasha wore something ridiculous to stunt on all the other queens, but Sasha is a pageant queen. She’s not going to get sucked into a game of oneupmanship for a reunion that isn’t worth any points (to put it into pageant lingo). She didn’t want to do anything to risk her standing as the frontrunner. That meant keeping things classy and humble.

With that goal in mind, it was a strategic move to offer a redux of a look from one of the high points of her season. It’s a silent reminder that we did see this queen lip sync, and shedid crush it. I wish the skirt was a little fuller to sell this more as evening wear, but Sasha does love herself a loincloth moment.

#6. Malaysia Babydoll Foxx (8th Place, 1 lip sync, 8.38 avg rank; Pre-Season #5)

(Instagram | Merch | Twitter | YouTube)

For some queens, the reunion is about showing something new. For Malaysia Babydoll Foxx, it was more like, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Malaysia has a very specific silhouette that always looks good on her body, and she repeats it here with very little variation from what we saw all season long.

What elevates the look for me is the lovely styling. The boa, the ample foxtails, and the absurd glitter-ears all make this dress out to be more of an event that it would be all by its lonesome. Also, bonus points for a nude illusion panel that actually makes sense!

(They also distract from the uneven stoning along the waistline, which caught my eye every time I reviewed the opening sequence of full body shots.)

#5. Spice (9th Place, 2 lip syncs, 9.0 avg rank; Pre-Season #11)

Spice looks lovely in a semi-translucent chartreuse gown that would almost-certainly make Michelle’s teeth itch. I’m sure it’s some sort of 00s pop culture reference that goes over my head, but even without the reference it looks good.

(I was a little surprised that Spice didn’t go for something red or black, which feels more on-brand for her than this acid green. Maybe that has to do with the reference.)

I’ll die on the hill that Spice was actually the best makeup artist of the entire season, and her ability to transform her typically edgier mug into this beautiful version while still looking like herself speaks to her talents.

#4. Luxx Noir London (Finalist, 2 Wins, 1 Lip Sync, 3.28 avg rank; Pre-Season #3)

In a reunion where most queens went back to basics, Luxx Noir London stood out to me for not repeating anything we’ve seen from her before.

This pink wrap dress could easily be off the rack, but the color is absolutely perfect against Luxx’s skin tone and it gives visual interest in the chest-up tight shot we see for most of the reunion. To me, it’s giving “pop girlie goes on a talk show.

If I’m being honest, from a style perspective I expected that more from Amethyst than the typically high-fashion Luxx. Yet, it means Luxx is playing to type by emphasizing her youthful energy here, which I think is a smart way to differentiate herself in Ru’s eyes from Sasha, Anetra, & Mistress heading into the finale.

Luxx’ make-up is lovely and I love her bow of black hair. Luxx executed perfectly all the elements that would matter most in a tight shot. This might not be an innovative look, but it’s definitely flattering.

#3. Robin Fierce (12th Place, 1 lip sync 9.25 avg. rank; Pre-Season #7)

I think Robin Fierce wore the perfect outfit to stand out at the reunion. Her edit was “quiet queen who plays it safe,” so it makes perfect sense to wear an outfit that is outrageously loud – both in the color and the cut.

What looks like a red pleather jacket over a bra-let in the tight shot turns out to be a deconstructed mini-dress with a bolero jacket in the wide. Somehow, the cutouts in the midsection continue below the waist. I’m still not quite sure how below-the-waist cutouts can even be a thing, but Robin made it work. And these aren’t nude delusion – she is showing someskin!

I don’t love her black-and-yellow striped hair. It’s notbad, but her head disappears against the darkness of the theatre and the ends of the yellow portion look a bit fried and synthetic. I think an updo like Jax’s would’ve rocked with this outfit, especially with the urine blonde hair braided through it.

#2. Sugar (14th Place, 1 lip sync, 11.0 avg rank; Pre-Season #16)

Sugar gets one of the biggest redemptions of the reunion, going from an invisible edit with no high points to delivering one of the best straight-up glam looks of the evening.

She is perfectly treading a line between awards show realness and pageant drag here. Her violet mermaid dress is gorgeous and perfectly proportioned for her body. I love her blonde hair with a dark root and a tiny top knot. And, her mug is flawless. Maybe too flawless? Without the exaggerated eye of Spice’s look, this is coming off more as female impersonation realness than drag.

Either way: it’s gorgeous. This might not be revolutionary, but I have no notes whatsoever.

**#1. Salina Estitt*es (6th Place, 4 lip syncs, 7.40 avg rank; Pre-Season #12)**

Salina Estitt*es might have got the least screen time at the finale, but she also got the last laugh – because after a season full of ill-advised choices in fashion and styling, she blew all these other queens out of the water with her reunion eleganza.

This dress is gorgeous. The sparkling white, the jewel-encrusted trim, the opera length gloves, and the surprising burst of red tulle at the bottom… I love it all! I also love the massive costume jewelry she paired with it. I think the severe black bob haircut was a perfect choice for it, even if it’s getting lost in the dark background of the theatre.

Seriously, can we get some side light? Possibly?

Most of all, I love that this is a fashion redemption for Salina after a season where she was challenged by styling. I’m glad she got to make a visual impact on the finale, since she was by far the queen with the least to say.

(Before any of you bitches try to come for Salina’s contouring, you try to be a drag queen being shot from a low angle for several hours. Notice how the contour looks fine on the wide shot of Salina’s title card, which is wider and closer to the level of her face? That’s because no one paints to be shot from beneath.)

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