HAPPY PRIDE 2023

Tailor Maid

This year is flying in, I can’t believe its June already.

I want to start my wee column by saying, I wish you all a very Happy Pride month. I hope you are all able to express yourselves as you see fit and be able to celebrate what makes you unique without any push back from others.

I always get a bit of a writer’s block when I initially sit down to write this article thinking: “What can I write that will be interesting for people to read about?”

I always try and write about something different in each article providing an insight into my life and mind, but I am terrible at finding time to put my thoughts down on paper. I put off writing this article all the time until usually the last minute. I don’t do this intentionally; nothing gives me more satisfaction than to be fully organised and prepared for any situation in my life. But that rarely happens… I leave important things to the last minute all the time, then rush to get them completed. I hate the fact that I need to work under pressure to get things done, but this is where I find myself. Again.

So… what have I been up to the past few months and what’s on the upcoming cards, read on and find out.

#MUIB

On the 10th of April myself and the BPerfect crew celebrated the launch of our wee tv show Made Up In Belfast which debuted on BBC Three, BBC iPlayer and BBC One NI. The show really captures what it’s like to live and work modern Belfast, there’s a real eclectic mix of story lines, that are inspirational and at times emotional.

Amongst all the storylines I had the opportunity during filming to share a very personal story concerning a health condition that I have been living with since 2013 and to say the feedback and response has been overwhelming would be an understatement. The hundreds of messages of support I have received over the past 2 months have been uplifting and really humbling. I will be talking about living with HIV in my next article, so stay tuned for that. U=U.

I am so proud of the entire show, the cast, and the crew are It was a lot of fun filming it for 10 months last year. I feel that MUIB really captures what it’s like to live and work modern Belfast. There’s a real eclectic mix of story lines, that are inspirational and at times emotional. If you haven’t had a chance to catch it yet you can check it out on BBC iPlayer now. 

BPerfect Events

Drag world for Tailor has been a bit varied recently. I’ve been doing a lot of hosting for BPerfect at events which I’ve really enjoyed. I love combining my day job with my drag, it’s a really good pairing, and really helps us stand out from other brands.

I got the opportunity to host the BPerfect stand for 3 days at a huge cosmetics convention in Italy in March which was a lot of fun, albeit very tiring. I’ve also been to Manchester and London hosting events for BPerfect for Tik Tok, where I got to meet a lot of creators and rising talent and educate them on how fabulous BPerfect make up is.

Brunch Season

Its officially brunch season and I LOVE IT! With the warmer weather comes outside parties and celebrations of all types. All it takes is a bit of sun and the faint whiff of summer in the air, and all the gals and gays are up for copious amounts of day drinking, Wack on some Legendary tunes, throw in some drag queens and have a party.

Hosting Drag brunches are one of my favourite things to do in drag, I love interacting with an audience, preforming, and playing games, so it all fits very nicely. It’s during the day, so you finish the gig early enough to still enjoy and evening. With regards to the audience everyone is up for a good time as it usually the start of their night out, so you are getting a “fresh audience” ha ha.

I have been working a lot with UK Brunch Club and No Label events for Brunches this summer, and have quite a few coming up in the next 3 months, check out my socials if you are interested, they are always a great day out.

Dragfest Ireland

At the time of writing this article, its 6 days until a gaggle of drag queens descend on Dublin for Drag Fest Ireland, and I couldn’t be more excited. The roster for the event is fabulous with both local talent and international queens performing. I’m excited to see some of the drag race queens in person, Anetra, Jan Sport and Trinity K Bonet are all on the line up so it’s going to be a stellar Show.

As usual, I’ve gone all out and got new ‘custom everything’ for the show. I’m performing in the second half of the show, so I’ll have a chance to watch a lot of the queens before I perform which is great.

Hot of the press Dragfest Manchester

It has just been announced that I will be performing at Drag Fest Manchester on the 12th of August, which I’m really looking forward to. I can’t wait to be back preforming in Manchester. I love the city and the drag there so that will be a blast.

Sasha Colby

It has also just been announced that I will be Hosting for the Goddess herself Sasha Colby who is coming to the Belfast Empire with DFIU Events on the 15th November. I cannot wait to perform, host and share a stage with an absolute drag legend. I must have watched her winning talent show performance from Miss Continental a couple of hundred times, and it gets better with each watch. If you have not seen it, check it out on Youtube you won’t regret it.

Get your tickets for Drag fest Manchester from @Klubkids_uk on Instagram

Get your tickets for Sasha Colby @dfiuevents on Instagram

You can also find Tailor Maid on Instagram @totally.tailor Bookings on instagram or via email jamesmcguigan@me.com or call/message 07540533943