Summer 2020 has been full of binge-able tv shows—Tiger King, Normal People, and The Great among them—but few have the fashion highs of Legendary, the HBO Max reality competition centered on the ballroom scene. Each week the series’s eight respective houses—Balmain, Lanvin, Escada, Gucci, Ninja, Ebony, St. Laurent, and West—up the ante on vogue performance with a Paris is Burning-meets-Cirque du Soleil level of dance and spectacle. The buzzy judging panel which includes rap hitmaker, Megan Thee Stallion, The Good Place star and body positivity activist Jameela Jamil, voguing pioneer Leiomy, Maldonado, and Hollywood “image architect” Law Roach feels of the moment. The fashion is naturally on point, from the flamboyant costumes designed by Johnny Wujek that the constants wear, and runway pieces worn by the judges. As the force behind the daring style of Zendaya and Ariana Grande, Roach has seen his share of outlandish clothes, but even he’s been impressed by Legendary’s bombastic look. “I had no idea what the production values would be until I was sitting in that judging chair, so I was just blown away,” shared Roach on the phone from Los Angeles. “I’m so proud to be a part of this show where Black and Brown people are at the forefront, and it’s shining a light on this incredible, innovative community.”
Ballroom, a movement led by queer creators of color, has had a massive impact on popular culture. “Shade” and “read” wouldn’t be part of the mainstream lexicon if icons like Willi Ninja and Julian Labeija didn’t exist. While vogue-ing competitions have existed since the 1920s, they were introduced to American mainstream via seminal 90s documentary, Paris is Burning, and Madonna’s House of Xtravaganza inspired hit, ‘Vogue.’ More recently, shows like the FX drama, Pose have dramatized ballroom’s history. But Legendary taps into the competition aspect: on each episode the houses engage in voguing competitions that push the limits of the format…