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These queens didn't come to play — they came to SPEND. Join us as we count down our picks for the most insanely expensive outfits ever worn on RuPaul's Drag Race! From crystal-covered denim to laser butterfly contraptions, these looks cost more than most people's cars. Which outfit left your jaw on the floor?
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00:04Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the priciest looks drag
00:09race queens have worn on the show. But yeah, the outfit was $6,000, bringing the total to $7,400.
00:17Damn. Number 10, Tia Coffey's wedding dress, $4,390. The dress is made of actual bridal
00:26satin. There's bridal lace. It's shiny. It's shimmering. It's gorgeous. Look at the train.
00:32There are ruffles. The wedding dress Tia Coffey wore on the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race
00:37UK vs. The World came with a bridal-sized bill. Speaking on the Useless Hotline podcast,
00:43Tia revealed that the dress alone cost about £3,500, or roughly $4,390, and that price did
00:50not even cover the hair, makeup, and other parts of the ensemble.
00:54The wedding dress look that I wore on the season, which some people didn't like,
00:58cost me three and a half grand, and that's one out of it. That does not include the wig,
01:02the makeup, the shoes, the gloves, the nails. She had spent more than £20,000 preparing for
01:08her return to the franchise, so the gown was hardly a casual purchase. The investment paid
01:13off in spectacular fashion. Tia reached the finale and won the season, taking home the £50,000 prize.
01:20This means the absolute world to me. To go from Baroness Basic to Queen of the Mother Ducking
01:26World is wild, but it proves that you can do anything that you set your mind to, so everyone
01:31make sure you do your homework and pay your taxes. Considering the dress represented just one outfit
01:37from an enormous competition wardrobe, that was one very expensive walk down the runway.
01:42This is so different and elevated from the last time you were here, and it makes me
01:46so happy. I mean, on your season, you would have done this, but that would have been a Cabot Patch
01:51doll in a Tesco bag of lemonade. Great job tonight, Tia.
01:57Number 9. Ginger Minj's Tony Bowles gown, $5,000. During Season 7's The Despi Awards, Ginger Minj stepped
02:05onto the runway in a Tony Bowles gown. During critiques, Michelle Visage remarked that the gown
02:17looked cheap, which Ginger seemed to have taken some offense to. It was during Untucked we found
02:23out why. Ginger revealed that the dress had actually cost her $5,000. This left the other
02:43queens stunned, especially because their own garments had cost dramatically less. Some of the queens did
02:49not even seem to believe Ginger's claim. Given Ginger's reported knack for tall tales, the dress
03:02might not have cost that much. Still, it must have been pretty frustrating to hear that critique.
03:07I am here to be as good as I can be, and if you can't raise yourself up to that
03:11level,
03:12maybe you don't need to be here. Number 8. Plasma's Floral Look, $8,000.
03:17For Season 16's I Can Buy Myself Flowers Runway, Plasma went full Golden Age musical with a floral
03:23fantasy inspired by classics including My Fair Lady and Hello Dolly.
03:27And of course in Funny Girl, she gets a blue marble egg and yellow roses, so I'm decked in
03:31yellow roses. How do you do? New York designer Beck Jones created the garment with custom silk
03:37fabric flowers, including red velvet blooms with bleached tips. A matching hat came from Jules
03:43to Shriver, while Airbrush Dotted Tool completed the vintage inspired silhouette. The reported price
03:48was $8,000, making this one of the more eye-watering individual garments associated with Drag Race.
03:55For Season 16, my most expensive outfit. Thank God I wore it. I got to wear it. And thank God
04:00I won
04:00the challenge in it, but it was my yellow flowers dress.
04:02Oh, that's so good. That was the parasol. The parasol. Oh, so. That's my favorite. I think
04:07that's my favorite look I've ever seen you in. Plasma's theatrical styling also fit her established
04:11love of old Hollywood, turning the runway into something closer to a musical number than a
04:16conventional fashion presentation. This look tonight, this is beautiful. Though very Dolly Levi,
04:21it's you. It is gorgeous. Number 7. Sasha Velour's alien snake step-down look. $8,000. All hail our
04:31reigning queen, Sasha Velour. For her step-down look on Season 10, Sasha Velour traded the expected
04:45pageant gown for something far stranger. Created with Brooklyn-based artist and designer Diego Montoya,
04:51the avant-garde bodysuit leaned into an androgynous alien creature fantasy with reptilian details,
04:56crystalline embellishment, finger extensions, and a dramatic snake motif.
05:00I've been able to travel and meet queer people all around the world, inspired by this show to keep
05:06fighting and thriving. It's inspirational. The look has been reported to have cost around $8,000.
05:13Montoya had collaborated with Sasha on several distinctive fashion pieces,
05:17which only cemented the outfit as part of her visual language.
05:26It's reported price is striking because the finished silhouette was intentionally unconventional,
05:32sculptural, slightly unsettling, and very Sasha. For her last official appearance on the show,
05:38it has sure left a lasting impression.
05:40But then I have to remind myself that aliens and devils are really fictional characters that were
05:46drawn and designed specifically to look like queer people with the idea that being in between or
05:52outside of gender should be something scary. And once you step away from that fear, you realize
05:57it's a fantastic look. These queens spent thousands serving looks, but you can get your entertainment fix for
06:03free over on the Ms. Mojo 24-7 live stream. Scan the QR code on your screen to join.
06:09Remember, if you can't love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else? Can I get an
06:14amen up in here?
06:16Number 6. Carrie Colby's Green Versace Dress. Between $9,000 and $12,000.
06:21Nobody's gonna be giving more J-Lo than me. I am presenting you the 2020 Versace Redemption runway dress.
06:30For season 14's Night of a Thousand J-Lo's runway, Carrie Colby managed something almost absurdly difficult.
06:36She walked in the genuine Versace revival dress originally worn by Jennifer Lopez.
06:41The limited production gown was created for Versace's 2019 Milan Fashion Week revival of Lopez's famous
06:47Green Jungle print look. Carrie borrowed the piece through a fashion industry connection rather than
06:52buying it herself. And she chose the louder 2019 version over the original 2000 Grammys design.
06:58You know, David, coming out to present the first award is a real honor on these programs.
07:03Well, Jennifer, this is the first time in five or six years that I'm sure that nobody is looking at
07:08me.
07:08Reports have placed the garment's value around $9,000 to $12,000.
07:13Although that figure is an estimate rather than a disclosed purchase price.
07:16A little birdie told me that you were saying that that was the Jennifer's original.
07:21So this is, yeah, it actually is Jennifer's dress from her 2019 revival with Versace.
07:26It looks so beautiful on you.
07:28Lopez later approved of Carrie's homage, telling her, quote, good job, baby, killed it.
07:33Number five, Monet Exchanges Gold Finale Look, over $10,000.
07:47According to Monet Exchanges, the most expensive thing she's worn on the show wasn't from her original
07:52season or her two all-stars appearances. It was, in fact, for the RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race
07:58franchise. And is that, like, is that fully, is that gold, uh, air-tay-inspired gown I have?
08:06And I paid $10,000 for that gown. $10,000 here.
08:10For a season of Drag Race, you were not competing on?
08:12I was not competing on.
08:13For the show's second season finale, Monet wore an elaborate gold ensemble that sparkled
08:18and Shawn as she moved down the runway.
08:20Just between us girlfriends, who should go home tonight, and why?
08:27Jujubee!
08:28The exact amount has never been disclosed, but Monet described the cost as a five-figure sum,
08:34meaning at least $10,000.
08:36Even by Drag Race standards, this was a serious investment in one golden finale fantasy.
08:41Fun fact, she spent more money on this one gown than the total amount she won competing on her
08:47original season.
08:48This is nice!
08:51Yes!
08:53Oh my god!
08:55Number 4. Jan's Swarovski Crystal Tom Brown Tracksuit. $15,000.
09:01Jan brought luxury sportswear to season 12's Ball Ball runway with a Swarovski Crystal Tom
09:06Brown Tracksuit.
09:07I have my completely rhinestone tracksuit and my Louboutins, not to mention my custom
09:13handmade Janelle bag.
09:15The piece combined Tom Brown's tailored athletic silhouette and signature striping with thousands
09:20of sparkling crystals.
09:21It was reportedly an authentic rare piece rather than a garment custom made for Drag Race.
09:27And contemporary accounts have placed its original retail price at around $15,000.
09:31This is what I wore for the Basketball Wives Challenge. This was my purse, Janelle. So here
09:38she is. I wanted to keep her in sight because, again, I loved that runway so much.
09:41Jan appears to have borrowed the outfit for the competition, so she did not necessarily spend
09:46that amount herself. Still, the garment's reported retail value makes it one of the franchise's
09:50most expensive examples of a queen turning ready-to-wear luxury into runway drag.
09:55You're not going to get everything that you expect just from looking at me. And it's very
10:00important. I was so happy with all of my runways.
10:02Number 3. Raja's laser butterfly look. $15,000.
10:06You better chrysalis that walk.
10:09I just brought a little something I'd wear to the supermarket to buy some quinoa, perhaps.
10:14Leave it to Raja to show up on the runway wearing a look that's part haute couture,
10:18part science experiment. She described emerging from her cocoon in this creation, and then casually
10:23joked it was something she'd throw on for a supermarket run. The reality is far more elaborate.
10:29The reason why I do drag is to shock, to titillate, to ultimately, you know, create a
10:34vignette that is something that I consider beautiful.
10:36Raja attached approximately 200 active laser pointers to a custom 3D-printed cage frame,
10:42engineered to produce a dazzling, chaotic bean-spam visual effect that transformed the runway
10:47into a light show.
10:48I'd say the most expensive looks were definitely a highlight. You know, the laser costume, which
10:52I think could have actually looked better on TV, maybe. They were a little unprepared with what
10:57I was bringing, and I wasn't bringing something that just plugged in and turned up. It was like
11:01it needed smoke and stuff.
11:03Swarovski crystals were incorporated throughout the structural butterfly framework,
11:07catching and amplifying every beam. The total cost reportedly landed around $15,000.
11:14This was engineering meets fashion meets performance art, and only Raja could make it look completely
11:20nonchalant.
11:21This, tonight on the runway, wow, it's so Raja. I would say we've never seen it on the main
11:27stage of RuPaul's Drag Race, but I'm not sure I've ever seen that anywhere.
11:29Number 2. Simone's Swarovski denim step-down look, $30,000.
11:35All hail America's reigning drag superstar, Simone!
11:40For her season 14 step-down look, Simone took the familiar combination of jeans and a wet-look
11:46top and turned it into an expensive piece of fashion art. Created by Michael Schmidt Studios,
11:52the ensemble covered the denim in Swarovski crystals, while the top used a custom resin-treated
11:57material to create its liquid appearance. It is my honor to be staring the stage with
12:01the queens of season 14. I mean, wasn't it a great season, y'all?
12:07Simone said the look cost about $30,000 to make. Its streetwear-inspired silhouette was
12:13a deliberate departure from the grand gowns usually associated with a reigning champion
12:17step-down appearance, while continuing Simone's interest in Black American fashion and cultural
12:21references.
12:22But the most important thing I've learned this year is that winning is great, but being kind
12:28The price makes the outfit particularly surprising. From a distance, it looks like jeans and a top.
12:34Up close, it is a crystal-covered fortune.
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13:03Number 1. Mistress Isabel Brooks' Finale Package. $40,000.
13:08Gather her. It's Mistress Isabel Brooks.
13:19In 2023, Mistress Isabel Brooks openly confirmed that her total spending across Season 15 reached
13:26a staggering $100,000, with $40,000 of those dollars devoted exclusively to her finale looks.
13:32The gown was $13,500. Beautifully constructed. He made it on such short notice. He's a really,
13:40really great designer. He works with, like, Christina Aguilera and a whole bunch of other
13:43celebrities. The jewelry, beautiful Swarovski set from Fierce Drag Jewels, some of the best
13:48drag jewelry in the business.
13:49That included the runway entrance look, a beautiful red and pink silky gown accessorized with gold
13:54hardware, as well as the nurse costume she performed in during the finale number.
13:58Now, it's worth noting that contestants sometimes include hair, makeup, padding, and accessories
14:04in these tallies, so the $40,000 figure may reflect more than just the outfits.
14:08The heels, $200. The total cost for my grand finale look was $15,800. I don't regret it,
14:16but the dress is just sitting in my closet.
14:18What makes this especially bittersweet is the fact that Mistress didn't even make it into
14:22the final lip sync for the crown.
14:24Lux and mistress, on behalf of all the fans, and from the bottom of my heart, thank you
14:30for an epic season. Give it up for my girls!
14:34What other expensive drag race looks did we miss? Let us know in the comments.