Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Billy Porter discusses his fashion choices, personal ambitions
by Tim Nasson
2023-01-30

This article shared 5824 times since Mon Jan 30, 2023
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Billy Porter—the Tony, Emmy and Grammy winner—needs no introduction—especially to the many fans of his character Pray Tell on Ryan Murphy's hit TV series Pose.

Coming up exclusively in theaters Feb. 3, Porter will star as a Super Bowl half-time show choreographer, opposite Oscar winners Sally Field, Rita Moreno and Jane Fonda, as well as Tony-winner Lily Tomlin, in the feel-good comedy "80 For Brady," a comic homage to popular quarterback Tom Brady.

Porter rocketed to superstardom when he originated the role of Lola in the Tony winning Broadway musical Kinky Boots just over ten years ago. But show business was always in his blood.

"I started singing in church at a very young age," he said. By fifth grade the bullying had stopped, and in middle school I got involved with theater. I dreamed about being on Broadway and becoming the male Whitney Houston."

Porter knew he was was onto something when he won $100,000 on Star Search in 1992, but he never expected success would come easy.

"I took all of the necessary steps to prepare myself for a career in show business," he says. "There have been moments of frustration, but no one is entitled to anything.

"I've practiced acting every day for decades. I went to Carnegie Mellon. I went to graduate school at UCLA. To this day, I still take singing lessons. I have the patience of Job. My best advice for anyone who wants to become a professional is to practice—even when no one is looking."

Porter prepared himself for a trajectory in acting and a career in fashion by making sure he always looked the part. "I decided at a very young age to dress for the job I wanted, not the job I have," he explains.

The "Oscar dress," which made Porter a viral sensation, wasn't something that just happened. In 2013, while Porter was in Chicago doing previews of "Kinky Boots", he met with fans at the stage door after every performance. "It was right at the time when social media was taking off, especially Instagram photos, and I was dressing geek chic.

"When I looked at the news the day after the first performance I saw pictures of myself and I looked like a bag lady. From that moment on, I dressed up every day. After every show, before I went out the stage door to go home, I dressed up."

From then on, any candid photos that people did take of Porter were not only flattering but trend-setting. "For three years, while I was on Broadway with Kinky Boots, I dressed up after every performance, just to go out to the car to go home."

In 2019, just a year before the pandemic hit, Porter started to gain attention for some of the most fabulous outfits that have ever adorned any human. At the Grammy Awards, he wore an embroidered suit and pink cape. That same year, at the Academy Awards, he wore the famous black fitted tuxedo and velvet gown created by Christian Siriano, accompanied by 6-inch Rick Owens boots.

The gender-fluid outfits worn by Porter that are now famous the world over were not intended to be labeled. "All of the outfits I have worn aligned with the roles I was playing. The term 'non-binary' never occurred to me."

When I suggested Porter has become an inspiration for celebs such as Harry Styles—who posed on the cover of Vogue last year in a Gucci dress—he replied,"You said that, not me."

He then admitted, "I have a calling. It is funneled through artistry."


This article shared 5824 times since Mon Jan 30, 2023
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

STRUT marks World AIDS Day with 14th Annual Fashion Show 2023-12-05
- On Dec. 3, John Fleming and Madman Productions presented the 14th annual STRUT fashion show at Joe's on Weed Street, 940 W. Weed St. As in previous years, the standing room only show was a fundraiser, ...


Gay News

Chicago Red Stars down Houston 3-0 2023-08-06
- In local pro women's soccer action, the Chicago Red Stars closed the UKG Challenge Cup play in historic fashion with three goals all assisted by defender Casey Krueger, blanking the Houston Dash 3-0 on Aug. 5 ...


Gay News

Stefanie Clark reflects on life as a both a fashion model and senior advocate 2023-06-15
- An oft-repeated quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald—usually taken out-of-context—suggests that "there are no second acts in American lives." Local activist—and, as of lately, model— Stefanie Clark has been putting a ...


Gay News

Viktor Luna moonlights once again on Project Runway 2023-06-14
- Out and proud fashion designer Viktor Luna returns for more challenges in the upcoming season 20 of Project Runway. The Emmy Award-winning competition series has assembled 14 designers from its past, with Christian Siriano serving as ...


Gay News

Chicago House welcomes spring with 'Secret Garden' event 2023-05-12
- On May 7, Chicago House presented its annual spring fashion brunch, this year titled The Secret Garden, in the Winter Green Ballroom of the Harold Washington Library. The annual event, which some now regard as the ...


Gay News

WORLD Murder suspect arrested, Israeli official, conversion therapy, couple's win 2023-01-08
- Kenyan authorities arrested a suspect in the death of fashion designer/LGBTQ+-rights activist Edwin Chiloba after his body was found dumped in a metal box by the roadside near the town of Eldoret, according to CNN. Last ...


Gay News

Annual STRUT event shines spotlight on World AIDS Day 2022-12-07
- On the evening of Nov. 4, the annual STRUT fashion show celebrated its 13th edition at Joe's on Weed St. As in the past, STRUT shined its spotlight on up-and-coming young fashion designers while raising funds for ...


Gay News

Chicago History Museum holds special screening, panel discussion 2022-11-07
- The Costume Council of the Chicago History Museum presented a special screening of the Youtube Originals series Supreme Models: The Documentary and a panel with an array of A-list fashion industry panelists. Among the participants were ...


Gay News

Chicago History Museum to host 'Supreme Models' screening Nov. 4 2022-10-19
- The Costume Council of the Chicago History Museum will host the official Midwest screening of Supreme Models and an exclusive in-person celebration on Friday, Nov. 4, 5:30-9:30 p.m. at The Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark ...


Gay News

FashionBar hosting Chicago Fashion Week, PFLAG conference 2022-10-01
- Fashion Bar announced that it's hosting Chicago Fashion Week. The shows will take place Oct. 16-23 at Water Tower Place, 835 N. Michigan Ave. Additionally, FashionBar will host the. PFLAG Northern Illinois conference at Water Tower ...


Gay News

Chicago Fashion Week taking place April 24-May 1 2022-04-19
- FashionBar, LLC announced Chicago Fashion Week will take place April 24-May 1 on the third floor of Water Tower Place, 835 N. Michigan Ave. Some of the shows will include "Emerging Students" (April 26), "Trans, Media ...


Gay News

Designs for Dignity gala on May 19 2022-04-19
- Designs for Dignity's annual fundraising gala, "Spirit of Design," will take place Thursday, May 19, 6-10 p.m., and will celebrate more than 20 years of impact on Chicago's nonprofit community. The event will take place at ...


Gay News

Chicago Fashion Week April 24 to May 1 2022-04-05
-- From a press release - CHICAGO — FashionBar, LLC is pleased to announce Chicago Fashion Week powered by FashionBar LLC, scheduled from April 24th to May 1st at Water Tower Place on Chicago's Magnificent Mile. FashionBar is proud to celebrate this ...


Gay News

LGBTQIA+-focused talent group launches in Orlando, Chicago and Miami 2022-03-31
- Orlando-based experiential marketing company, 82 South, Inc., has launched MODE (Made on Diversity and Equality) Talent Group this month to promote LGBTQIA+ and other underrepresented talent for bookings in fashion ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Mayor makes history, LGBTQ+ Latinx demo, fashion show, N.C. law 2022-03-20
- In Florida, Boynton Beach elected its first out LGBTQ mayor—as well as the first Asian-American mayor in the state's history, LGBTQ Nation noted. Ty Penserga not only won the election, but he beat a homophobe who ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.