Thousands flocked to the 2019 Capital Pride Parade to celebrate the meaning of pride for the LGBTQ+ community on June 8. The month of June has been designated as Pride Month in honor of the Stonewall Riots of 1969, and parades are being held in cities all over the world throughout the month.
Fashion has become a staple of Pride celebrations, as it allows for people to make statements about defying gender norms and gives parade-goers a chance to wear the rainbow colors that have become synonymous with the LGBTQ+ community. This year, parade-goers took fashion risks that paid off. From rainbows and sparkles to full-on drag ensembles, here are some of the best looks from Capital Pride 2019.
This parade-goer’s look is all about sparkle. This metallic cropped blazer was a standout in the crowd. This attendee’s fanny pack not only matched the sparkly top perfectly, but also provided a place to store items someone may need during a long day of celebrating. Complete with sparkly jewels, rainbow false eyelashes and a pride flag in hand, this parade-goer strutted the streets with confidence and style.
This parader defied the typical pride rainbow look by using balloons to create this rainbow outfit. Sporting a hot pink bodysuit with dozens of balloons attached to it, this parader turned heads.The glitter on this parader’s arms, chest and mustache gave this look a creative finishing touch. This outfit demonstrates that rainbow can be done in unconventional ways to create the ultimate pride fashion statement, as it was a significant contrast from the classic rainbow stripes that many people wear at Pride.
This Pride attendee decided to channel the rainbow look through makeup and hair, rather than through clothing. This gradient rainbow look on the parade-goer’s eyes goes perfectly with the cotton candy shades of pink and blue in her hair. The silver metallic sparkles at the corners of the eyes add a nice finishing touch to this look. This feature shows that you don’t have to be completely decked out in rainbow to make a statement at Pride.
This pair of friends showed another, more subtle approach to representing their pride. The parade-goer on the left wore a one-shoulder, rainbow-striped crop top, while the parade-goer on the right wore a unique button-up shirt with mini Pride flags printed on it. To complete their Pride looks, both wore rainbow temporary tattoos and colorful eye makeup.
No Pride parade is complete without drag queens. Marsha P. Johnson, one of the people who started the Stonewall Riots, was a drag queen. Drag queens are an important part of the LBGTQ+ community, as cross-dressing is a way for people to defy gender norms and stereotypes. This drag queen sparkled in this mermaid-esque, one-piece ensemble. The extravagant headpiece took the look to an even more dramatic level.
This parade-goer’s choice to walk the 1.5-mile parade route in gold sparkly heels not only made a fashion statement, but also defied the gender norm that heels should only be worn by women.
These Pride fashion looks show that whether you come completely decked out in rainbows, or choose to show your colors in more subtle ways, there are endless possibilities to make a fashion statement at Pride. No matter what their fashion choices were, peoples’ outfits at Capital Pride showed that these parade-goers are proud to be a part of, or an ally to, the LGBTQ+ community.
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