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Welcome toWell Fed, a column that celebrates how we nourish our bodies, from face to plate.
Photographer: Jun Lu (@hellojunlu)Hair/Wig: Sean Bennett (@uhmmwhat)Makeup: Will Sullivan (@willssassy)Styling/creative direction/model: Todd Heim (@steakdiane.biz)
“She’s a little bit older, she’s maybe once divorced.
She’s got a piano lounge singer vibe, and she could honestly be like 50.
I’ve never said that before, but she could be!”
Jun Lu / @hellojunlu
“I had been Jackie Kennedy for Halloween that year; Imade the pink suit.
It also showcases his collaborations with some of the most of-the-moment brands.
Heim says that home textiles seemed like organic, logical next step in his and Steak Diane’s career.
“My parents had cocktail parties with cheese balls and little smokies, grape jelly and shrimp cocktail towers.
So in 2021, Heim’s entertainment-inspired design brandChez Dianewas born.
But this year, the city’s ever-changing menus have taken him right back home to the heartland.
“It’s all retro food.
That applies to beauty trends too, he feels, particularly onesrooted in drag.
Being well versed in your references is so important in the drag world,” he notes.
It turns out that Heim is, admittedly, not at all skilled at applying makeup.
“Most queens do their own painting, but I cannot do makeup to save my life.
One thing he can manage, though: his shellfish-adjacentmanicure.
“I always handle my nails.
Heim’s by-day facial hair has become one way he explores his own personal brand of drag.
I really appreciate that it’s sort of genderfuck drag,” explains Heim.
Jun Lu / @hellojunlu
“I think that’s a fun space to be in because it’s confusing.
I’m so impressed by drag queens that just are full-fish and totally transformed.
I’m like, ‘How do you do that?’
But that’s just so not my drag, and I appreciate that it’s more confusing.”
“I’ve just always kept my beardand it matches my red wig.
I really appreciate that it’s sort of genderfuck drag.”
So I’m sticking with that, full speed ahead.”
The process, though, always begins with a drag staple:face tapes.
“That’s a complicated space and that is a complicated thing to say.
Jun Lu / @hellojunlu
But indulgence doesn’t just apply to eating for me, necessarily.”
“I’m such a supporter of taking that time.
I think it’s something that gets thrown by the wayside, especially in New York.
That’s why I’m trying to have this collection really about the indulgence of taking that time.”
Another hotel-centric moment of calm for Heim isbath time.
That’s my bath time moment, and I always have a cocktail in the tub.”
“I always get theBuly hand cream, too; it’s the most beautiful thing.
My boyfriend has a design company, and so we’re just both very visual aesthetic people.
So yes, we put up shelves in our bathroom, but we’re about them looking beautiful.
Everything in our apartment is on display.”
Read more interviews with drag queens:
Now enjoy Gigi Goode recreating ’80s drag looks:
Jun Lu / @hellojunlu
