CT HEDDEN by MISTY COPELAND
- Alex Blynn
- Jan 27
- 7 min read
Fashion muses CT Hedden and Misty Copeland Discuss Their Shared History, Favorite Designers, Clubbing, the Met Gala, NYFW, and How to Wear Louboutin Heels Successfully
Written by Alex Blynn
In the world of clubbing, few have made so large an impact recently as CT Hedden, a New York nightlife staple and the new creative director of NYC-based creative agency Cherry Bomb, whose signature gender-bending look and fabulous personality has made him a longstanding host for some of the longest-running parties in New York. But with more to contribute and say, he’s successfully crossed over into the high fashion world, and now sits front row at runway shows all over the globe (at least, when he’s not participating in them as a muse and model).
His love and appreciation for fashion runs deep, and he shares this love with his longtime friend and VALŪS contributor Misty Copeland, a legend in her own right and something of a club kid too, who’s been freshly minted as a new member of the Met Gala Host Committee, alongside stars like Zoë Kravitz, YSL’s Anthony Vaccarello, Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Gwendoline Christie, Alex Consani, LISA, Sam Smith, and Teyana Taylor.
As we enter this new year filled with fashion weeks, CT and Misty sat down to discuss their history, their favorite designers, going clubbing in the ‘90s and ‘00s, NYFW, this year’s Met Gala, and Amanda Lepore’s secret to wearing Louboutins successfully.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
CT Hedden: How are you my dear?
Misty Copeland: New year, new hip! I gotta be ready to be out in the club with you again. I feel like it hasn't been that long since we met, but it has. It's been… God, I can't. All I know is that we met in a club.
CT: By the way, it's been 10 years. I remember where I was working, at the Dream Hotel. So bitch, it's been 10 years.
MC: It's very on brand for you that we met in a club. You've really created such an incredible career for yourself, but can you tell us about how you got your start?
CT: I'm originally from New Jersey, and I moved to Chicago and started modeling. That's where I met people like [“RuPaul’s Drag Race” winner] Sasha Colby and the designer Ikram Goldman, who was dressing Michelle Obama at the time. I was, like, 17, but I just started going out anyway, I had a fake ID. I was doing everything that you should not be doing. But then I turned 18, moved to New York, met Amanda Lepore and Suzanne Bartsch. Amanda was the one who said I should really get into drag, and you don’t say no to what Amanda says. So next thing I know, here we are, I'm 37. It's kind of crazy. I'm approaching 20 years of this. It has been a whirlwind.
MC: What were the clubs you were going to at that time?
CT: The Chicago scene back then was popping off. Honey Dijon was always DJing. There was this great nightclub called Berlin. And then the New York scene was amazing. Suzanne Bartsch’s Blouse was iconic.
MC: Did you ever have a chance to make it to Tunnel or Limelight? Like from the “Party Monster” movie.
CT: Not really but that movie resonates so much to me as an artist. My dream has always been to set foot in Studio 54, and I was recently invited by the Valentino team to their party there. I cried when I walked in. I went by myself, just to experience it.
MC: I think I was like 18, but I actually did go clubbing at Limelight and I did go to Tunnel. Do you have any pictures from back then to show us?
CT: I've scrubbed the internet of that. I see old photos and sometimes can't believe I left the house like that. And at the time you could not tell me I was not IT. But I would love to ask you that, too. With all of the red carpet appearances you’ve had, are there any looks you see now and think are cringe?
MC: I definitely spent years being a hot ass mess. But in the moment, I was like, I am the fiercest.
CT: You made it work. Another era I had was using foam and glitter and tape on my body. I do not recommend this for anyone. But here's a secret straight from Amanda Lepore, who taught me this years ago. We’re such bougie bitches, she and I only wear Louboutins. Thank you, Christian! But it can get painful after a while, especially those insane high heels. So Amanda told me, just coat the bottom of your feet with lidocaine spray. Works for hours. Game changer.
MC: When did the shift from mostly clubbing to fashion-focused happen for you?
CT: Suzanne Bartsch has been doing the On Top party at the Standard Hotel in New York City for 16 years, and I’ve been hosting it for that long as well. The amount of designers globally that have come to On Top… I mean, John Galliano, Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, you name it. They’d come and party with us, and then you’d see little bits and pieces of our influence in their mood boards and collections. So that showed me what was possible in clubbing and fashion.
MC: Which brands excite you right now?
CT: Dilara Findikoglu is amazing, I love everything she's doing. Willy Chavaria is so dear to me. I'm a Versace die-hard, I was involved in Dario Vitale’s one and only collection for them. I'm really finding that I gear more towards Italian luxury. What about you? I know you’re a Prada girl.
MC: I am a Prada girl for sure! You've become such a fixture of fashion these days, has there been a kind of pinch me moment?
CT: I'm a Taurus, so I'm always a grateful and loyal person. But I am at heart a hustler and a New Yorker, so it's hard for me to take no for an answer. It's more about adapting, how to turn the no into a yes. So yes, I'm grateful to attend the shows and work with all these brands and designers and have them as my friends. But it's more so to look at the bigger picture, and seeing their art and their vision, and it's performative, and it's, it's vice versa, because then they get to see my art and see who I am as an artist. I've proven myself. I also love to help others, and I don't believe in gatekeeping. Why not just help each other? So it will always be a pinch me moment, and if it ever stops being a pinch me moment, then I shouldn't be in this industry.
MC: I feel you. I love that. What do you think gives New York Fashion Week its edge compared to Paris or Milan?
CT: They really are all different. When you go to Milan, it's all about the houses and the craftsmanship and the materials. In Paris, it's more about the avant-garde, the chicness, the exclusivity. But there's a different vibe in New York. It's about grit. For me, New York is the only city where it ties back into what we're talking about, nightlife. The spots we often go to for afterparties in Paris and Milan, I’m going to be totally honest, they are often really not giving. But here in New York, we're not afraid to let loose, have fun and really get into the spirit of fashion week. I personally like fashion week in February here a lot. I like the winter collections. There's more drama, more volume and shape. And I love putting on a vintage fur coat and being naked underneath, trekking through the snow and pumping it. New York fashion will always have the edge in that way.
MC: So speaking of, what are you most excited for this NYFW?
CT: Nicholas Aburn for AREA, as it’s still only his second collection for them, he's great. I am forever a Luar lover. LaQuan Smith will be amazing as always. Christian Siriano is fun, no one does red carpets like him. And then hopefully some cool one-offs, like Chanel by Matthieu Blazy last year.
MC: This is such a full circle moment for us! Meeting in a club and partying together for years, to now, talking about fashion and culture for a glossy magazine like VALŪS. Truly, from the club to the front row!
CT: I know! And I just wanted to ask you because I'm nosy, as all drag queens are... what was your reaction to finding out that you were going to be on the Met Gala Hosting Committee?
MC: I had so much going on, I literally had just stepped off the stage for my farewell performance at the American Ballet Theater when I got the news. It was great, being chosen first among the group felt like they had respect for my opinion and my contributions to art in general. The Met itself is such a big part of my life, my son practically lives there. So I have a true appreciation for it, and I think at its root, places like the Met and events like the Gala are what we're leaving to the future of art. I've been a performer professionally for 25 years, and for the Met to include me this time is amazing, especially since the Gala's theme this year is costuming focused on body diversity, which has been so much a part of my messaging throughout my career.
CT: That is amazing. And just another reason why I love Anna Wintour. I wanted to end our chat with the ultimate question for you, Misty: what are you wearing to the Met Gala?
MC: I obviously can’t actually give that away before the big night, but I’m working with the phenomenal Karla Welch on my outfit and, suffice to say, I'm really excited!
CREDITS
PHOTOGRAPHER | Bishop Elegino
HAIR, MAKEUP, + STYLING | CT Hedden
INTERVIEWER | Misty Copeland
EDITOR | Alex Blynn