Is It Best? Best Dressed at The 37th Annual Latex Ball

Judges, Is It the Best?

The 37th Annual Latex Ball®, presented by GMHC, returned to Terminal 5 for a full-on celebration of love, creativity, color, and unapologetic expression. With a lineup of 25 categories bringing the vibrant theme to life, you already know the fashion categories had an especially high bar to clear, particularly OTA Best Dressed.

Inspired by the 2026 Met Gala, the category was divided into three trophy groups: Male Figure, Female Figure, and Gender Non-Conforming, with one overall cash prize. Participants were challenged to explore the relationship between art history, fashion, and personal expression while articulating their own connection to fashion as an art form. The final requirement? Bring the “Celebration of Color” theme to life while keeping black and white to a minimum. In other words, give us color, concept, and couture, or kindly remain in the audience.

Last year, TENz explored the history of Best Dressed and Ballroom fashion through the lens of Black dandyism and the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute’s 2025 exhibition, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.

The roots of dandyism in the Ballroom Scene can be traced back to the early 1970s with the emergence of Erskine Christian, a pioneering figure who was among the first gay men to compete in the “Best-Dressed Man” category. At the time, the category was largely reserved for heterosexual men, including gangsters and dealers from Brooklyn and Harlem.

By 1989, the “Best-Dressed Man” category evolved to include same-gender-loving men like Bear Pendavis, Antoine Ebony aka Tony Revlon, Bernard Chanel, Darren Armani, Kevyn Milan, Dray Ebony, Vanoy Chanel, and Peter St.Claire. 

Together, they ushered in a new era of Ballroom style defined by meticulous tailoring, high-fashion designers, custom suiting, and refined elegance. The category has since evolved into “Best-Dressed Spectator,” reflecting its expanding reach while preserving its legacy of distinction, taste, and knowing how to put a look together.

At this year’s Latex Ball, the Legends, Statements, and Stars brought their best as DJ Mike Q pumped his new viral track, “The Very Best” with Madame 007, a song inspired by the category itself.

But judges, was it truly the very best? Check out some of the best looks taken by TENz contributor Alexey Kim aka Sidewalkkillla that stormed the runway.