Chappell Roan gives “Swan Lake” in dress designed by Kentuckiana native Gunnar Deatherage

After selling out Kentuckiana Pride last week, pop sensation Chappell Roan has dipped her pink pony toes back into the Kentuckiana community, however this time she worked with regional native Gunnar Deatherage on the perfect dress for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The Project Runway alum took some time to chat with Queer Kentucky about the experience.

So, when did her team reach out to you? And how did they choose you?

I had been following Chappell’s stylist, Genesis Webb,  for a while because her work is REALLY interesting, so after I had seen videos of Chappell at Coachella, I reached out and asked to be a part of their meteoric rise! I think I have a large enough body of work across Instagram/Tiktok/ Youtube that they could see my quality was solid enough to trust for such a large project. 

What was the conversation like and what was your reaction? Did you have to take a second to get over your fan girling?

I am still fan-girling if I’m honest! Genesis as a stylist is VERY thoughtful. Every look has a story, and an arc, so we meshed instantly. I think we both think cinematically, and Chappell’s ever evolving aesthetic lends itself to a thoughtful design, so we started sharing photos back and forth. The original mood boards were lovely, and very easy to be inspired by, so I spent a few days sketching ideas, and sharing inspiration photos with Genesis.

How did you come up with the design?

I wanted to approach the Swan Lake theme a bit more abstract, and a little more aggressive in details. The softness of the white swan with the wickedness of the black swan. The skirt was really the main inspiration. I had this idea of making the dress appear as though Chappell were wrapped in large swan wings. I think the end result felt very high fashion!

 

What was the feeling like seeing your dress on such a well known show with the world’s hottest star?

I am still processing the feeling. Truthfully, it feels unreal. I spent years of my life wishing to have my clothing on TV, and worn by an artist like Chappell, and watching it all happen in real time was breathtaking. Literally, I was holding my breath the whole time, ha! I talk about this a bit in my TikTok, but watching the performance really did heal a bit for my inner child. Younger Gunnar would be beside himself excited to know this was in our future.  

What’s your fav Chappell roan song?

PINK PONY CLUB! What a relatable song to any other midwestern princess.

Any new projects you’re working on that you’d like to let our audience know about?

So many cool things are coming up, but nothing i’m allowed to share as of yet. For the moment, I’m just taking this moment in! I do have a full line of  sewing patterns, perfect for beginners, and a Patreon where I teach how to sew, and have great tutorials!