Who is Eva Gabbana?Eva Gabbana has been around for a long time. I know many of you see her and ask “don’t I know you?†“Didn’t you used to hang out with…?†Most likely the answer is yes and yes. Eva or Miss E. as she likes to be called has been around for years. She has been around about as long as great names like Vanity Halston, Mayhem, and Morgan. Miss E. was just not a performer; she sat in the background and let the other girls of that time take the forefront while she went to school and focused on working in theater and building her skills in makeup and design.
Ms. Gabbana was once known as Jayde Starr a new age sultry diva who made appearances at local colleges as their transgender speaker she was very vocal in the California state university San Bernardino college community for gay and transgender rights. Miss E. also was a pivotal figure in helping the campus of CSUSB getting a campus GLBT center. That effort was led by the legendary Billy W. Cross, who at times can be seen as one of her mentors because he let her know its okay to be big and beautiful. Miss E. was also seen in Palm Springs Pride a few years back on a float as the Condom Queen along with Angela Chaos who served as her King the Dental Dam Dyke. The float was a symbol of their commitment to safer sex practices and how each person is responsible to the community as a whole.
Fast forward about two to three years and you see Ms. Gabbana taking a lead role once again as a mentor to her younger gays and in that plight she decided to take the stage and give the IE what it had been missing; a homegrown African American full figured Drag Superstar who exerted class and sophistication. So in January of 2007 she took the stage at Oasis Night Club of Upland in the famous Drag Idol contest and performed a Kelis rendition of “Blindfold me†which got lots of love and praise from all those who attended. Although she did not win that competition she did get an honorable mention and the IE Drag scene has taken a real notice. After that performance she has gone on to performing in FEVER a drag show that is hosted by Ms. Cherry Lane. Cherry a very new friend to her has given Gabbana the opportunity to show her talents to a full house every week. Ms. E may only do a date here and there with Cherry Lane but each performance is always a good one filled with love and a strong fan base growing for her.
In the future Ms. Gabbana plans to continue to perform hoping to expand beyond just the inland empire, hoping to explore Palm Springs, Los Angeles, and possibly even cross country. Ms. Gabbana does also hope to one day have her own line of transgender friendly clothing on the market. She does currently have some t-shirts and things available via her website www.elusivebeauty.net. This is co-owned with her dear friend Trey Taylor. Ms. Gabbana is one of the faces of Elusive Beauty working as a spokeswoman for full figured girls everywhere. If you are interested in booking her or getting any of her merchandise please email her on myspace or at [email protected].
Elusive Beauty is the brainchild of the innovative Fashionista Trey Taylor. Elusive Beauty has been many years in the making. It originated when Taylor graduated from high school in San Bernardino, California. Its first incarnation was as The Jaded Kydd Productionz, which in theory was an umbrella corporation that allowed Taylor to pursue many different artistic avenues as a costume designer, make-up artist, photographer, poet, event organizer etc. After Elusive began taking courses at San Bernardino Valley College he was asked to help a young director Brian Ward on a play that was written and produced by Ward.
While working on the show he filled many positions, but the one that truly caught his attention was that of the costumer. In that role his true love for fashion and the "image" that people portray truly began to show. Soon after the completion of that show he was asked to work with a long time instructor/director Denise Dales-Jacobs. Once again he reprised the role of costumer and he found that his love may be more than just a hobby but a future career goal. After working on those first two productions Taylor was surely hooked and continued to work with that theater for over six years and more than ten productions. Taylor completed his education at that junior college and then transferred to California State University, San Bernardino where he got involved with their theater program and worked as a co-designer on one production and as the head designer on two student plays.
For more than seven years Taylor had been volunteering his time and developing his craft learning all about the concepts of color, costume design, stage design, and even makeup. Although Taylor did not use the Jaded Kydd Productionz name for those plays he personally became known for his hard work and dedication.
When Taylor completed his Bachelor's degree at California State University San Bernardino he was unsure of his future. He was a bit discouraged by the job market in his area, but then he decided to follow his dream and pursue a career in fashion and image consulting. Taylor did some research and found that there were not many businesses in the Inland Empire that did offer image consulting services and so he decided now would be a good time for it to have one. He is a fresh face not spoiled by the big city lights and dreams. He is coming into this industry with an open mind, an open heart, and a willingness to do what he has always wanted to do "Make people as beautiful on the outside as they are on the inside." Taylor has taken that statement and made it his motto.
So Taylor a small town boy is trying to make it. He created Elusive Beauty as a way to give back to his community as well as a way of bettering himself.
