Beyoncé already reigns supreme as 2016’s master of the fashion moment
If the first few months of 2016 have taught us anything, it’s that Beyoncé knows the power of a fashion moment. Barely past the first-quarter mark of the year and Queen Bey has managed to all but steal the Super Bowl halftime show (wearing DSquared2), launch an athleisure line pretty much out of nowhere (Ivy Park in partnership with Sir Philip Green), play a baseball-bat-wielding goddess of vengeance in a surprise visual album (the album was "Lemonade," the lemon-yellow dress was Roberto Cavalli). And, of course, an oh-so-memorable last-minute appearance on the Met Gala red carpet in a curve-hugging, peach-colored latex Givenchy haute couture gown studded with beads that made everyone forget about Becky with the good hair (or at least suspect she’d suffered a horrible fate).
Mrs. Carter’s currently underway Formation World Tour, which kicked off April 27 in Miami, and has SoCal stops in San Diego (May 12), Pasadena (May 14) and Los Angeles (Sept. 14) includes so many one-of-a-kind stage costumes by big-name luxury brands (Gucci and Balmain to name just two) that it might just as easily be considered a one-woman couture show with a killer on-the-fly soundtrack as a series of concert dates.
Whether you’re catching the catwalk concert live or in grainy video snippets, these are a few looks worth looking out for.
DSquared2 gets the credit for the show’s Victorian-inspired opening look, which consists of a black crystal embroidered bustier with velvet, puff-shouldered embroidered sleeves over a tattoo-lace bodysuit and crystal mesh fishnets paired with ruffled black ankle boots and a broad-brim hat for Beyonce, plus black lace bodysuits, ruffled capelets and broad-brim hats for the dancers who join her on stage.
Gucci has created a handful of looks (inspired by the women’s fall winter 2016-17 collection) that are expected to appear on stage throughout the tour, one of the most memorable so far has been a red and ivory geometric sequined bodysuit worn with a red “GucciGhost” mink fur coat.
Balmain is also on board, creating this custom-made long-sleeve floral French lace pattern bodysuit hand-embroidered with pearls and stones and crystal-embellished silk ruffles on the arms and front for Beyoncé, plus custom bodysuits and gold leather belts for her dancers.
A girl’s got to have something to wear besides bodysuits and bustiers, though, and the folks at Adrienne Landau have informed us that, on at least one occasion (her performance of “Daddy Lessons” from "Lemonade" during the May 7 tour stop in Houston), Mathew Knowles' eldest daughter wore a custom Adrienne Landau by Saulo Villela floor-length fur coat.
For more musings on all things fashion and style, follow me @ARTschorn.
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