By Tyler Martin
If you are one of Beyoncé’s 316 million Instagram followers, you have most likely seen an influx of the most eye-catching, dazzling outfits blessing your feed throughout the past couple of months. Beyoncé is currently on her Renaissance World Tour and the looks she pulls out for her tour are nothing short of show-stopping. She seems to be the modern face of haute couture and we rarely see her sporting an outfit that isn’t custom-made by a well-known designer; but how did Beyoncé reach such high fashion status to where every designer was begging to work with her? It certainly wasn’t an easy road for our favorite pop star.
Beyoncé started her music career as one of four in the R&B girl group, Destiny’s Child. Destiny’s Child produced hit after hit, many of which are still incredibly popular today… “Say My Name, Say My Name.” Of course, this meant the group attended all the high profile events. In an interview with ABC, Beyoncé reflected on her time in Destiny’s Child in regards to getting dressed for the red carpet: “High-end labels didn’t really want to dress four black country curvy girls, and we couldn’t afford designer dresses and couture” (ABC). This meant that Beyoncé had to make do with the circumstances and think outside of the box when creating fashionable looks without access to the best of the best. Some of Destiny’s Child’s most notable red carpet looks were handmade by Beyoncé’s mother, potentially sparking Beyoncé’s connection to custom-made garments.
After Beyoncé split up from the group and gained extreme popularity as a solo artist, designers quickly forecasted Beyoncé’s true fashion potential. She attended the Met Ball, starred in sold-out tours… essentially she was at every red carpet fashion event from the early 2000s on.
However, dressing Beyoncé took a special approach from designers. Beyoncé is proudly curvy, and most designers’ sample sizes for their haute couture lines didn’t suit her body type and compliment her features. This means that almost every look Beyoncé wears is a fully custom designer outfit, specialized for her.
Whether it’s her starpower as a musician, her creative nature or ability to pull off any look, it’s no wonder why Beyoncé is an absolute fashion icon. Throughout her current tour, Beyoncé has rolled out some of what I think are some of the most jaw-dropping looks we’ve ever seen. Beyoncé has absolutely redefined what it means to not fit the standard fashion mold and instead defines a new form of strength in the fashion space.
Cover artwork by Staff Member Angelica Koutsoubis
