MODA / FASHION
COWGIRL BEYONCÉ Reworking the American myth with crystals The music diva who ropes in Grammy awards has kicked off her Cowboy Carter Tour with a style that blends country music, couture fashion and a statement of culture Y ou know what to expect if you’re attending a Beyon- cé concert: crazy vocals and even crazier styling —tai- lored to suit her wishes, all night long. This was no less the case for the launch of her tenth solo tour — the Cowboy Carter Tour — which came on the heels of her historic success at this year’s Grammy Awards, where her ho- monymous album won awards for album of the year, best country album and best country group performance. It was on- ly going to be a matter of time until this global icon took possession of the my- thology of the American West. With her new tour, Queen Bey has stat- ed clearly that this is not her first rodeo. Forget dusty saloons and coppery Marl- boro aesthetics. Beyoncé the cowgirl is decorated in Swarovski crystals, divine- ly tailored and accompanied by the de- signer elite — Cavalli, Mugler, Burberry, Moschino, Loewe etc. Where the cowboy once stood as a symbol of untamed mas- culinity and mythological white Ameri- ca, Beyoncé has rebranded him as a high- ly stylised, feminine and unabashedly black icon. She appeared on stage at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium wearing Roberto Cavalli denim, embroidered with crystals and bunched using a belt sporting a mas- sive buckle. What followed was a fashion stampede: a Mugler bodysuit containing over 1,700 laser-cut bonded fringes (be- cause they counted them all, of course); a DSquared homage to her look from her first video as a solo artist, for the song
Crazy in Love; an oversized PVC coat by Diesel with a personalised “newspaper” print; and a Burberry element that was so tender that it included not one of her daughters, but two of them – Blue Ivy and Rumi – sporting matching outfits. That’s because fashion is never mere- ly an aesthetic when it comes to Beyon- cé — it’s a storytelling medium and a weapon to shake up the system. Accom- panied by her daughters and her mother, Tina Knowles, Beyoncé gifted the Amer- ican West a family portrait that it didn’t even know it was missing. This was a gen- tle yet clear reminder that heritage isn’t earned, but rather built and nurtured – and protected. Nevertheless, none of the outfits she wore garnered as much attention and caused as much controversy as the one she wore for the opening of the tour: a breathtakingly beautiful custom Loewe gown inspired by the star-spangled ban- ner. In these times when MAGA fashion
is increasingly popular among the coun- try music audience, this gown’s meaning receives an even deeper context — as a visual response and an artistic statement of an ideological extreme. Beyoncé has a long tradition of collabo- rating with luxury brands on her tours — ever since The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour (2013-2014), when she collaborat- ed with Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana and Ver- sace. She worked with Givenchy for The Formation World Tour (2016), while her Renaissance World Tour (2023-2024) was marked by the fashion of Balmain, Alexander McQueen, Loewe and Iris van Herpen. As such, the Cowboy Carter Tour – which culminates in Las Vegas on 26 th July – isn’t just a musical spectacle. It represents an overhaul of the Ameri- can dream that’s long been essential. Be- yoncé lassos history and asks us: who ac- tually has the right to wear a cowboy hat and boots? Who wore them first? They fit her as if moulded just for her.
70 | Stil » Style
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