How Aretha set the diva style bar
Bespoke Givenchy and paying homage to oneself. Chloe Mac Donnell looks at what makes an Insta-age diva
No one shrugged a coat off their shoulders like the late Aretha Franklin. Whether strutting across a stage or a red carpet, with a swift roll Aretha dropped countless fur numbers to the floor, signalling that it was time to get down to business. Off came the coat, out came the mic and on came her vocal power.
Long before the age of Instagram, where every day it seems another celebrity is declaring themselves “body positive” or “woke”, Aretha was up on stage, owning it.
As the first woman ever to be inducted into the Rock’n’roll Hall of Fame, dubbed the Queen of Soul, Aretha was a queen both on and off the stage. From her billowing kaftans in the Seventies to full-length, shimmering gowns in the Nineties, every public appearance was a look, featuring sequins, feathers, and thigh-high slits.
When it came to diva dressing, Aretha set the bar, with her gold-embroidered garments and ever-changing hairstyles. In doing so, she was declaring not only her talent but also her presence and, unbeknown to her, inspiring a future generation of women that they could do it, too.
In 2009, when Aretha performed at Barack Obama’s inauguration, she stole the show, inspiring endless memes with her bow-shaped fascinator. Fast-forward to 2013 and one of the best examples of today’s divas, Beyoncé, sang the national anthem at Obama’s second inauguration. After news surfaced that Beyoncé had used a backing track, Aretha was quoted as saying: “When I heard [Beyoncé lip-synched], I just really cracked up. I thought it was really funny, but she did a beautiful job with the pre-record.” Cue endless headlines about a silly diva war. However, that aside, Aretha’s influence on Beyoncé, not only musically, but also sartorially, is notable.
Say the word diva in 2018 and it is she who immediately springs to mind. Currently entertaining the world with her On the Run II Tour, her long-term stylist Marni Senofonte has created one of the most fashionforward concerts of all time, with designers including Givenchy’s Clare Waight Keller and Burberry’s Riccardo Tisci creating bespoke looks for the singer and her husband, Jay-z. There are more than 30 changes, including an iridescent bodysuit by Balmain, a patent leather corset by Thierry Mugler, as well as Guccimonogrammed thigh-high boots. Offstage, Beyoncé doesn’t play down her look, either. Earlier this year she was photographed at Manchester airport wearing a pair of Saint Laurent crystal-encrusted boots worth about £7,000. Luckily, she was boarding a private jet, so didn’t have to wriggle out of them like the rest of us at security.
In Aretha’s heyday, she relied on the press running shots of her to gain coverage. Today’s divas use Instagram cleverly to curate and manage their own looks, thereby allowing fans to feel as if they’ve got an AAA pass to their lives. From glimpses behind the stage to emotional statements, today’s divas control a lot of power from the palm of their hand.
This no-doors-closed policy also makes it very easy to weed out the true divas from the try-hards. For example, J-LO would never tag a brand, whereas the Kardashian clan can’t get enough. And Céline Dion would never respond to trolling comments about her endless fashion selfies (Calvin Klein, Giambattista Valli and Céline feature highly). But having said that, there is a narrow line between who is a true diva versus who is a spoilt brat. Monday’s MTV Video Music Awards offer some pointers.
Rule 1. Your outfit needs to be Instagrammable from every angle. Even better if it’s turned into a viral meme. Nicki Minaj in a swimsuit and tulle seethrough skirt by Off-white nailed this.
Rule 2. Your overall look should cause someone on the internet to declare that you are akin to a “goddess”. J-LO in a silver chainmail body-con gown by Versace, with waist-long hair and dripping in diamonds, mastered this nicely. Even more so when she donned a Versacemonogrammed cape to perform in.
Rule 3. Numerous changes are mandatory. Making her first appearance since giving birth in July, the singer Cardi B walked the red carpet in a custom-made velvet dress by Lebanese designer Nicolas Jebran. For accepting the Best New Artist award, she changed into a scarlet strapless dress from the Beirut-based label Azzi and Osta. Finally, she switched into a black ruffled minidress for the after-party, where she was papped leaving eating a burger. You see, another important aspect of being a diva in 2018 is an attitude of #Keepingitreal. Even if that means doing so while wearing 100-carat emerald earrings.
As for diva behaviour, true divas can be as demanding as they like. Aretha was said to have requested that the air-con was turned off at a stadium performance as she felt cold on stage. Mariah Carey once reportedly refused to get out of a limousine until the hotel she was staying in provided a red carpet lined with white candles for her arrival. And while performing at the Super Bowl, Beyoncé is rumoured to have ensured that her daughter’s nursery was scented with rose-petal candles. Madonna took it one step further at Monday’s MTV VMAS ceremony. Asked to speak about the late soul singer, the 60-yearold delivered a five-minute speech where she mainly talked about, well, herself of course. It doesn’t get much more diva 2018 than turning a tribute about someone else into your own personal homage.