23 BALLROOM D IVA

BEYONCÉ

LAST SUMMER, WHILE she was in L.A. to attend the Wearable Art Gala, co-founded by her mom, Tina Knowles-Lawson, Beyoncé dropped her latest bomb and announced her upcoming Renaissance tour, which will kick off this summer. The world went appropriately nuts. From the visuals we’ve seen since her landmark 2022 album dropped, Beyoncé and her stylist Marni Senofonte are gearing up for a show for the ages. Beyoncé’s Renaissance- era fashion has been a blazing blend of late-Seventies Studio 54 allure, futuristic drag, and a whole lot of body. Last year, she showcased devilish corsets by Luis De Javier, metallic bodysuits by Nusi Quero, La Perla lingerie, a chain garter by Natalia Fedner, pleated gowns from Gucci, and custom pieces from what often feels like every brand under the sun. When your idea of accessorizing means riding a horse into a bar like Bianca Jagger, or carrying a matching silver laser like Jane Fonda in Barbarella, you’ve already left the rest of the pack way behind. “There are so many different versions of her,” her longtime stylist Zerina Akers said recently, alluding to the challenge of finding new ways to collaborate with an artist who has been on top for such a long time. “How can I, as a stylist, find that new version?” Why isn’t Queen Bey a little higher on the list? Only because her 2022 left us so psyched to see what she has in store for 2023. Beyoncé does not know the meaning of arriving quietly, but she does know how to tease a crowd hungry for more.