There's an André Leon Talley quote that's been floating around in my head recently when trying to watch anything new or when I'm scrolling mindlessly through Instagram. In 'The September Issue' documentary he claims, quite loudly, "There's a famine of beauty! My eyes are starving for beauty!" While that documentary is a few years old, that saying still seems relevant to use. Not much in media recently has been catching my attention in the world of costuming. That is until I finally got around to watching Beyoncé's new visual album 'Black Is King.' Now my eyes are no longer starving! They are well-fed and full to the brim!
The film is a visual extension for Beyoncé's 'The Gift,' the album that went along with the live-action Lion King that came out last year. 'Black Is King' is shown as a reiteration of The Lion King's story, but using people in replacement of the animals. By creating this masterpiece, not only has Beyoncé outdone herself once again with another extraordinary display of Blackness, but she has made an old story new again and used fashion to emphasize the story. Zerina Akers, a longtime stylist and costume designer for Beyoncé, was in charge of clothing every character and dancer and did so with so much intention and intricacy. While watching, I took a lot of notes on all that I was seeing. So many that it was starting to overwhelm me a little bit. So, for this post, I'd just like to talk about some moments and concepts about the fashion that stuck out to me the most!
*Just a little disclaimer, my pictures are sourced from Twitter, Google, and Vogue.com and do not belong to me.
Collaborating with Black Designers
Many designers got to have their moment to shine, like Balmain, Area, and Burberry, but it wouldn't be a Beyonce project without representation from Black designers. Destiny Bleu of d.bleu.dazzled supplied most of the decked-out crystal tights and bodysuits that had Beyoncé glittering like a disco ball. There were a few rope dresses brought to us by Deviant La Vie and shell accessories/headpieces by Lafalaise Dion. One of my favorite sequences in 'Mood 4 Eva' was the whimsical money-printed PJ set designed by Duckie Confetti. Had I known Beyoncé's website was selling it, I would have jumped into my savings account to grab it before it sold out.
Extreme Use of Animal Print
As to be expected, the film had many moments were prints were the focal point. We see Bey herself in layers of cow print in one song, and the next in a cheetah print bodysuit on top of a cheetah print car. The other players in the film were appropriately wearing matching prints as well. Having all that print over an entire ensemble was extreme but also made the scenes so elegant and wealthy looking.
Styling for the Kids
The adults weren't the only ones who were impeccably dressed. What I found interesting was how streamlined the costuming was for the actors who played young Simba and Nala. Matching the adults without it looking too overdone was a feat to me because they're physically smaller, of course, but still managed to garner my attention to them on screen. Another thing to note is Beyoncé's children making cameos as well. We saw plenty of Blue Ivy wearing matching outfits as her mother and seeing Rumi and Sir right at the end of the film.
'Mood 4 Eva' and the Swimming Sequence
If I had to choose a favorite segment from the film, it would have to be 'Mood 4 Eva.' The costumes are outrageous and wealthy looking with a strong emphasis on jewel tones. One moment that stuck out to me most throughout the song was a scene in which Beyoncé is joined in a pool by a team of Jamaican synchronized swimmers. Pink and orange is my favorite color combination of all time, and something about that ruffly bathing suit and matching gloves with the background dancers wearing orange suits behind her keeps replaying in my mind.
Overall, 'Black Is King' has a tremendous amount of fashion involved to aid along with the storytelling and celebration of African pride. If you haven't seen it yet, give it a view! I promise it won't disappoint.
See you on the next post!
Angela
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