Why do I love this job? For moments like Monday when my editors suddenly, casually, decide to hand me free tickets to the Beyonce' concert! Because "we're busy and you've been working so hard lately so...if you want to go, you can." If I want to? You're asking if I want a free pass to see the concert of the summer? To see the Single Ladies dance I've been performing in pajamas fiercely in front of my bedroom mirror, to the dismay of tenants on the first and second floor of my apt? Of course I want to!One make-up application and anxious cab ride later, I was sitting on the floor (!) one section from the stage sipping a beer and anticipating the show-shopping spectacle that is the B experience. And Queen B did not disappoint the throngs of divas who filled NYC's famed Madison Square Garden.
Beyonce' flipped, flew, twirled, shimmied and sashayed for what was one of the most exhilarating concerts I've seen since Janet Jackson's Velvet Rope tour. But as I'm chatting with the ex-EIC of Giant Magazine, Emil Wilbekin (love him!), I realize that the Thierry Mugler designed costumes are way more exciting than the actual show. Wait, don't stop reading. Stay with me. Here's why.
The French designer's couture creations are the stuff of legend: otherworldly, dramatic silhouettes and extravagant embellishments inspired by everything from the insect kingdom to cartoon heroines. Impossibly tiny waists, exaggerated hips, shoulder pads and overstated collars are all a part of his signature style.
But sadly the curtain closed on Thierry Mugler's theatrical designs when the house shut its couture division in 2003 (and he focused his energy toward perfumes). Though it reopened for a Winter 2008 collection, Thierry Mugler's "Sasha Warrior" designs for Beyonce' mark a return to fashion...and maybe, the comeback the fashion world has been buzzing about. Even if Mugler's couture creations don't go further than this tour, they still mark the marriage of our favorite pop goddess and a legendary, hyper-creative designer. Take a glimpse at their love child, the costumes, onstage below. Fierceness, indeed!
Beyonce's elegant white leotard and flowing hooded jacket for "Brokenhearted Girl." How she managed to stay in pumps all night, I'll never understand!
No, your eyes aren't deceiving you. Beyonce's dancers are transforming her leotard into a wedding gown for her gorgeous rendition of "Ave Maria." She's such an over-the-top pageant queen...and I LOVE it!
A blurry picture (sorry, we were dancing) of Thierry Mugler's masterpiece! A vampy, superwoman costume, complete with fading fishnet tights and floorlength leather!
::Gasps:: The dramatic exaggerated shoulders! I'm dying!
Her costume for "Like a Boy": The aviators and leather dominatrix get-up? Cross-dressing at it's best.
OMG! Futuristic B in a metal jumpsuit with leather cut-outs!! If there was a comic book for divas and trannies, she'd SO be the super-heroine!
Miss Bey served up the glitz and glam in a metallic corset while performing "Baby Boy"---suspended in the air! So fab.
Love it! I feel inspired to put on these costumes and strut down Broadway to the nearest ball competition. The divas needed a new leader and a Thierry Mugler-clad Beyonce is it.
Tell me Glamazons: What's your favorite costume? And for those who saw the show, what moment did you love the most?! Oh and for fun, guess what my favorite costume is! Hint for faithful Glam readers: it has EVERYTHING to do with the eye make-up for my Halloween costume =)
Kisses,
Coutura