EXCLUSIVE: Beyoncé Channels ‘Nubian Warrior Queen’ at Wearable Art Gala
For Tina Knowles’ second annual Wearable Art Gala, Beyoncé chose a custom gown by design house Falguni Shane Peacock. Featuring metallic cutouts and a gold train, the dress played into the evening’s theme of Waco to Wakanda, the fictional world in which “Black Panther” takes place.
“We wanted to create an art statement, taking inspiration from the Nubian warrior queen [Amanishakheto],” said designers Falguni and Shane Peacock. “We felt it was the perfect inspiration when designing for such a strong woman like Beyoncé.” The Indian duo previously worked with Bey on the long black gown seen in her “Formation” video.
“The metallic cutouts are placed strategically to mimic the shape of armor, as worn by the Nubian armies,” the designers continued. “The elaborate gold train was added to create a 3-D effect that emphasized royalty. Between the metallic cutouts to the gold dramatic train, we attained an artistic statement while respecting the Nubian inspiration.”
“We worked closely with stylist Marni Senofonte, who told us that Beyoncé was in love with [the dress] as soon as she saw it,” added Falguni and Shane. “This gown took us countless hours over a span of 10 days to create.”
Beyoncé was honored with WACO Theater Center’s first Humanitarian Award at Saturday night’s gala. Her mother-in-law, Gloria Carter, was the inaugural recipient of the Everyday People Award.
Beyoncé and Jay Z recently revealed their second joint tour, “On the Run II,” which will kick off this summer. In April, Bey will resume her spot as Coachella headliner after backing out of last year’s festival due to her then-pregnancy with twins Sir and Rumi.
What can the BeyHive expect their reigning queen to wear when she hits the stage? Perhaps her golden streak will continue.
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Marni Senofonte: From Norma Kamali’s Assistant to Beyoncé’s Head Stylist
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