It’s no coincidence that Beyoncé wore a Middle Eastern designer for her first concert in four years. , she took the opportunity to shine a spotlight on local talent.
She invited her daughter, Blue Ivy, to perform together for the first time in a duet of “Brown Skin Girl”. In a playful glittery red sequin jumpsuit designed by her grandmothers Knowles-Lawson and Timothy White, Ivy shows no signs of stage fright and dances in her adorable waist-length chunky platform sneakers. “Give it up for my baby, dark-skinned girl, Miss Blue Ivy Carter,” Beyoncé said, introducing her 11-year-old to the audience. The gently choreographed mother-daughter moment was the most moving of the night.
Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
For one-third of the 75-minute concert, Beyoncé changed her first outfit into a fiery red bodysuit with a corset, donning a matching train and Nicholas Gevran gloves. It’s not the first time they’ve worked together. The Lebanese designer, whose celebrity clients include Jennifer Lopez, Gigi Hadid and Cindy Crawford, wore the dress for the first time at the 2014 MTV Music Awards and again at the 2018 Grammy Awards. The full-skirted silhouette is a nod to the “Emirati woman” and “royal attire,” a nod to the love of “gold accessories and solid colors.” Fittingly, the costume was completed with a sunburst-style crown.
Beyoncé tapped Ukrainian designer Ivan Frolov for a different tuck for the finale. She slipped off the stage and sang “Crazy in Love” into the hotel’s seashell-shaped fountain. Frolov says he launched his eponymous brand in 2015 and continues to live and work in the Ukrainian capital despite the ongoing conflict. “This shows that Ukrainian brands continue to introduce their resistance and culture to the world.”
