#TBT: When I Styled Beyonce

Photography Trunk Archive/ Michael Thompson

I styled Beyonce for the first time ever back in 2002 when I was the Fashion Director at W magazine. I remember being obsessed with Destiny’s Child at the time but there was something so magnetic about the lead singer, Beyonce. I pitched her to my Editor-in-Chief, informing him that she was going to be a huge star and we should give her her first cover— just her. This was months before it would be announced that she was going to star in Austin Powers “Goldmember” even. He trusted me and we did it. I arrived at our shoot that morning with an evening dress that I thought would be perfect for her.

We struggled to shoot it for a few hours but then I put her in a look from the new designer Nicholas Ghesquiere for Balenciaga - a chain mail top and karate pants - and she just came to life. That was it! But it was an inside spread of her dancing (in a Bob Mackie dress no less) air-playing an Anna Sui guitar that she really gave me the biggest look into Queen B yet: After jumping and dancing nonstop for 20 minutes in towering heels, I asked her if she was ok. She very politely explained to me that after all these years of performing, she can ONLY dance in heels now. I’ll never forget that and I am so excited I styled her first big American magazine cover. #HappyBirthdayBeyonce

JZ XO