Crystal-studded bodysuit with trompe l'oeil breasts and nipples is among costumes for Mrs Carter Show
As she embarks on the first dates of a sellout four-month world tour which takes in 42 cities, Beyoncé's status as the world's most powerful female star has never looked more assured. But controversy over her risqué stage outfits is causing cracks to appear in her claim over another lucrative title – that of America's sweetheart.
One outfit in particular has proved divisive this week. A crystal-studded bodysuit hand-painted with trompe l'oeil breasts and nipples, designed by the New York label The Blonds has raised eyebrows. The deliberately provocative outfit has a distinct showgirl feel and has prompted commentary beyond fashion circles. The US sociologist Dr Hilary Levey Friedman told Fox News: "You have to wonder what one of Beyoncé's biggest fans, Michelle Obama, would tell her daughters about this outfit."
So far, any kind of "crystal-nipplegate" scandal has yet to emerge. But it is conceivable that following the furore over lipsynching at the inauguration, and a chilly statement from the White House distancing the administration from the trip taken by Beyoncé and her husband, Jay Z, to Cuba, the Carters' position at the heart of the presidential court has been weakened.
Meanwhile reaction inside the fashion world has centred on the costumes' aesthetic value. Designers Phillipe and David Blond told Womenswear Daily that their outfit, which was intended "to give the illusion of being covered in crystallised honey", was handpainted on to a bespoke bustier suit for anatomical accuracy and then "hand-embroidered with approximately 30,000 Swarovski crystals that took over 600 hours to apply". The designers cited Tamara de Lempicka's paintings of the female body as a reference – although some observers were struck by a connection to the pneumatic nudes of the cartoonist R Crumb.
It is unlikely that the star's PR machine will be ruffled by the week's sartorial debate. Perhaps in a deliberate attempt to provoke media attention and chatter there is a stark contrast between the stage wardrobe – which takes Vegas showgirl sequins, hotpants and bare thighs as its central themes – and the demure persona suggested by the tour's moniker The Mrs Carter Show.
Fashion watchers have noted that Beyoncé has opted for glamour and impact over fashion kudos: while she could command bespoke outfits from any designer on the planet, she has worked with many lesser-known names. Designers who have contributed to the Mrs Carter wardrobe include Ralph & Russo, who made a white crystal and pearl bodysuit with peplum ruff in which Beyoncé opened the tour. Vretto Vrettakes, a Greek-born Royal College of Art graduate, has contributed a shimmering blue catsuit to the tour wardrobe. Dean and Dan Caten, the designers behind the Italian label Dsquared2, well known on the Milanese catwalk circuit but not quite household names, have also been involved.
One A-list exception is Givenchy's Riccardo Tisci, who designed a black sequinned leotard and matching animal-eared riding hat, which riffs on the Playboy Bunny aesthetic. Tisci is a co-host, with Beyoncé, of next month's Met Ball at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, an event considered to be the most exclusive night on the international fashion calendar. The inclusion of the Givenchy brand assures that the Mrs Carter look retains the singer's place in fashion's upper echelons.
Despite the controversy over whether the look is too risqué or not cutting edge enough, the real measure of the success or otherwise of the Mrs Carter tour wardrobe may come later. Over recent years stage costumes have garnered an interest beyond the life of a particular tour or album. Exhibitions of musicians' most iconic stage looks have proved increasingly popular. The V&A's current David Bowie exhibition – to which fashion is central – is doing brisk business, and although it is unlikely that Beyoncé's crystal bodysuit will ever earn the status of the metallic Ziggy Stardust bodysuit designed by Kansai Yamamoto in 1971, in terms of the lasting impact of a tour wardrobe, the basic tenet is: the more controversial, the better.
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