Queen Bey graced Monday night’s CFDA Awards, where she received the Fashion Icon Award. And in true Beyoncé form, her ensemble did not disappoint (as if that could ever happen). She delivered her speech in tribute to her family — especially her mother and first fashion designer — wearing a Givenchy beaded outfit with, yes, a Formation-themed wide-brimmed hat.
As she stood in all of her designer glitz, Bey threw it back to a time when her mother’s carefully crafted designs were her only option — brand names didn’t want to dress an unknown girl’s group from Texas:
“When we were starting out in Destiny’s Child, a lot of labels didn’t really want to dress four black, country, curvy girls. But we couldn’t afford designer dresses. My mother was rejected from every showroom in New York. But like my grandmother, she used her talent and creativity to give her children their dreams. My mother, God bless her soul, designed all of our first costumes, designed each piece by hand, individually sewing hundreds of crystals and pearls, putting so much passion and love into every small detail. When I went to go up onstage I felt like Khaleesi. It was so much deeper than any brand name. My mother is so fabulous and beautiful and is here tonight. My mother actually designed my wedding dress, my prom dress, my first CFDA Awards dress, my first Grammy dress, and the list goes on and on. And this to me is the true power and potential of passion. It’s a tool for finding your own identity and passion, expression and truth. It transcends style and is a time capsule for all of our greatest milestones.”
And she finished up with a poignant note. Cue the tears:
“I encourage you to not forget this power that you have, or take it lightly. We have an opportunity to live in a society where any girl can look at a Billboard magazine cover and see her own reflection. You have the power to change perception, to inspire and empower and to show people how to embrace their complications and see the flaws and the true beauty and strength that’s inside all of us.”
Well, Bey, thanks for slaying once again. And for wearing that hat.
With reporting by Véronique Hyland.
