Cardi B has spoken candidly about her fashion sense and the challenges she’s faced when designers style her.
The singer, 31, opened up about her sense of style – including her eye-catching red carpet looks – during an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, as part of the publication’s annual “Power Stylists” issue. During the conversation, which featured the rapper’s stylist, Kollin Carter, Cardi spoke candidly about her figure, noting that it can be tricky to find looks that work for her.
“There are so many obstacles against us. For example, this body is not meant for a size two. I’m very hips, a**, and that’s me,” she said.
The “Bodak Yellow” singer emphasised that while fans don’t see this, it’s quite a process for her and her stylist to find that iconic outfit for a star-studded event.
“It was not easy, but we make it look easy. Our door was closed many times,” she said. “But we’re here because we do it well. I’m not going to be humble about it.”
Carter then praised the looks he and Cardi B have created together, expressing that they’ve “reached into archives that are impossible to reach into,” over the years. He also acknowledged how the musician has shaped the fashion industry in her own way.
“We caused a cultural shift. I don’t think there were many women like Cardi who existed in the fashion space,” he said. “Now there are a ton of other rap females who aspire to be in that space because they see what’s possible. We set trends.”
During the interview, Carter discussed specific fashion moments with Cardi B, including when she wore four different looks to last year’s Met Gala, which was in honour of late fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. While on the red carpet at the 2023 event, Cardi B turned heads when she posed in a quilted leather ball gown, paired with a black tie, white shirt, and headband.
“Karl Lagerfeld was such a force, so I wanted to pay tribute to him but also incorporate elements of Chanel, one of Cardi’s favourite houses,” he said, noting that the gown took 300 atelier hours to make.
However, according to Carter, his most memorable experience with Cardi B was at the Met Gala in 2019, when she wore a floor-length oxblood custom Thom Browne gown that featured a mammoth train made up of concentric circles that spanned around 10 feet.
“That look broke Cardi B into the next level of the fashion world. People who didn’t take us seriously were like: ‘Okay, they’re here to stay,’” he said.
Aside from the Met Gala, Cardi B has continued to make a fashion statement at other red-carpet events. While attending the 2023 MTV VMAs in August 2023, she stunned in a dress that was made entirely of silver hair clips and pearls.
Cardi B paired the embellished dress with matching arm cuffs, which featured the hair accessory. She also completed the look with a sleek and straight hairstyle that was parted down the middle.
While arriving at the awards show at the time, Cardi B opened up about her creativity when it comes to her fashion choices. “I’m a creative. I have to be creative with everything, with my clothes, with my pictures, everything. My visions have got to come to life,” she told MTV.
