The Best And Worst Outfits Worn By Beyonce

If fashion is the lifeblood of the music industry, then Beyoncé is at the heart of it. Since the late '90s, the trendsetting singer has been hitting higher standards in both music and fashion that few beyond herself have been able to touch. From red carpets to music videos to concerts and even album covers, Beyoncé could be anywhere and people would sit up to take notice. Her influence as a cultural icon is beyond compare, as is her unique sense of aesthetic that is discernible in every move she makes. 

As Beyoncé said while receiving an honor at the 2016 CFDA Fashion Awards, "This to me is the true power and potential of fashion. It's a tool for finding your own identity, expression, and strength. It transcends style and is a time capsule of all of our greatest milestones." After a record 32 Grammys and a videography that continues to elevate the game, there is little doubt about Beyoncé's artistic sensibilities. It may sometimes come as a mixed bag but to err is only human. And, no matter how much taller she stands than the rest of the world, there's no denying that Queen Bey is one of us. Here's a roster of the best and worst outfits worn by Beyoncé. 

Flaunting one's own face on an outfit without being judged for it is a privilege not everyone can afford. As music royalty, Beyoncé is exempt from these mortal considerations. So when the 32-time Grammy awardee showed up to music's biggest night in 2017 wearing a gown with her profile embroidered right in the middle of it, the world had no choice but to bow down to her. Her elaborate golden regalia was designed by Peter Dundas, who worked a number of culturally meaningful art motifs to his creation: "I like creating stories within a garment," he told Vogue. "It was a fun way to celebrate the moment for her." 

Besides adding an award to her record-setting tally, that Grammys night was also significant for the reason that it marked Beyoncé's first major appearance since her second pregnancy was announced. Dundas made glorious use of the occasion by adding sentimental details like ivy-covered cherubs — a tribute to all of Beyoncé's three children — around her baby bump, turning the singer into a powerful life-sized symbol of womanhood. That her natural hair was adorned by a crown-like headdress from the House of Malakai made her look even more like the golden goddess that she is. We're crazy in love with this look.

No matter how hard we try, we just don't love Beyoncé's 2015 Met Gala outfit. Turns out, we're not alone; as Vanity Fair pointed out, while it certainly had its fans, other onlookers failed to make any sense of its many fantastic elements. There was the dress, of course — a Givenchy creation that was all sheer, save for some strategically placed embellishments all across. The Washington Post, which dubbed the outfit a "bedazzled scrim," noted that the dress had little to do with the annual glamorous fundraiser's "China: Through the Looking Glass" theme. 

Can we also talk about the hair while we're here? The high-top, too-tight ponytail is a fashion statement not everyone can pull off at any given event — unless one is named Ariana Grande. Though Queen Bey has certainly aced the hairstyle on other occasions, it probably wasn't the best choice alongside a dress that already had so much going on. As it turns out, the hair was a last-minute touch-up before Beyoncé's magnificently late arrival to the ball. Hairstylist Neal Farinah told Us Weekly that the singer switched out her chignon for a ponytail in the elevator for fear of appearing "costumey." But really, what is the Met if not an annual costume parade? 

A lookbook of Beyoncé's best Y2K fits will never be complete without her BET Awards dress from 2003. Yup, that barely-there purple number with a plunging neckline and a pleated miniskirt. It was an unforgettable look, selected from Versace's ready-to-wear spring collection from that year — and Beyoncé did complete justice to it. She rocked out in it during her performance of "Crazy in Love," the unrivaled chart-topping winner from her debut solo album that was then propelling her to dizzying new heights of fame. BET's annual award show was only in its third year, and Beyoncé set the event stage on fire. 

It was only fitting then for the dress to make a comeback at the award show where it made its debut. And who better than the next-gen queen of Hollywood to do the honors? Zendaya blessed the world with a major collective throwback moment by attending the 2021 BET Awards in a version of the Versace dress Beyoncé wore two decades ago. The look was arranged by the actor's go-to stylist Law Roach as a homage to the music legend, as shared on his Instagram. 

Fans took no time to recognize the look, which has come to be near-synonymous with "Crazy in Love." The biggest nod of approval, however, came from Beyoncé's mother Tina Knowles, who was all praises for Zendaya on social media. She even slipped in a bit of trivia about how she personally snipped some inches off the original ankle-scraping design for her daughter's performance. 

Beyoncé slipped in and out of six outfits at the Global Citizen Festival in 2018. One in particular caught the eye of viewers — not least because it was hard to miss really. The Ashi Studio gown flaunted endless layers of big and bold fuchsia ruffles that made Beyoncé look like a moving, singing art exhibit. It made for grand visuals, no doubt, but gave the impression that the musical icon was all but drowning under the couture piece's large collar and even larger train. We just wish there was more of Queen Bey than drama to the dress. 

That wasn't the only reason Beyoncé's pink gown failed to impress. The showy outfit had already once made an impact on public consciousness when actor Deepika Padukone strutted down the Cannes red carpet in it — and earlier that same year, too. The Indian superstar's outfit had inspired a barrage of memes – with social media comparing her to pencil shavings, candy floss, dinosaurs and whatnot — that could just as well be applied to Beyoncé by extension as well. To top it all, the dress found itself at the center of heated online discussions about white male privilege and gender imbalances, with Queen Bey's look starkly contrasting her duet companion Ed Sheeran's plain, low-effort outfit. 

Beyoncé sure knows how to brighten up the brightest color on the color wheel. Draped in a resplendent yellow gown that more than deserves to go down in the books as one of Beyoncé's finest fashion moments, the music icon strutted into the London premiere of "The Lion King" in 2019. The crimped, cutout-laden organza number came from the house of pioneering Vietnamese designer Nguyen Cong Tri. Its asymmetrical design – in particular, a super daring thigh-high slit — ensured generous skin show from the singer, who lent her legendary voice to the iconic character of Nala as well as a music album accompanying the remake of the 1994 original. 

We're not sure if it was the color, the context, the carpet, or just Queen Bey herself, but her golden look channeled a regal aura befitting a lioness. It would not be an overstatement to claim that she shone even brighter than the two most important luminaries at the premiere: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. In fact, ET reported that the British royals had to actually wait for Beyoncé, who — nothing less than royalty herself — showed up late to the event. Or should we say, fashionably late? With a fit that good, not even Harry and Meghan would have minded hanging back for a few extra minutes. 

The coming together of powerhouse performers Coldplay and Beyoncé in 2015 for "Hymn for the Weekend" was a seismic event. The cultural metaphors they used, not so much. The music video, shot in India, came under heavy fire for its extravagant use of generic visual clichés associated with the South Asian country. Significant criticism was reserved for Beyoncé, who seemed to be wearing more a disguise than a real outfit. Decked up in excessive jewelry, henna, and a head cover, she looked like an exoticized Indian fantasy brought to life. Though she rocked the golden lip like only she could, the rest of her look just didn't cut it. 

It's not as if Queen Bey has zero experience with Indian wear. Out of her many dazzling outfits on the Renaissance World Tour, one was a sari-inspired gown by Indian designer Gaurav Gupta that she wore for her show in Atlanta. She was also among the best-dressed global artists at a wedding hosted by one of India's richest men in 2018, flaunting a series of traditional looks that garnered way more positive feedback than her "Hymn for the Weekend" fiasco. The only saving grace, if at all, was Beyoncé's second look in the video that showed her in an elaborate (and more accurately representative) outfit featuring traditional Indian hand embroidery by designer duo Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla.

Beyoncé had a major leather moment at the Super Bowl in 2016. (Or should we say leather had a major moment, thanks to Beyoncé?) The "Single Ladies" hitmaker delivered a larger-than-life performance at the football championship's halftime show that got the whole world talking. While that's not unusual for a Beyoncé show, her Super Bowl 50 act was distinct in how politically charged it was, especially in the context of the Black Lives Matter movement. At the center of this musical protest spearheaded by her song "Formation" was Beyoncé's outfit — a military-inspired black leather jacket with gold detailing over a bodysuit — that became a cultural phenomenon itself. 

"Bey knows what she wants and we were happy to work with her on this," designers at Dsquared2, which created the look, told E! News. They added that the getup was based on the idea of a warrior leader, not Michael Jackson, as was widely suggested at the time. The late King of Pop, for whom black and gold were signature colors, was not the only contentious entity to be associated with the look. Many viewers could make out influences of the Black Panther Party on the performance, with designer Zana Bayne confirming to Mashable that the radical political party was indeed used as a reference point for the costumes she designed for Beyoncé's backup dancers. 

Just when we thought Beyoncé 2015 Met Gala's look missed the mark, the fashion-forward diva went ahead and topped it with another odd choice just the next year. Queen Bey showed up for fashion's biggest night at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2016, squeezed into a latex number that was deemed a head-turner for all the wrong reasons. Latex outfits are never not a gamble but, given Beyoncé's otherworldly ability to make anything look good, audiences probably expected more from the look than what it delivered; a steady stream of memes compared the "Halo" hitmaker to everything from a giant condom to a fruit roll-up. 

Of course, she still looked stunning in the figure-hugging, albeit strange, piece from the house of Givenchy — we're talking about Beyoncé, after all — but we'd be lying if we said it was one of her best. The puffed shoulders, skin-tight sleeves, and all-around bead detailing created a peculiar effect, to say the least.

That said, Beyoncé's now-iconic dress was definitely a moment for latex clothing in its most unique forms. As New York's famous latex fitter known simply as the Baroness, who helped Beyoncé slip into her Met gown, told Vice, "The styling of her dress was very conservative. ... I'm hoping that people seeing [it] will see that latex isn't what you think it is." And hey, at least it fit the theme of "Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology."

If ever there was a perfect visual of what it means to be dripping with diamonds, it has to be Beyoncé's look from the album cover of "Dangerously in Love." In 2003, Beyoncé rocked the music market with a successful solo album and an equally successful cover look that no one has been able to (or wants to) forget. A top that was really just a bejeweled net, dangerously low-waisted jeans, silver eye makeup — it was millennial aesthetic at its kitschy best. And, as often happens in stories that become legend, it all came together by sheer chance. 

In true D.I.Y. spirit of the Y2K era, Beyoncé's diamond top was fashioned out of a pair of pants that pop goddess Cher once wore. Her mother Tina Knowles took to Instagram, reflecting on how she commissioned jewelry designer Jose Barrera to turn Cher's embellished piece around for her daughter. But there was a bit of an unseen hitch. 

Photographer Markus Klinko recalled for Insider that his star model didn't want to wear the diamond top with the skirts her mom had in mind. "This is going to look very prom or red carpet and I don't want to do that," Beyoncé apparently said. Klinko had an easy fix: denim. The only jeans at hand were Klinko's own pair — but Beyoncé didn't mind. And so, with Klinko's pants and Cher's former pants was born a look that is as timeless as Beyoncé herself. 

Beyoncé's Renaissance tour was as much a fashion bonanza as it was a musical one. The queen of putting up a performance, Beyoncé did lots to thrill audiences with her loud and proud sartorial choices throughout the concert run, starting with a golden bodysuit that she wore to her inaugural show in Sweden. Designed by Spanish luxury label Loewe, the outfit became one of the most discussed and dissected pieces from Beyoncé's tour. The glittering one-piece featured vivid detailing of silhouettes all along the body, with hand motifs splayed across the singer's chest and down her abdomen creating immense audience impact. 

The artistic symbolism of it was hard to miss, as fans also pointed out, with the motifs resembling Botticelli's Renaissance-era masterpiece, The Birth of Venus. Who better suited than Queen Bey to shoulder that heavy legacy? As for Loewe, the brand first brought the nail-painted hands into play at their 2022 Fall Winter Collection, describing the range as constituting "fashion that entices a reaction, stripped bare to a crude primitiveness with the thrill of kink" (via Instagram). Beyoncé's handsy bodysuit sure managed to entice a reaction as well. Many fans dubbed it one of the best looks of the tour, but it just didn't totally grab us like so many of the other ensembles did. Beyond the sensationalism it offered — as well as the illusion of a four-armed singer — the outfit didn't really have much else to be counted as a Beyoncé best. 

Beyoncé in a golden bodysuit. It's inarguably one of the most famous images to ever exist of the music icon. While the "Say My Name" songstress has a diverse catalog of golden bodysuit looks she has shined in over the years, the prototype piece dates back to 2009. Queen Bey had kicked off her I Am... world tour that year and — just like in her Renaissance concerts — stunned audiences with one dazzling outfit after another. A glittering sequined bodysuit, which put ample cleavage and her sleek legs on display, was an instant winner right from the inaugural show at New York City's Madison Square Garden. 

The figure-hugging piece — teamed with statement studs and a free-flowing golden mane — was the creation of Thierry Mugler. As the chief creative advisor, the French designer had all but the final word on everything visual on tour — including, of course, Beyoncé's outfits. He summed up the pulse of the designs he conceived for the tour in a single statement to Women's Wear Daily: "The duality between being a woman and a warrior." And we daresay he brought his concept to life in the very best way, immortalizing the imagery of Beyoncé in a golden bodysuit. 

We seriously don't know where Queen Bey's head was at when she believed whoever told her this dress was a good idea. The fashion misfire dates back to 2003, when Beyoncé showed up at VH1's Big in '03 award show looking like someone who rushed out the door wearing the first things in their wardrobe they could lay their hands on. Everything was a mismatch — from the fur-lined pink corset to the mermaid-cut satin skirt. The latter was an eyesore in particular, doing little for the curvy goddess with a shape that can only be described as unflattering. Oh, and did we mention it was all crease-town in the back? 

Of course, none of that could upstage Beyoncé's glory when she went up to receive the honor for 2003's biggest entertainer — albeit in front of a sparse audience, as Variety noted. That there were few people to witness this fashion moment probably came as a blessing, because this fur-corset-satin ensemble could definitely go down in history as one of the legendary singer's more forgettable looks. (Special shoutout for Bey's unforgettable Y2K bangs, though.) 

Beyoncé could show up in a casual sweatshirt and shorts combo and slay with success. We're not exaggerating; this actually happened. The 2018 Coachella Festival — a cultural moment in music history now better known as Beychella — was all about the Grammy winner's headlining act centered around the theme of homecoming. For her iconic performance — which was later turned into a concert film of the same name — Beyoncé showed up in staple collegiate garb comprising oversized sweatshirts and denim cutoffs. A pair of fringed holographic boots added a touch of Queen Bey's signature drama to the basic ensemble. 

Her yellow Balmain sweatshirt created a frenzy, with the luxury fashion house reproducing a merch collection of the pullover for fans starving to buy Beyoncé's Coachella looks. This release was a charity initiative to support the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) for the empowerment of Black students and culture — a core theme of the Beychella wardrobe. Every aspect of it, down to the last glittering Greek applique on her sweatshirt, was scrutinized for meaning by her Beyhive sorority members. As Balmain designer Olivier Rousteing told The Cut, "When you work with B, you want to make sure that every single detail is something unforgettable." 

Is it a brooch? Is it a Christmas ornament? No, it's Beyoncé in a dress. The music queen embraced over-the-top fashion with open arms at the afterparty of the London premiere of her 2023 concert film "Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé." The ritz of the star-studded event — which had mega-celebrities like Taylor Swift and Blake Lively in attendance — could not outshine Beyoncé's flashy attire for the evening. Luxury fashion house Balmain dressed her in the jewel-encrusted minidress they said served as a reminder "that she is indeed the one-and-only Alien Superstar" (via Instagram). A pair of black opera gloves accented the look. 

Honestly, we love to see Beyoncé's experiments in fashion. But this silver structured suit, with all its pointed contours and flamboyant jewels — in particular that ostentatious one bang in the center — was more complicated than necessary. Her fans were left confused as well. On Instagram, some users likened her to holiday decor — a fitting comparison, given the premiere's timing in December — while others wondered about the inconvenience of the dress, especially in the event of nature calling on Queen Bey.