Badu has been unafraid to lean into culturally loaded beauty and fashion, routinely donning bangles and arm cuffs, tribal makeup, and kente cloth. But her approach never feels heady or laborious. Case in point: Badu keeping things fresh and fun with a denim-on-demin-on-denim look at the 1999 Soul Train Awards.
The star has not rested on her laurels over the years, either. Steady reinvention and evolution are at the heart of her style journey. The release of Badu’s 2000 album, Mama’s Gun, saw the star lean into even bolder looks: green-tinged micro braids for the 2002 Grammys red carpet; an afro and a cutoff band-tee for the same event a year later. She even has generated buzz for wearing, well, nothing. Her powerful 2010 visual for “Window Seat”—which featured the star slowly shedding her clothes in downtown Dallas—naturally made headlines.
In more recent years, Badu has embraced boldly oversized silhouettes and pieces. Think toddler-height bowler hats, voluminous overcoats, dramatic bell sleeves, a suit dress with a train evocative of freshly picked cotton. The evolution feels like a natural and exciting progression for a star who has said a lot through her fashion. As of late, she has turned more and more to luxury brands for assistance, most notably Thom Browne. The star attended the brand’s spring 2023 show in a Southern Gothic-leaning androgynous and brooding suit by the American designer. At 51, Badu is a powerful illustration that style only gets better—and more skillfully refined—with age.
Below, check out some of Erykah Badu’s most memorable looks over the years.
Erykah Badu performing at One Love Bob Marley Festival Oracabessa, Jamaica December 4 1999. (Photo by David Corio/Redferns)David Corio
Source: Vogue