We’ve seen the incredible catsuits, the nipple-tastic bodices and the glittering heels but up close and personal, Beyonce’s tour wardrobe is more spectacular than we could’ve imagined. Grazia Daily was treated to a behind-the-scenes tour at the O2 Arena today where we had a glimpse at what goes down backstage on The Mrs. Carter Show – and trust us, this is a massively impressive, meticilously planned operation.

Keeping it in the family: Tina styles Beyonce’s tour wardrobe

Just a few hours before the singing superstar takes to the stage, the atmosphere is surprisingly calm with dancers and backing singers not showing a hint of pre-show jitters, and although feathers are still being sewn onto dresses, there’s not an ounce of panic. It’s a glimpse into Beyonce’s world where we imagine no sequin goes to waste and no curl is left unfurled. Unlike Rihanna who caused outrage when she emerged on stage hours late, audiences have enjoyed show after show that begins been bang on time with Bey performing with upmost aplomb.

That resilient work ethic is evident when we meet Beyonce’s mum. Tina Knowles created those wonderfully wacky Destiny Child outfits (scout chic, anyone) and of course, she runs her own fashion line, House Of Dereon, so now that the singer is touring the world, who better to have on hand than Muma Knowles

‘Regal and royal was the theme of the wardrobe,’ Tina reveals when we meet her in the ginormous Mrs. Carter dressing room. ‘We took a cue from the O2’s commercial which had a queen theme.’ Remember the commercial sees Beyonce swooping through palatial luxury swathed in a lavish ballgown ‘For the very first scene, Ralph & Russo created these amazing stage outfits because we wanted something over the top and queen-like but modern,’ she says. ‘They nailed it with the white outfit.’ Hear, hear.

Tina’s faves: Beyonce wears Kenzo and Ralph & Russo on tour for Mrs. Carter Show

As a group of workers beaver away on sewing machines, Tina oversees the action like the captain of a super-stylish ship. She guides us through endless rails of bootilicious outfits featuring fierce black leather, sexy cut-outs and sparkly tassles – and there’s not one piece out of place. Everything has a named label and the gazillion shoes are laid out in orderly rows.

‘It’s been great to work with some amazing designers,’ Ms Knowles tells us, nonchantly listing names from Givenchy to Pucci. ‘Beyonce’s worked with almost every brand and we try to discover new designers too. Ty Hunter and Raquel Smith are Beyonce’s stylists and they’re always in search for new designers to bring in.’

Speaking of which, Tina has developed a style crush on our very own David Koma. ‘His designs are really innovative and we wanted something different so we used his skirts.’ Does she have a favourite ensemble ‘I love the Kenzo outfit. It’s African inspired and I like the movement of it, it’s really cool with the choreography.’ 

As for costume dramas, the 59-year-old says it’s all part of the job. ‘Beyonce makes nine costume changes so you’re going to have little things that go wrong,’ she tells us. ‘You just have to think really quickly because you literally have 30 or 40 seconds to change so she’s become a master at it.’ As for Tina, she’s become a master herself when it comes to making the clothes stage-friendly. ‘The designer pieces are beautiful but the team here put in zippers and hidden openings. There are little secrets we can do and there’s lots of double-sided tape!’

There is, however, only so much you can prepare for. ‘We practice the quick changes as much as possible but often the outfits aren’t totally settled until the day of the concert. And it’s an ongoing process. Beyonce studies her performances on film and makes changes for two to three weeks during the tour so things can change at any time.’

Will the changes be nothing short of perfect We’d bet our concert tickets they will be.

Check out Beyonce’s incredible tour wardrobe in the gallery below and stay tuned as we bring you more details from behind-the-scenes at the O2…

White tee, £10, Topshop
Printed shorts, £400.50, Kenzo at Farfetch.com
Black ankle boots, £95, Rihanna for River Island
Gold earrings, £85, Aqua by Aqua

After months of waiting, yesterday was B-day. Beyonce, or should we say Mrs Carter, as her new album and tour are both called was in town for the second night of her Mrs Carter Worldwide tour London performances – and as expected she was on fire. Despite rumours of unnecessary wardrobe changes we couldn’t have been happier about her whopping nine costumes.

As you may have already read, Beyoncé along with her stylist Ty Hunter and her mother Tina Knowles has recruited some of the most glamorous designers from around the globe to design her tour wardrobe including Julien Macdonald, Peter Dundas, Dsquared2, Ralph and Russo, Kenzo and Stuart Weitzman, and when it comes to pre-show preparations and outfits tweaks, as Tina exclusively told Graziadaily – everything is run like clockwork. Now, whilst we don’t recommend channelling her signature curve hugging body suits as your casual every day look, we have been inspired. Check out our top 5 Beyonce moments from last night’s concert below and check out how you can steal her style too…

1. Flaws and All –  Beyonce performs one of our favourite tracks from her 2006 album B’Day, where she talks about the trials and tribulations of being a woman and women’s insecurities. It was as if she read our minds. Wise words B, wise words.

2. The passport incident – one of Beyonce’s crazed fans threw their passport onto the stage to catch her attention. Beyonce noticed and immediately said “Are y’all crazy! Y’all gonna get this back. Y’all need this!” Beyonce, you can do no wrong.

3. Les Twins – the identical twin brothers Laurent and Larry are French dancers, choreographers, and models are the only male dancers in Beyonce’s troupe.  Recognized internationally for their talents in new style hip-hop dancing – and of course, they were super cute!

4. Her blue crystal cat suit – by far the most show stopping outfit of the night – our New Year’s Eve outfit inspiration Definitely food for thought.

5. Grown Woman – fingers crossed this amazing Afro-beat tune is set to be her new single. With amazing Kenzo costumes and graphic visuals with giraffes and lions, you’ll be skipping home with this tune in your head.

Cabin crew are known for their pristine uniforms and perfect red lippie, but the girls at Virgin Atlantic have upped the fashion stakes as Dame Vivienne Westwood has redesigned their iconic red uniform. Oh to have to wear Westwood to work.

Before you start imagining the cabin crew in dropped trousers and pirate boots, the uniform is glamorous but practical, referencing 40s couture cuts and Saville Row tailoring. The Westwood suit is still Virgin red with a very feminine silhouette, nipped in at the waist and with double pleats and a dart on the pencil skirt. While the Virgin fellas will wear a three piece Saville Row suit in a rich burgundy wool with details in grey wool under the lapels and pockets. So very British.

Westwood said of the collaboration with the airline: ‘My clothes have always got a very strong dynamic rapport with the body- they are very body conscious, they help you to look glamorous, more hourglass, more woman. I design things to help people to hopefully express their personality.’

Richard Branson, President of Virgin Atlantic said of the collaboration: “Virgin Atlantic has a distinct spirit and from a design perspective we continually try to challenge the norm and stand out from the crowd. Our current uniform has been around for more than 10 years and we have seen other airlines start to copy it.’

So why did he pick the fiery haired Brit ‘When we were choosing the designer for this project, we wanted to work with a group of people who share our spirit of adventure, who believe in challenging the status quo and creating something truly memorable,’ Branson added.

Remember this is a Vivienne Westwood project so many items will be produced using recycled materials, such as recycled polyester yarn made from used plastic bottles. Viv added: ‘I am always trying to find fabrics that are more friendly to the environment – working with Virgin Atlantic they managed to research into this and find more eco fabrics.’ They are also developing each piece with Closed Loop Recycling to guarentee maximum sustainability from the suits.

But it’s not just those up in the air who get the Westwood treatment, as 7,500 staff including cabin crew, pilots, Clubhouse staff and Virgin Holidays will get to wear the new uniforms. Vivienne has also created recycled bags for the ground staff which will be made through the Ethical Africa Programme. The bags will be created using recycled canvas, reused roadside banners, unused leather off-cuts and recycled brass, produced in the Kibera slum in Nairobi.

So when will we see the new Virgin look in action Well passengers will get a sneak peek of the new uniforms from July 2013 when cabin crew and ground staff will start testing out their uniform at the airports and on board. This is so that the crew will be able to provide feedback on the design, practicality and wearability so changes can be made ahead of the launch in 2014. 

He is the man held responsible for reinventing Kristen Stewart’s red carpet style, so it’s no wonder that when designer Nicolas Ghesquière reached the decision to leave his 15-year post at Balenciaga the actress gave him her full support. The former creative director of the French fashion house founded in 1914 by Cristóbal Balenciaga, stepped down from the role in November last year and has since been replaced by New York Fashion Week favourite Alexander Wang. We reported earlier this week that in the latest issue of 032c magazine Ghesquière gave a frank interview to writer Pierre Alexandre de Looz about his reasons for leaving Balenciaga, but the German publication’s 38-page tribute to the designer also features quotes from major industry figures, including Grace Coddington, Eric Wilson, and Hamish Bowles, as well as his long time friend and muse, K-Stew.

Like the man himself, Stewart isn’t backwards in coming forwards about her opinion of Ghesquière’s shock departure. On the moment she discovered the news following his final Balenciaga show, she said: “I was like, ‘Dude, are you okay’ and he was like (in a French accent), ‘Yes. Yes. I will tell you soon, but there are things happening.’ Before I left, he was like, ‘All right, I’ll tell you.’ I’m so fucking proud of him because what he was about to do would rock people’s worlds. He was just like, ‘Believe for me.’ I thought it was the coolest fucking thing.”

Nicolas Ghesquière and Kristen Stewart in Vogue US, September 2012

Not only is the ‘Twilight’ star, who is the face of Balenciaga’s Flora Botanica fragrance, full of praise for the designer, but she also revealed how she would follow him out the door: “The look on his face after that show, he had this look like he was actually the kid who was being told he wasn’t allowed to do something. And he was totally not going to stand for it, and I was like, ‘I will totally run away with you.'”

There has not yet been any official word from Balenciaga about Stewart’s ongoing relationship with the brand, but as the label’s new designer Wang is closely tied with model Liberty Ross, the other woman in the actress’ cheating scandal with director Rupert Sanders, we can’t imagine she’ll be top of his potential campaign star list.

It’s likely that Stewart’s friendship and collaboration with Ghesquière will continue as she said of the designers creations: “I’ve felt the happiest I’ve ever felt wearing these clothes.”

See K-Stew’s hottest Balenciaga moments in the gallery above…

[Source: The Cut]

High street shoppers, launch yourself into a bumper edition of amazing mid season sales. Whilst the weather is 100 per cent NOT in the spirit of spring, with up to 70 per cent discount on sale buys, your wardrobe definitely should be.  Now is the time to snap up brand new looks at slashed prices, and for you savvy shoppers there’s no better time to pick up trend-proof classics that will take you from season to season.

Have a moment in the best of spring’s ultra feminine metallics. We love this silver biker jacket from Mango, guaranteed to turn heads. Mix high gloss pieces with dressed down basics for effortless spring style.  There’s an abundance of animal prints stalking the high street this season, so get yourself ahead of the fash pack with everything from leopard to pony to zebra prints – plus they’ll be hot come autumn too. Whether you’re on the hunt for super chic lady like style or are going for grunge goddess, this season the sales have never been so good.  For the full pick of the best sale buys get this week’s Grazia, plus you can SHOP these sale beauties on the Grazia iPad app, but hurry they won’t be around for long!