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Beyoncé: From Destiny’s Child to Queen Bey

Beyonce

“If you got it, flaunt it, boy I know you want it,” cooed Beyoncé in her 2006 hit “Check on It”—and she’s never shied to show us what she’s working with it, whether it’s a baby bump, enviable curves, or a myriad of hairstyles. The world has watched Beyoncé transition from Destiny’s Child’s leading lady to Mrs. Carter. (And the power of Queen Bee was never more evident than the night she casually dropped a fifteen-song, seventeen-video solo album overnight.) Today, Beyoncé kicks off the On the Run tour alongside hubby Jay Z, and naturally, we’re pretty excited to see the costumes. In the meantime, we take a look back at the evolution of Beyoncé’s style and career.

—Rachel Walgrove, Style.com

In Her Dereon Jeans

Bey
Photo of DESTINY'S CHILD

As far as outrageous mixing-and-matching goes, no girl group made quite the impression like Destiny’s Child in the late nineties. When the fresh-faced Beyoncé Knowles, accompanied by (then) members LaTavia Roberson, LeToya Luckett, and Kelly Rowland, debuted the “Bills, Bills, Bills” music video in 1998, the quartet embraced coordination in various iterations of Tina Knowles’ designs. Following some shake-ups in the bandmate department, the “survivors,” alongside new member Michelle Williams, went on to dress thrice as nice—in videos, in concert, and in public appearances.

Independent Woman

Bey
The Beyonce Experience Tour - Oakland CA

Queen Bey broke from the girl group in 2001 and went on to achieve multi-platinum status in 2003 with her debut solo album, Dangerously in Love, which boasted an impressive roster of collaborators like Missy Elliott and (the then-hyphenated) Jay-Z. For the 2003 tour, as well as her subsequent Beyoncé Experience tour, onstage Queen Bey literally began sparkling on her own. Silver sequins, metallic fringe, and shimmery body-conscious costumes abounded. All that glittered was Beyoncé. (Above, in Giorgio Armani during her Dangerously in Love tour.)

Drunk in Love

Bey Jay
6th Annual BET Awards - Show

After the pair’s “Bonnie & Clyde” (2002) duet, romance rumors about Bey and rapper Jay-Z began circulating. And after they performed together, they started turning up together. Most notable was their promotional appearance on TRL‘s Spankin’ New Music Week in 2002. No stranger to matching her outfits to those of her co-performers, Bey donned a denim dress in coordination with Jay.

Bey’s ‘Bay on Board

Beyonce
Beyonce

When Beyoncé showed up to the 2011 VMAs draped in a fluid, fiery red Lanvin gown, Twitter was set abuzz—was she concealing a bump? Later that night, Bey, in all her sparkly glory, took to the stage in a Dolce & Gabbana tux, topped with a shrunken sequined blazer. But the spotlight was on her tummy. Bey ended her performance, blazer open, rubbing her tummy and confirming suspicions that Blue Ivy was on board. Performing pregnant? All in a day’s work.

She Woke Up Like This

Beyonce in David Koma
Bey Blonds

Beyoncé had no shortage of designer duds during her 2013 Mrs. Carter world tour, which boasted costumes by Emilio Pucci’s Peter Dundas, Dsquared², The Blonds, David Koma (who was recently appointed the creative director of Mugler), and Balmain’s Olivier Rousteing. The endless array of glammed-out wares was just further proof that Bey run the world.

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