DUBAI: Cardi B brought her fashion A-game to host the 2021 American Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday. The “Up” singer turned the awards ceremony into her own personal fashion show, with several wardrobe changes throughout the night that were all as head-turning as the last. Among the inimitable lineup of striking looks she displayed during her emceeing duties was a design from Lebanese couturier Jean-Louis Sabaji.
The rapper opted for a purple velvet creation from the Beirut-based designer’s Fall/Winter 2021 collection. The strapless gown featured hand-embroidered Swarovski stones and crystal spikes, finished with violet coq plumes.
Cardi B wore a velvet purple gown from Jean-Louis Sabaji's Fall 2021 collection. Getty Images
The original design in the look book was styled with tulle gloves embroidered with stones and dripping crystals, which Cardi B chose to forego on stage, letting her dress do all the talking instead.
Sabaji, who founded his eponymous house in 2012, is known for blending couture with surrealism in his designs, which seems to be exactly what the American hitmaker, who is a fan of kooky surrealism, was going for during the awards ceremony.
The “Bodak Yellow” star kicked things off on an epic note by slipping into a custom design from Schiaparelli’s Daniel Roseberry that featured a gown with a sweetheart neckline and a long train. She accessorized the look with golden-nailed gloves, a dramatic black veil, a metallic opera mask and earrings carved into the shape of sparkly eyes, with bejeweled fingers dangling from them.
The “Bodak Yellow” star kicked things off by slipping into a custom design from Schiaparelli’s Daniel Roseberry. Getty Images
She then changed into a black long-sleeve velvet gown from Alexandre Vauthier that featured a slit on the side and, while the dress was stunning, it was her massive black feathered mohawk headpiece that stole the show.
After accepting the award for favorite hip hop song wearing a neon-colored Jean-Paul Gaultier gown, the 29-year-old slipped into her final look of the night: A white asymmetrical pleated skirt with a bejeweled hood from London-based designer Miss Sohee.
Meanwhile, Cardi B was not the only artist that favored a Middle Eastern designer at the annual awards show. Canadian model Winnie Harlow stepped out wearing a bejeweled Zuhair Murad minidress, American actress Madelyn Cline opted for a cut-out creation from Lebanese label Monot, and US singer Chloe Bailey sizzled in a black velvet gown complete with cutouts and a thigh-high slit by Bahraini brand Monsoori.
