FASHION Magazine

The year of Beyoncé continues as she teams up with Swedish mega-brand H&M in a summer campaign called “Beyoncé as Mrs. Carter in H&M” that will be released in early May.

Beyoncé helped with the designs of the summer collection that will include the “perfect” bodycon dress, sundresses, and even a fringed bikini. The campaign shot in Nassau, Bahamas will also feature a new song by Queen Bey called “Standing on the Sun” in the commercial (which we cannot wait to listen to. On repeat.)

“I’ve always liked H&M’s focus on fun and affordable fashion. I really loved the concept we collaborated on to explore the different emotions of women represented by the four elements – fire, water, earth and wind,” Beyoncé said in a press release.

If you haven’t yet clued in, 2013 is officially the year of Beyoncé. She dominated the Super Bowl, basically helped re-elect President Obama, is on the cover of many a magazine and she’s going on a world tour in a few months to support a forthcoming album—all while keeping us totally tantalized thanks to her dreamy Tumblr. And if you haven’t yet caught the Beyoncé fever, get ready as it’s going to reach its fever pitch this weekend when her self-produced documentary Life Is But a Dream airs on HBO. (Read our review of it here!) In order to make sure you’re caught up on all things Beyoncé, we have a countdown of news tidbits, animated gifs and more. Ready to start scrolling and clicking? In the words of Beyoncé herself: “I’m trying to make a three, from that two, he still the one.”

16. Obviously you need to scroll through all our Beyoncé links with “Countdown” (her best song, IMO) on repeat [YouTube]

I’ve yet to meet someone who doesn’t think Beyoncé is the bees knees. She’s sold countless records, won every award, sung for the President, performed at the Super Bowl, but then again so have many pop artists. They call her the hardest working woman in showbiz, but that’s not the reason they call her Queen Bey either—it’s that aside from supreme octave and hip-thrusting abilities, she’s managed to stay above it all. The importance she’s placed on privacy and keeping it classy that has earned her regal bragging rights. It’s also what has helped her remain relatively unscathed for over 12 years of being in the public eye. To boot, she’s managed to stay married to another of pop’s biggest stars, Jay-Z, sans unseemly consequences.

For the first time in all those years, we’re being let inside the life and mind of Beyoncé with the premiere of her documentary Beyoncé: Life is But a Dream on HBO/HBO Canada. The self-directed stunner bleeds 90-minutes of raw emotion and power through spellbinding all-angle performance footage, self-filmed video diaries, private vacation home videos and more. And while Jay-Z, Blue Ivy, Michelle Williams, Kelly Rowland and Solange make their select appearances, it’s all about Bey. It’s like her Tumblr’s come to life and I swear, from personal experience, you won’t be able to keep a dry eye.

Here are some things that had me especially intrigued/verklempt:

See the 10 best dressed looks from the 2013 Grammys »

Despite a memo from CBS warning stars to cover up, there was still much skin to be seen on the 2013 Grammy Awards red carpet. Most notable was Katy Perry, who stunned in a mint-green Gucci Resort 2013 dress that was skin-tight and featured an embellished keyhole detail which showed off her ample cleavage. Perry’s look was part Priscilla Presley, part Lana Del Rey and she certainly pulled off the ’70s-inspired style well.

Solange Knowles also wore green, though her beaded Ralph & Russo Couture gown was more of a vibrant emerald hue. Solange is known for her quirky and colourful outfits and her neon-pink Louboutins added personality to her look. Solange’s dress featured a thigh-high slit—a style that was seen on a number of starts last night at the 2013 Grammys. (Clearly Angie’s right leg is still dictating red carpet trends!) Jennifer Lopez took the slit to the next level with an Anthony Vaccarello Spring 2013 gown that seemed to almost tuck in like a pair of hot pants at the top of her thigh. The asymmetrical draped black silk gown certainly showed off her toned body and was set off with shiny gold accessories—and a matching pointy gold manicure.

Black and white was definitely a trend at the 2013 Grammys, as it was for the Golden Globes and SAG Awards red carpet. Beyoncé wore both black and white in an architectural jumpsuit by Osman. The somewhat casual-yet-still-smoking look was certainly one of a kind on the red carpet and Beyoncé accessorized with black and white cuffs and a red pout. Our former cover girl Carly Rae Jepsen wowed in a dark, metallic Roberto Cavalli gown. The mermaid silhouette looked amazing with her dark hair, porcelain skin and enviable body. Carrie Underwood also wore a black strapless mermaid silhouette gown by Roberto Cavalli—though where Jepsen’s was beaded, Underwood’s dress featured lace and embroidery.

While the odds of getting a handmade python and iguana bodysuit are about the same as playing in the Superbowl, Beyoncé’s halftime manicure is much more accessible. In fact, you could even do it yourself: Beyoncé’s nails came courtesy of a set of printed gold Minx.

Nail artist Lisa Logan—who’s done many manicures for Queen Bey—flew down to New Orleans the week before the big game to set up nail shop for Beyoncé’s entire team. The backup dancers were given long extensions, covered in almost-reflective gold Minx while Beyoncé opted for a matte gold chevron print. (Due to the amazing video choreography sequences throughout the performance, all nails had to be finalized in advance so they could be filmed.)

Beyoncé blessed the world with her heavenly powers at last night’s Super Bowl halftime show. In less than 30 minutes, she managed to: 1. Silence the lip-sync critics by belting out several of her hits sans back-up track 2. Bust out more hip swivels than we can count 3. Pull off the ultimate surprise with […]

The post Beyoncé wears Rubin Singer to the Super Bowl and blows our minds appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

See Beyoncé’s Inauguration Day dress and jewels up-close »

It’s Inauguration Day for Barack Obama and our American friends across the border today and with that pomp, ceremony and history making underway, we’ve got our eyes peeled for the important things. As ever, Michelle Obama made yet another A+ statement, wearing a blue checked Thom Browne coat, J.Crew belt, gloves and shoes (later she changed into an amazing pair of custom Reed Krakoff boots). Those brand new blunt bangs were once again in focus, and surer than ever to spark a few years of copycat cuts. Free of the red and blue dress code, Malia and Sasha Obama made fashion statements of their own, in pink J.Crew and purple Kate Spade coats respectively.

See our gallery of celebrities on New Year’s Eve 2013 »

2013 is finally upon us, and as many people are probably struggling to remember what they did for New Year’s Eve, the proof—for better or worse—is ready for a peek on social media. New Year’s Eve is often the best time to take a fashion risk, and many celebrities did just that. At the annual Dick Clark New Years Rockin’ Eve blowout celebration in New York’s Times Square, Taylor Swift updated the classic motorcycle jacket with the addition of red sequins as she performed a slew of her hits and planted a kiss on beau Harry Stiles of One Direction at the stroke of midnight. Yeah, we’re not above the swoon. Carly Rae Jepsen wore red as well, fashioned in a long and frilly ball skirt by Sachin + Babi (under which she adorably wore long johns) paired with black lace gloves, Madonna-style.

See all of Kate Middleton’s recent outings »

As Grey Cup mania hit Canada this weekend, Kate Middleton was indulging in a little field-side action herself, watching a rugby game between Wales and New Zealand in Cardiff, Wales alongside Prince William who is patron of the Welsh Rugby Charitable Trust. Pre-game, the couple met with former players injured during their careers, who are supported by the trust.

For the outdoor event, the Duchess of Cambridge wore her red LK Bennett Ami coat—the same worn last November on a UNISEF visit to Denmark (to find out more about that cause, visit unicef.org), but this time worn with its original belt. To match the coat, the Duchess wore a previously unseen red Gucci Monogram canvas shoulder bag, black Aquatalia knee high boots and gold leaf drop earrings designed by Catherine Zoraida, which she wore during her recent Jubilee Tour to Southeast Asia.

Lana Del Rey has become somewhat of a ’60s hairstyle chameleon. Whether it’s an oversized bouffant, tight curls or brushed-out waves the singer loves to experiment with her style—though always keeping it in the same decade. And now, Lana Dey Rey has added a dark-brown set of bangs to her look.

While promoting her newest album “Born To Die: The Paradise Edition” in London, the singer altered her perfectly coiffed waves with a new set of bangs, giving a Jane Birkin-esque vibe to her hairstyle. At first we thought they were a clip-in set, but the split in the middle proves that they are indeed authentic. (New bangs always annoyingly refuse to adjust their part.)

Beyonce didn’t let the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy stop her from going out with a bang(s) over the weekend in New York City.

The singer/queen of our hearts, who we’re used to seeing with many different and new hairstyles, stepped out with freshly cut bangs to accompany husband Jay Z to a Brooklyn Nets basketball game on Saturday night.

Wearing Giuseppe Zanotti heels, an Yves Saint Laurent ring and a geometric printed top and pants by Tibi, we think she’s been taking a look at some of the prints that have recently been on trend for fall.

See the 10 best moments from Solange’s “Losing You” video »

Solange Knowles means business in her music video for “Losing You.” No, actually: she looks like she could be heading to work in a variety of bright pantsuits and printed blazers. But really, she’s just hanging out in South Africa and looking amazing while doing so. Solange earns major style points for having one of the most visually appealing music videos we’ve seen since Grimes’ “Genesis” and, even better, the song is pop music perfection.

Many of the moments from “Losing You” feel like they could be editorial campaigns for major fashion houses, thanks to the amazing styling and artistic shots. (Let’s be thankful Solange didn’t turn to House of Deréon to design the clothing—ahem, like in the days of Destiny’s Child—because we likely wouldn’t be talking about the video if that was the case.) With what feels like a never ending parade of prints, bright colours and a beautiful Solantourage (see what we did there?), the video confirms our guess that Beyonce’s little sister is onto something big. Now excuse us while we go practice our shoulder-popping dance moves…