Fantasia Barrino is Owning Her \201cComeback Moment\201d With Impeccable Style

The former "American Idol" star is dominating the fashion game ahead of her "The Color Purple" debut.

Fantasia Barrino is a vision in beige while appearing in New York City.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Content warning: This article briefly discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.

Former American Idol star Fantasia Barrino is leaning all the way into her “comeback moment” with grace... and a whole lot of style. 

On Thursday, Dec. 14, the new The Color Purple actress was spotted in New York City in a chic head-to-toe beige ensemble that screamed: “Yeah, I’m back, ladies and gentlemen.” 

The singer rocked a figure-hugging beige, knee-length dress, paired with a beige floor-length trench coat and shin-high, leather black boots featuring a bold front zipper. To complete the look, Barrino paired the outfit with a small black purse and stunning, gold statement earrings. 

Yes, folks: She’s back, and she’s here to slay.

Fantasia Barrino is a vision in beige while stepping out in New York City.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Barrino—who took a break from the Hollywood spotlight amid a slew of personal struggles, including a widely publicized foreclosure in 2013 and a suicide attempt in 2010—is stepping back into the public eye in the latest adaptation of the 1985 film The Color Purple.

Barrino plays Celie—the protagonist and narrator—who manages to survive a slew of traumatic and abusive experiences, befriends a blues singer and, eventually, finds her voice.

Barrino is joined on screen by Orange is The New Black’s Danielle Brooks, 2023 The Little Mermaid’s Halle Bailey, Taraji B. Henson and Ciara. This isn't the first time Barrino has playe Celie— she starred on the broadway adaptation of The Color Purple back in 2007.

In a recent interview with CBS News, the Grammy-winner discussed how difficult it was to take on such an iconic (albeit taxing) role again, and this time on the big screen.

"I was about to run from this," she explained. "I remember playing her on Broadway, and it wasn't as easy on Broadway. My life was a bit crazy as well, so I felt like I was carrying my cross and Celie's cross, and that was overload.

"I relate to her in a lot of ways, but stepping into her shoes is very taxing and it is not easy," she added. "Plus, she code-switches a lot ... to come in and play with all of those energies is not easy. It's not easy at all."

Ultimately, Barrino said her co-star, Henson, helped her separate the difficulties she has experienced in her real life from the struggles of Celie the character.

"Celie is grown up now. I'm grown up now. I look at things totally different," she said. "This time, thank God for Taraji with her crazy self— she helped me leave Celie on set.

"I can see me," she added. "I know who I am."

Danielle Campoamor
Weekend Editor

Danielle Campoamor is Marie Claire's weekend editor covering all things news, celebrity, politics, culture, live events, and more. In addition, she is an award-winning freelance writer and former NBC journalist with over a decade of digital media experience covering mental health, reproductive justice, abortion access, maternal mortality, gun violence, climate change, politics, celebrity news, culture, online trends, wellness, gender-based violence and other feminist issues. You can find her work in The New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, New York Magazine, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, TODAY, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, InStyle, Playboy, Teen Vogue, Glamour, The Daily Beast, Mother Jones, Prism, Newsweek, Slate, HuffPost and more. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and their two feral sons. When she is not writing, editing or doom scrolling she enjoys reading, cooking, debating current events and politics, traveling to Seattle to see her dear friends and losing Pokémon battles against her ruthless offspring. You can find her on X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook and all the places.

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