Is Beyoncé's Vintage Gold Dress a Sign of Her Next Album's Fashion Era?
She subtly shifted to a new color theme months ago.


Much like actors and their red carpet method dressing, musical artists have been tailoring their wardrobes to a coinciding album theme for decades. It's a common tactic that's been utilized by everyone from Taylor Swift (obviously) to the Beatles. Few, however, have pushed the concept to its bounds quite like Beyoncé.
The pop star not only embodies her music genre herself, but has also inspired whole stadiums to do the same. The first two installments of her ongoing musical trilogy, Renaissance and Cowboy Carter, both had distinct aesthetics (space-age silver and rhinestone cowboy, respectively).
Though album number three's ETA has yet to be announced, it appears the pop star has already secretly debuted its aesthetic. For the past few months, Beyoncé sightings have been few and far between. When she has made appearances, however, they've all had one thing in common: elaborate gilded gowns.
At last week's Grammy Awards, for example, the "16 Carriages" singer accepted her historic Album of the Year win in a golden halter dress embellished with a Western-inspired bandana print. The time before that was a Lion King premiere back in December, which saw Beyoncé in a strapless Balmain gown covered in sparkling medallions. (Blue Ivy also wore a gold dress to match.)
The star kicked off her gilded era at the December premiere of Mufasa: The Lion King.
She followed her first gilded dress with golden Schiaparelli.
Now, I'll admit: two consecutive outfits could be a coincidence—three, however, is a clear pattern. And earlier this week, the star gave what I'm personally taking as a final confirmation that her Gilded Era has begun.
Beyoncé reunited with her former Destiny's Child bandmates Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland, for the latter's 44th birthday. At the hands of her stylist Shiona Turini, she turned up wearing a vintage Patrick Kelly mini dress covered in gold statement buttons. The star wore earrings to match, effectively leaning into the gilded theme.
Whether Beyoncé's golden dress indicates a new album or not, it's definitely a slice of overlooked fashion history. Before his death in 1990, Patrick Kelly's designs, known for gold button details, were worn by everyone from Madonna to Grace Jones. His POV was well ahead of the times in terms of inclusivity, designing for all shapes and sizes. Kelly also entered the record books as the first Black and American fashion designer to receive a major recognition from Paris Fashion Week's organizing body, the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode: he was granted admission to the prestigious Chambre Syndicale du Prêt-à-Porter des Couturiers et des Créateurs de Mode.
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Beyoncé wore a vintage mini dress covered in gold buttons to reunite with her Destiny's Child bandmates.
Back to the style news: Given that they've been a tight-knit trio for several decades, the women all showed up dressed in perfect coordination—a habit likely ingrained in them over years of girl-band dressing. Rowland and Knowles both wore all-black looks with gold accents, leaving Williams to act as the lone color pop in a bedazzled crimson gown.
Happy birthday to us all, because it seems Beyoncé's next era is well under way.
Kelsey (she/her) is a freelance fashion editor and writer, specializing in e-commerce and fashion news. With more than ten years of experience in digital media, Kelsey has a knack for turning top-performing content into top-selling content. At Marie Claire, she provides witty celeb style commentary, unpacking the style choices of stars like Zoë Kravitz, Dua Lipa, Selena Gomez, and her fashion superhero, Rihanna. When she’s not tracking the personal style of Hollywood’s elite, Kelsey also covers designer collabs and industry news.
Before taking her talents to Marie Claire, Kelsey was the Senior Fashion Editor at Bustle, where she oversaw the site’s fashion coverage and launched a successful luxury handbag series called Secure The Bag. Prior to Bustle, she came from a six-year stint at Seventeen, during which she managed the team’s fashion and beauty verticals and led e-commerce strategy. In her freelance era, Kelsey contributes to publications like InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, and more. She also offers consulting services and content creation, in addition to writing and editing. Follow @klstieg on Instagram for 'fit pics and travel recommendations.
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