35 of the most daring looks Janelle Monáe has ever worn that accentuate their bold style
Samantha Grindell
- Janelle Monáe isn't afraid to take risks with their fashion.
- The Grammy-nominated singer has worn gowns with bold cutouts, plunging necklines, and daring slits.
Monáe dressed on theme for the December 2015 "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" film premiere.
Monáe arrived at the premiere in an Erevos Aether dress with a stomach cutout.
The top of the dress featured silver detailing that created a circle with cutouts reminiscent of the Death Star, the famous spaceship from the "Star Wars" universe.
They arrived at the Hollywood Film Awards in a bold jacket in November 2016.
Monáe's Georges Chakra ensemble consisted of black pants and a white jacket, which they wore with no shirt.
The jacket had a plunging neckline, as well as a statement train.
Monáe wore another suit with a plunging neckline for a "Hidden Figures" screening in December 2016.
Monáe's silver Prabal Gurung suit featured head-to-toe floral embroidery.
It had black lapels, which emphasized that the actor didn't wear a shirt with the outfit.
Monáe's gown for the Critics' Choice Awards featured a bold slit in December 2016.
A black-and-white checkered pattern covered the long-sleeve Nicci Hou dress, which had a full skirt.
The neckline dipped into a point, and a slit up the center of the gown mirrored it.
They wore a Christian Siriano gown with an asymmetrical skirt for the NAACP Image Awards in February 2017.
The black gown had a high neckline and long sleeves, and it featured textured fabric with sparkle detailing.
The high-low skirt was the standout element of the dress, as it had multiple layers of voluminous peplums that flowed into a train.
Monáe's gown for the February 2017 Academy Awards had a sheer bodice covered in appliques.
The bodice of the Elie Saab Haute Couture ball gown had a high neckline and was made of transparent fabric. Three-dimensional embellishments in black and white provided coverage.
A belt cinched Monáe's waist, while the skirt's center was made of black, white, and sheer fabric stripes.
Black tulle flowed out of the sides of the gown to create volume, and adornments were added to the fabric.
Later that night, they embraced netted fabric at the 2017 Vanity Fair Oscar Party.
Monáe attended the party in a black Alexandre Vauthier Couture ball gown.
The base of the dress was strapless, but a layer of black fishnet fabric covered their chest and arms.
Its full skirt had a daring slit and a statement gold and black belt.
At the June 2017 CFDA Fashion Awards, Monáe rocked an asymmetrical suit.
The Christian Siriano look consisted of a top and pants.
One side of the top looked like a suit jacket with a long sleeve and collar. But the other side was a black-and-white striped crop top with a black strap.
Coordinating, high-waisted pants completed the ensemble. One pant was black, while the other had black-and-white stripes, like the top.
Monáe wore a printed suit to the January 2018 Warner Music Group Pre-Grammy Celebration.
The Christian Cowan ensemble was covered in a collage of graphic images.
The sleeves had pointed shoulders, which flowed off Monáe's arms like a cape, exposing red fabric on the underside of the jacket.
Coordinating slits in the pants showed off the same red fabric inside the pants.
They chose a sheer top for the February 2018 premiere of "Annihilation."
Monáe arrived at the premiere in a Giorgio Armani Privé ensemble.
The long-sleeve, black top was sheer, exposing their black bra.
They paired the top with a high-waisted, polka-dot skirt, and aquamarine boots.
In a nod to Pride month in June 2018, Monáe's gown for the BET Awards featured a rainbow skirt.
Monáe's gown had a deep-green corset bodice with sheer paneling.
The full skirt was made of ruffled fabric with stripes that created a rainbow.
Monáe's suit for Billboard's December 2018 Women in Music Event had daring cutouts.
The gray Gareth Pugh ensemble included a jacket with shoulder pads and cape sleeves and high-waisted, flared pants.
The pants featured a cutout around the waist, exposing Monáe's legs.
In February 2019, Monáe arrived at the Grammy Awards in an architectural dress by Jean Paul Gaultier.
The white, ruched gown had a low-cut, pointed neckline.
The neckline, lined with burgundy fabric, flowed up into points on the shoulders that floated above Monáe's shoulders and defied gravity.
The skirt had an asymmetrical hem, mirroring the neckline.
At the Giambattista Valli show during Paris Fashion Week in March 2019, Monáe wore a gown with poofy sleeves reminiscent of deflated hot air balloons.
Monáe's dress had a plunging neckline framed by oversized, white, puffy sleeves.
A simple black skirt and a red hat completed the look.
They wore a bra as a top with gold chains to the March 2019 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony.
Monáe arrived in an ensemble from The Blonds.
They wore a sparkly jacket and pants paired with a bra. Gold chains were attached to the bra, which coordinated with a chain on their matching black hat.
Monáe wore a gown inspired by an abstract painting and designed by Christian Siriano for the May 2019 Met Gala.
One side of the bodice covered Monáe's chest with an eye, with feathered detailing serving as an eyelash, while the other side was a simple, long-sleeve black bodice.
The skirt was voluminous, with a black line dividing it into one pink and one white side, with a pair of lips drawn onto the white side.
A stack of hats sat on Monáe's head to complete the ensemble.
Monáe's black gown for the "Harriet" premiere was almost sheer from head to toe in October 2019.
The form-fitting, see-through Honayda dress had a low neckline, and the gossamer sleeves created a train.
White floral embellishments covered the dress, creating dimension.
They wore a boldly patterned set to the "Queen & Slim" premiere in November 2019.
Monáe's look included a strapless crop top with a sweetheart neckline and swirls on each side.
A skirt with a flowing pattern and matching arm-length gloves completed the outfit.
They rocked a multi-colored Balmain gown at the NAACP Image Awards in February 2020.
The gown's long-sleeve, black top was cropped, connecting to the long skirt with two thin strips of fabric.
A deep orange swath of fabric sat on Monáe's waist, and the rest of the skirt was a brighter shade of orange.
For the February 2020 Vivienne Westwood show at Paris Fashion Week, Monáe wore an off-the-shoulder gown.
The navy ensemble had a thigh-high slit and was made of reflective material.
Two hats completed the look.
In March 2020, during Paris Fashion Week, Monáe wore a Chanel skirt and jacket with no shirt.
The long jacket was white on one side and black on the other, and Monáe wore it open, exposing their chest.
The high-waisted, black skirt had a vertical stripe of white down the center, so it matched the jacket.
For the March 2022 Vanity Fair Oscars Party, Monáe rocked a black gown covered in cutouts.
The black dress was form-fitting, with a high neckline.
Diamond-shaped cutouts lined the center of the dress, with white buttons accentuating each gap in the fabric.
Monáe wore a striking backless gown to the May 2022 Met Gala.
The black Ralph Lauren dress was covered in sparkles.
The halter-style collar had layers of curved silver stripes, which flowed into a hood attached to the gown.
Cuffs that coordinated with the dress completed the look.
For the June 2022 BET Awards, Monáe chose another sheer ensemble.
Their Roberto Cavalli ensemble included a black cropped bodice with a flower in the center and crisscrossed black straps.
The floor-length, sheer skirt is attached to the top with silver clips.
For the September 2022 premiere of "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" at the Toronto International Film Festival, Monáe arrived in a sculptural Iris van Herpen gown.
Sheer fabric served as the base for the swooping cream gown.
Swaths of the fabric burst from one of Monáe's shoulders and wrapped around their back to create a train.
Cutouts accented the asymmetrical hem on Monáe's bodice.
They wore a bright red Christian Siriano gown for the "Glass Onion" premiere at the 66th BFI London Film Festival in October 2022.
The red dress was almost entirely sheer and had a high neckline, long sleeves, and a train.
Monáe wore a red bra underneath the gown, and a coordinating, oversized peplum skirt sat on their waist.
A statement red headpiece completed the ensemble.
They wore another ruffled ensemble for the "Glass Onion" premiere in Spain in October 2022.
Layer upon layer of burgundy ruffles created the bodice of the Robert Wun gown, framing Monáe's face.
A short black skirt peeked out off the front of the gown and spilled into a train in the back.
Monáe wore a latex dress to the EBONY Power 100 event in October 2022.
The halter-style dress had ruching on the bodice, which hugged Monáe's figure.
The knee-length, black garment featured a thigh-high slit on one side.
They wore another dress with a slit at the LACMA Art + Film Gala in November 2022.
Monáe's vintage Gucci gown had long sleeves and a high neckline, and a diagonal stripe cut across the dress, separating a white part of the dress and a black part.
The floor-length skirt had a daring slit on one side.
Monáe's Thom Browne coat dress for the November 2022 CFDA Fashion Awards had a bold, white hem.
The black dress had a collar, and the lapels were lined with a white stripe and gold buttons that ended at Monáe's waist.
The coat dress flowed into a train that exposed their legs.
Cutouts made up much of the feathered gown Monáe wore to the LA premiere of "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" in November 2022.
Elie Saab designed Monáe's ball gown. Its bodice had a plunging neckline, and black fabric crisscrossed over their chest to create cutouts.
The skirt contrasted the angular bodice, as it featured layers of multicolored feathers in a diamond pattern.
Monáe's look for the November 2022 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Governors Award didn't have a skirt.
The black Giambattista Valli ensemble included a jacket with a plunging neckline, which flowed into a train. The jacket sat atop a semi-sheer, patterned top with long sleeves and a high neckline.
Monáe paired tights with the look, and a silver belt added a pop of color.
They channeled Old Hollywood with their dress for the National Board Of Review Awards Gala in January 2023.
The neckline of the Valentino dress cut straight across Monáe's chest, and it had a full skirt.
Two diamond-shaped cutouts on the sides of the bodice broke up the black fabric, with silver embellishments accenting the angular elements.
Semi-sheer, oversized sleeves brought an ethereal element to the red-carpet dress.
Monáe's dress for their appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" in January 2023 was covered in cutouts.
For the show, Monáe wore a navy dress with a high neckline.
Chest cutouts covered the bodice, and Monáe accented the ensemble with a hat.
Monáe's gown for the January 2023 Critics Choice Awards was completely see-through.
The custom Vera Wang gown had a high neckline and hugged Monáe's figure.
It was made of ruched, sheer, black fabric, which flowed into a train. Two cutouts ran the length of Monáe's waist.
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