When it came to her first official appearance in months, Cardi B wasn’t skipping a beat. On Monday, the rapper walked her first red carpet since welcoming daughter Kulture in July at the 2018 VMAs. But she wasn’t going to call it a night at just one gown. No, this is Cardi B: She squeezed in two outfit changes throughout the program. And each look was more fabulous than the last. First, Cardi B owned the red carpet with her asymmetrical velvet dress by Nicolas Jebran. The deep jewel tone of the gown looked stunning on the singer, who paired it matching purple strappy heels and a seriously massive pair of emerald earrings.
Once inside Radio City Music Hall, Cardi began preparing to present onstage. Likely anticipating this would be a moment, she enlisted stylist Kollin Carter to whip up a second gown—this time, a dramatic red number with a lengthy train, by Azzi & Osta. This time, though, she accessorized with a Moonman.
Oh, but that’s not all. Remember: Award shows can go long. It never hurts to have another backup outfit.
So, Cardi changed once again, into a short black dress with oversized ruffled shoulders and a plunging neckline. She rocked that look to pick up her third award of the evening, for Best Collaboration, which she won alongside Jennifer Lopez and DJ Khalid.
Cardi’s style is always evolving—and that extends to her beauty. According to her makeup artist Erika La Pearl, for Pat McGrath Labs, her makeup played a very specific role in her look for the evening: “This is Cardi’s first red carpet after having a baby and we wanted to debut a more sophisticated look,” she shared with Glamour in a statement. “Cardi has a new perspective on life. She can achieve it all and her look says that!” Hey, whatever Cardi’s doing is working.
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