It’s always historic when all three members of Destiny’s Child are in the same place, but Beyoncé decided to break out a poignant piece of fashion history for their latest reunion. For Kelly Rowland’s birthday celebration earlier this week, the Cowboy Carter singer unearthed a vintage mini from the often-overlooked American designer, Patrick Kelly.
Beyoncé’s dress, one of the late Kelly’s ’80s designs, featured a fitted silhouette accented by dozens of gold buttons in the shape of a heart. The jury is still out on exactly how Beyoncé and her stylist sourced the piece. But the buttons lining her dress, the signature of Kelly’s work, instantly gave away its maker.
Kelly, born in Jim Crow Mississippi in 1954, took up design during his teenage years after he was inspired by the women in his family. The button detailing seen on Beyoncé’s dress is a reference to Kelly’s grandmother Ethel B. Rainey, a maid and seamstress who taught him the ropes of design. After repeatedly losing buttons from his shirts as a child, his grandmother would attach mismatched buttons onto his clothing that she found in her sewing kit. Kelly would go on to use the quick fix in many of his body-con dresses shown during his runway collections.
At the urge of the pioneering model Pat Cleveland, Kelly moved to Paris in the early ’80s and made history as the first American ever admitted to the governing body that oversees France’s ready-to-wear fashion industry. The recognition allowed Kelly to present his designs during Paris Fashion Week alongside brands like Dior and Yves Saint Laurent. Following his move to Paris, Kelly’s status among the celebrity set exploded in popularity with everyone from Paloma Picasso to Madonna and Grace Jones wearing his designs. Hollywood legend Bette Davis was a particularly close friend and client. His life and career were cut short in 1990 due to complications from AIDS.
Certainly, it’s no coincidence that Beyoncé wore a pioneering Black designer, whose work is often overlooked, in the middle of Black History Month.
