Janelle Monae's style evolution in 41 photos — black, white and red all over


Farah Andrews
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Janelle Monae is a regular in best-dressed lists. The American singer and actress is known for taking risks with her style choices, often choosing playful accessories, voluminous pieces or experimental ensembles.

She is frequently seen in tuxedos and her outfits almost always have a black, white and red colour palate. Not one to shy away from a hat, she frequently tops an outfit off with dramatic millinery for red carpet events.

For her recent run of public appearances to promote Netflix's Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, she wore pieces by Iris van Herpen, Christian Siriano, Robert Wun and Elie Saab for premieres in the US and Europe, sticking to hues that adhere to her black, white and red rule book.

Her go-to designers include Chanel, Ralph Lauren and Valentino, and for recent events, Thom Browne has been a favourite. She wore salt and pepper versions of two Thom Browne coat dresses for consecutive London Film Festival events in October last year.

Janelle Monae in the salt and pepper versions of a Thom Browne look at BFI London Film Festival events in October 2022. Getty Images
Janelle Monae in the salt and pepper versions of a Thom Browne look at BFI London Film Festival events in October 2022. Getty Images

Her vastly monochrome wardrobe was treated to a burst of colour with a rainbow phase in 2018. She eased into colourful looks with a Dolce & Gabanna tuxedo embellished with colourful flowers for the Grammy Awards in January 2018. By June, she was sporting a rainbow tulle gown by Lebanese fashion designer Nicolas Jebran at the BET Awards.

She describes her black and white looks as her "uniform", harking back to the beginning of her career when she could not afford new outfits for every show.

Speaking of her sartorial journey, she told Variety in 2020: "Once I got to high school, that’s when I started to have my own money, because I started working ... I couldn’t afford a lot of stuff, but I think it went from lots of menswear — whatever you would consider sports menswear: the tennis shoes, baggy clothes.

"Then I got into vintage shopping. I was very artsy. I was an international thespian, I would compete in monologue competitions. I was also in the acapella choir, was doing talent shows — this is in high school. So I was a busy arts student, expressing myself through art, and I started to really use fashion as a way to express that.

"I think my uniform — that’s when that came," she added. "As a homage to the working class, and my working-class parents. And honestly, I just couldn’t afford to keep up when I started to sing and perform, and I went to a performing arts school in New York, and I went to Atlanta and I was living in a boarding house, I did not have time to find a new costume every single show.

"So it was like, what is my uniform, what is my outfit going to be? What is something that I always feel comfortable in? It’s been black and white. It’s been the androgynous look that matched my energy."

UAE rugby season

FIXTURES

West Asia Premiership

Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Knights Eagles

Dubai Tigers v Bahrain

Jebel Ali Dragons v Abu Dhabi Harlequins

UAE Division 1

Dubai Sharks v Dubai Hurricanes II

Al Ain Amblers v Dubai Knights Eagles II

Dubai Tigers II v Abu Dhabi Saracens

Jebel Ali Dragons II v Abu Dhabi Harlequins II

Sharjah Wanderers v Dubai Exiles II

 

LAST SEASON

West Asia Premiership

Winners – Bahrain

Runners-up – Dubai Exiles

UAE Premiership

Winners – Abu Dhabi Harlequins

Runners-up – Jebel Ali Dragons

Dubai Rugby Sevens

Winners – Dubai Hurricanes

Runners-up – Abu Dhabi Harlequins

UAE Conference

Winners – Dubai Tigers

Runners-up – Al Ain Amblers

The biog

Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia

Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins

Favourite dish: Grilled fish

Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.

Who is Allegra Stratton?

 

  • Previously worked at The Guardian, BBC’s Newsnight programme and ITV News
  • Took up a public relations role for Chancellor Rishi Sunak in April 2020
  • In October 2020 she was hired to lead No 10’s planned daily televised press briefings
  • The idea was later scrapped and she was appointed spokeswoman for Cop26
  • Ms Stratton, 41, is married to James Forsyth, the political editor of The Spectator
  • She has strong connections to the Conservative establishment
  • Mr Sunak served as best man at her 2011 wedding to Mr Forsyth
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015

- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France

Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

LUKA CHUPPI

Director: Laxman Utekar

Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Cinema

Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Kriti Sanon​​​​​​​, Pankaj Tripathi, Vinay Pathak, Aparshakti Khurana

Rating: 3/5

Updated: January 03, 2023, 4:00 PM