In This Issue
It’s safe to say that the performer Janelle Monáe, EBONY's March 2023 cover star, has crossed over to fashion icon waters. When she first hit the scene in 2003, she was known for her stylish black and white tuxedo ensembles. The monochromatic uniform was her way of paying homage to her parents—a janitor and truck driver—and other working-class folks; in other words, the humble citizens that keep the world spinning but don't necessarily get recognized. Lately, though, she's been exploring her softer side by showing up in sensual robes that have cut-outs in all of the right places as a means of self-expression and showing the world that she is confident in who she is.
Agency has always been a throughline. Whether I'm in a suit or whether I'm in a dress or whether I'm naked, it's always about my decision. So I'm giving myself permission to be a little more soft and to explore different sides of my energy.”
Janelle Monáe
“I like to deal with energy in terms of softness and hardness. I think that perhaps, prior, there was a need to protect myself through fashion,” shared the star with EBONY's March 2023 cover writer Tre'vell Anderson, as she considers her suit to be more of a superhero armor that made her feel invincible and strong.
Since her tux years, we gradually saw Monáe’s style evolve. At first, sometimes she substituted a structured cape or a relaxed fit jacket for her regular custom-fit penguin suit. But in 2011, at the Producers Guild Awards, Monáe shook Black Twitter by venturing out in something that was a far departure from her sleek, buttoned-up shield—an arresting gown. Soon enough, dresses were routinely rotated in her red carpet mix.
Monáe also began to punctuate her looks with dashes of primary colors—scarlet reds, cobalt blues and sometimes canary yellows—with the occasional mix of brilliants metallics, as well as exploring uncomplicated prints such as as bold stripes or polka dots. She even replaced her signature pompadour hairstyle with striking hats, including wide brims, tops hats and toques—sometimes doubling them up for a singular effect.
Indeed, showing skin has become a new accessory for Monáe as she explores what it means to be truly free; it has been a way for her to signify that she is living in her own truth. “Agency has always been a throughline. Whether I'm in a suit or whether I'm in a dress or whether I'm naked, it's always about my decision. So I'm giving myself permission to be a little more soft and to explore different sides of my energy,” shares the LGBTQ+ activist and star.
Check out our curated photo timeline of Monáe’s fashion evolution.
Metropolis Album Release Party, red carpet, August 2007. Image: Benjamin Rose/WireImage for Getty Images
"ABC World Premiere Movie Event: A Raisin in the Sun", red carpet, February 2008. Image: Bennett Raglin/WireImage for Getty Images
51st Annual GRAMMY Awards red carpet, February 2009. Image: Steve Granitz/WireImage for Getty Images
Chloe LA Boutique Opening Party, April 2009. Image: Kristian Dowling for Getty Images
Grammy Nominee Reception red carpet, January 2009. Image: Ben Rose/WireImage for NARAS for Getty Images
Lollapalooza Music Festival, August 2009. Image: Tim Mosenfelder for Getty Images
Lollapalooza Music Festival, August 2009. Image: Roger Kisby for Getty Images
Alexander Wang After Party, September 2009. Image: Astrid Stawiarz for Getty Images
4th Annual Black Girls Rock, October 2009. Image: Astrid Stawiarz for Getty Images
23rd Annual ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards, June 2010. Image: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic for Getty Images
Ralph Lauren Soho Celebrates Fashion's Night Out, September 2010. Image: John Parra for Getty Images for Ralph Lauren
Keep A Child Alive's 7th Annual Black Ball, September 2010. Image: Theo Wargo/Child for Getty Images
Glamour Magazine Honors The 2010 Women Of The Year, November, 2010. Image: Dimitrios Kambouris for Getty Images
Outside of the Chanel couture show in Paris, January 2011. Image: Francois Durand for Getty Images
Clive Davis And The Recording Academy's pre-Grammy Gala Awards, February 2011. Image: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic for Getty Images
The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, February 2011. Image: John Shearer/WireImage for Getty Images
Delta Airlines Grammy Awards party, February 2013. Image: Michael Tran/FilmMagic for Getty Images
Met Gala red carpet, May 2011. Image: Larry Busacca for Getty Images
NBC Universal Golden Globes After Party, January 2012. Image: Joe Scarnici/FilmMagic for Getty Images
AmfAR New York Gala, February 2012. Image: Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic for Getty Images
Jill Scott Live" After Party, May 2012. Image: John Lamparski/WireImage for Getty Images
MTV Movie Awards, June 2012. Image: Steve Granitz/WireImage for Getty Images
BET's Black Girls Rock afterparty, October 2012. Image: Cindy Ord/Getty Images for BET
Clive Davis and the Recording Academy's pre- Grammy gala, February 2013. Image: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for Getty Images
55th Annual Grammy Award red carpet, February 2013. Image: Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Getty Images
BET Awards red carpet, June 2013. Image: Allen Berezovsky/WireImage for Getty Images
Soul Train Awards red carpet, November 2013. Image: Jason Kempin/Getty Images for BET
Essence Music Festival, July 2014. Image: Paras Griffin for Getty Images
18th Annual Hollywood Film Awards, November 2014. Image: Frazer Harrison for Getty Images for DCP
Variety Breakthrough Of The Year Awards red carpet, January 2014. Image: Steven Lawton for Getty Images for Variety
Roc Nation Grammy brunch red carpet, February 2015. Image: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic for Getty Images
Pre-Grammy gala, February 2015. Image: Jason Merritt forGetty Images
GQ and Giorgio Armani Grammys afterparty, February 2015. Image: Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for GQ
BET Honors red carpet, February 2014. Image: Larry French/BET/Getty Images for BET
Met Gala red carpet, May 2015. Image: Taylor Hill/FilmMagic for Getty Images
MOCA Gala red carpet, May 2015. Image: Frazer Harrison for Getty Images
CFDA Fashion Awards red carpet, June 2015. Image: Andrew H. Walker/FilmMagic for Getty Images
Gordon Parks Foundation Awards Dinner and Auction, June 2015. Image: Desiree Navarro/WireImage for Getty Images
BET awards red carpet, June 2015. Image: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images for BET
Met Gala red carpet, May 2014. Image: Dimitrios Kambouris for Getty Images
President Obama Hosts Nordic Leaders For State Dinner, May 2016. Image: Cheriss May/NurPhoto for Getty Images
Jidenna performance, February 2017. Image: Brian Killian for Getty Images for Pepsi
Essence 10th Annual Black Women In Hollywood Awards Gala, February 2017. Image: Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic for Getty Images
Film Independent Spirit Awards red carpet, February 2017. Image: David Crotty/Patrick McMullan for Getty Images
Charles Finch and Chanel Pre-Oscar Awards Dinner red carpet, February 2017. Image: Presley Ann Slack/Patrick McMullan for Getty Images
Met Gala red carpet, May 2017. Image: Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Getty Images
CFDA Fashion Awards red carpet, June 2017. Image: Dimitrios Kambouris for Getty Images
HBO's Official Emmy After Party, September 2017. Image: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for Getty Images
Alvin Ailey's Opening Night Gala red carpet, November 2017. Image: John Lamparski for Getty Images
Refinery29 29Rooms red carpet, December 2017. Image: Araya Doheny/WireImage for Getty Images
Warner Music Group Hosts Pre-Grammy Celebration In Association With V Magazine red carpet, January 2018. Image: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Warner Music Group for Warner Music Group
60th Annual GRAMMY Awards red carpet, January 2018. Image: Jamie McCarthy for Getty Images
Premiere Of Disney And Marvel's "Black Panther" red carpet, January 2018. Image: JB Lacroix/WireImage for Getty Images
Premiere Of Paramount Pictures' "Annihilation" red carpet, February 2018. Image: Steve Granitz/WireImage for Getty Images
9th Annual Oscar's Sistahs Soiree, February 2018. Image: Gabriel Olsen/WireImage for Getty Images
Essence Black Women In Hollywood Oscars Luncheon red carpet, March 2018. Image: Randy Shropshire/Getty Images for Essence
Film Independent Spirit Awards red carpet, March 2018. Image: Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Bulleit Frontier Whiskey
Vanity Fair Oscar Party red carpet, March 2018. Image: J. Merritt for Getty Images
"Extra" at R Lounge at the Renaissance Hotel, April 2018. Image: Gary Gershoff for Getty Images
"Dirty Computer" Screening, April 2018. Image: Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Atlantic Records
Special Screening Presented by YouTube of Dirty Computer, April 2018. Image: John Sciulli/Getty Images for YouTube
Met Gala red carpet, May 2018. Image: Dimitrios Kambouris/MG18/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Met Gala afterparty, May 2018. Image: TheStewartofNY/GC Images for Getty Images
BET Awards red carpet, June 2018. Image: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for BET
Janelle Monae Performs On NBC's "Today", August 2018. Image: Rob Kim for Getty Images
Afropunk Brooklyn Festival, August 2018. Image: Jason Mendez for Getty Images
Glamour Women Of The Year Awards red carpet, November 2018. Image: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Glamour
22nd Annual Hollywood Film Awards red carpet, November 2018. Image: Rodin Eckenroth for Getty Images
Premiere Of "Welcome To Marwen" red carpet, December 2018. Image: Emma McIntyre for Getty Images
76th Annual Golden Globe Awards red carpet, January 2019. Image: Frazer Harrison for Getty Images
61st Annual GRAMMY Awards red carpet, February 2019. Image: Jon Kopaloff for Getty Images
Valentino runway show in Paris, March 2019. Image: Pascal Le Segretain for Getty Images
Stella McCartney runway show in Paris, March 2019. Image: Bertrand Rindoff Petroff for Getty Images
Giambattista Valli runway show in Paris, March 2019. Image: Bertrand Rindoff Petroff for Getty Images
Rock & Roll of Fame red carpet, March 2019. Image: ANGELA WEISS/AFP for Getty Images
Paris Fashion Week street style, March 2019. Image: Marc Piasecki/GC Images for Getty Images
Chanel runway show in Paris, March 2019. Image: Bertrand Rindoff Petroff for Getty Images
Premiere Of Universal Pictures "Little", April 2019. Image: Leon Bennett/WireImage for Getty Images
Met Gala red carpet, May 2019. Image: Dia Dipasupil/FilmMagic for Getty Images
Paris Fashion Week street style, March 2019. Image: Kirstin Sinclair for Getty Images
Strutting to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, July 2019. Image: Neil Mockford/GC Images for Getty Images
Premiere Of Focus Features' "Harriet", October 2019. Image: Frazer Harrison forGetty Images
AFI Fest red carpet, November 2019. Image: Michael Kovac/Getty Images for AFI
13th Annual Essence Black Women In Hollywood Awards Luncheon red carpet, February 2020. Image: David Livingston for Getty Images
92nd Annual Academy Awards red carpet, February 2020. Image: Kevin Mazur for Getty Images
51st NAACP Image Awards red carpet, February 2020. Image: Frazer Harrison for Getty Images
Stella McCartney Paris Fashion Week runway show, March 2020 Image: Bertrand Rindoff Petroff for Getty Images
Paris Fashion Week street style, February 2020. Image: Claudio Lavenia for Getty Images
Glass Onion red carpet, November 2022. Image: JUAN PABLO RICO/AFP for Getty Images
NYC street style, December 2022. Image: MediaPunch/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images for Getty Images
"Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" Photocall In London red carpet, December 2022. Image: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/WireImage for Getty Image
NYC street style, December 2023. Image: Raymond Hall/GC Images for Getty Images
Outside of the Ralph Lauren New York Fashion Week runway show, March, 2022. Image: Daniel Zuchnik for Getty Images
Vanity Fair Oscar Party, March 2022. Image: Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage for Getty Images
Met Gala red carpet, May 2022. Image: Arturo Holmes/MG22/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
BET Awards red carpet, June 2022. Image: Amy Sussman for Getty Images
Glass Onion Toronto International Film Festival World Premiere red carpet, September 2022. Image: Vivien Killilea for Getty Images for Netflix
"Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" red carpet, October 2022. Image: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Netflix
25th SCAD Savannah Film Festival red carpet, October 2022. Image: Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SCAD
CFDA Fashion Awards red carpet, November 2022. Image: Dimitrios Kambouris for Getty Images
Napa Valley Film Festival's NVFF Film, November 2022. Image: Tim Mosenfelder for Getty Images
Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences 13th Governors Awards red carpet, November 2022. Image: Jon Kopaloff for Getty Images
National Board Of Review 2023 Awards Gala red carpet, January 2023. Image: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for National Board of Review
BAFTA Tea Party red carpet, January 2023. Image: Alberto E. Rodriguez/WireImage for Getty Images
28th Annual Critics Choice Awards rede carpet, January 2023. Image: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association
Pre-GRAMMY Gala red carpet, January 2023. Image: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
54th NAACP Image Awards, January 2023. Image: Kayla Oaddams/WireImage for Getty Images
5th American Black Film Festival Honors: A Celebration Of Excellence, red carpet, March 2023. Image: Michael Tullberg/WireImage for Getty Images
