Photo: WENN 

This week, hundreds of thousands of people, if not millions, are heading down in droves to New Orleans to check out this year’s Essence Festival.

Erykah Badu, who will be headlining the event with fellow Soulquarian Common and rap god Kendrick Lamar, is bringing her unique brand of flair to the Down Bottom region. In lieu of her upcoming show this Saturday at 8:35pm, Vogue got a chance to catch up with her to discuss her rock star style and how she survives without a glam squad.

“I make no distinction between what I wear on the street and the stage; it’s all just my style,” she told the publication from her home in Dallas, Texas. “I don’t work with a stylist, and I never plan what I’m going to wear, it’s always an of-the-moment thing.” To better demonstrate the point, Badu has caused uproar during her live shows for some of her ensembles, most famously at comedian Dave Chappelle’s Brooklyn block party where he hair caught an updraft of wind and threatened to fly off her scalp.

The moment was captured in time as one of the realest moments from the Queen of Neo-Soul, as the Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter snatched her own wig off and belted out notes with the ferocity of a passionate lioness. More likely to make an impression straight from her bedroom than the dressing room, Badu is one of the few performers that can make everyday wear look so amazing. The 44-year-old soulstress tours relentlessly, so she might not have the time or patience to wait on anyone to suggest outfits to her.

Plus, Badu is notoriously known for being clear and concise on what she wears. From the beginning of her career, she has held a keen awareness of what works and what accentuates her coolness. “I’ve always enjoyed dressing my head,” she said when speaking of her head wrap she wore on the cover of her debut album Baduizm back in 1997. “Whether it’s head wraps, hats, or wigs, I’m not sure why… I think that’s just where my mojo lives.” A shining black embodiment of radical beauty and feminine wiles, Badu is the personification of the phrase “Black Girls Are Magic.”

An interesting tidbit to learn from this Vogue chat is that Badu’s accessories are personalized and designed specifically for her. From the Ankh rings that were created by her uncle to talon-like knuckle duster rings curated in collaboration with Lillian Shalom, crystals, semi-precious stones and more all have special sentiment (and healing qualities) for the mystical musician. “Accessories really are everything for me,” she said. “I travel with a black body bag full of them when I’m on tour. I’ll throw on my Yoruba beads, my Maasai beads—and there’s space for six hats in my hat box.”

While Pharrell Williams took it there with the hat game, it was Badu’s variation that won her rave reviews at the 2014 Met Gala in New York City. Making her stand head and shoulders above everyone else during the event, the giant hat was the crowning glory to her Givenchy look, which she pulled off flawlessly. It is that confidence within her personal style that has endeared her to fashion designers such as Tisci and Tom Ford. The upgrading of her motif from sinewy body-con dresses to men’s blazers and shirts shows that she plays by her own rules and no one can ebb her flow. “I was the weird kid,” she admitted, “I liked to wear what everyone else wasn’t.”

With her sense of style set to be on full view in New Orleans, we take a look back over the years at Erykah Badu’s most memorable fashion choices.

[via Vogue]

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