Beyoncé’s highly-anticipated Netflix special Homecoming premiered on Wednesday morning (high five to any East Coasters who stayed up to watch at 3 a.m.). Her Netflix debut chronicled all of the behind-the-scenes action that went down before she hit the stage at Coachella in 2018—plus adorable clips of her and Jay-Z’s first-born, Blue Ivy, 7, dancing away, and her unforgettable reunion with Destiny’s Child superstars Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams.
But Beyoncé also dived into exactly what she was wearing during her memorable performances across two weekends—which marked the first time a Black woman headlined the festival. Her looks were indeed high fashion—but there was meaning behind every outfit, as the crests, sweatshirt, and Nefertiti-inspired looks also paid homage to Black culture in America.
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For weekend one of Coachella, Beyoncé and stylist Marni Senofonte tapped celebrated fashion designer Olivier Rousteing, the creative director of Balmain, to custom-make five looks, each of which honored Black power. Her looks for weekend two were slightly different than the first, but were designed with the same intention.
In the doc, reveals that she met with Rousteing several times to create costumes that were as stylish as they were practical for 200 performers on a festival stage—while also including nods to Black Greek organizations and the Egyptian queen Nefertiti. She remembers asking: “How do we look united and how do we have these different characters that stand out?” adding, “We did things that were very unconventional for a festival show.”
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Here, the full scoop on the meaning behind all of Beyoncé”s Coachella looks.
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Beyoncé’s Coachella Nefertiti Outfit
To open the show, Beyoncé hit the stage in a Balmain outfit that immediately made her look like an Egyptian queen. The back of her cape featured an emblazoned image of Nefertiti, which she’s referenced before in videos like “Sorry.”
After the initial performance, The Telegraph reported that Beyoncé’s larger-than-life hat is similar to one researchers discovered on the bust of Nefertiti in 1912. Next to her on stage, Beyoncé’s dancers wore catsuits that, according to ABC News, had images of the Sphinx from ancient Greek lore.
“Jay saw the Egyptian goddess cape and when B put it on, his eyes went wide and he was so excited, he said, ‘Oh, wow!” That gave me a lot of satisfaction,” Rousteing told Vogue.
The Second Nefertiti Outfit
For weekend two, Beyoncé switched it up, giving the black look a rest with an all-silver take on the Nefertiti ensemble.
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Beyoncé’s Coachella Beta Delta Kappa Sweatshirt
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Other ways Beyoncé honored Black culture in her performance? She played an excerpt from Malcolm X’s 1962 “Who Taught You to Hate Yourself” speech, sung “Lift Every Voice and Sing”—considered the Black national anthem in America—and also sampled Nina Simone’s “Lilac Wine.”
But what were the hoodies with Greek letters all about? They were a tribute to the Divine Nine, the Black Greek letter organizations that were founded in America beginning with Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated in 1906. Many of the Black fraternities and sororities were founded at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), including Howard University. By wearing Balmain hoodies (in yellow for weekend one, pink for the second performance) that resemble those worn by members of the Black Greek organizations, Beyoncé represented a huge segment of American culture not traditionally seen in popular media.
She also celebrated marching bands at HBCUs by hiring DrumLine Live, a group that often performs at Black schools. She wore both looks with custom Christian Louboutin boots.
Beyoncé’s BAK Sweatshirt Crest
ABC News reported that Beyoncé was, once again, honoring Greek life by using letters reflective of a fictional Beta Delta Kappa sorority on her sweatshirts. Beyhive members and fans on the internet theorized that the B and K stand for her initials—Beyoncé Knowles—while the center delta symbol is a nod to “The Roc” symbol that represents her husband Jay-Z”s Roc Nation entertainment company.
Beyoncé’s Coachella Crest
Similar to the rest of the looks in this story, Beyoncé’s crest on a black Balmain crop top featured an image of an Egyptian queen or royal, a black panther (a nod to the Black Panther party), a black fist (representing Black power), and a bee, a way of celebrating her fans, who are known as the “Beyhive.” It also had “Beyoncé” written across the bottom.
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She changed into a pink sweater dress with the same boots for weekend two of Coachella.
Black Latex Bodysuit and Jacket
Okay, not all of Beyoncé’s looks had deep, hidden messages behind them. But they all did look exceptional. Later in the show, Bey switched into a black latex Balmain look, complete with thigh-high boots.
For the second weekend, she wore a similar version that was slightly different around the bust and stomach.
Beyoncé’s One-Shoulder Destiny’s Child Look
This outfit made waves for one major reason: the wardrobe malfunction. During the show— and seconds after she surprised fans by welcoming her former Destiny’s Child bandmates on stage—the camouflage Balmain look fell off on the shoulder and just below the knee. But because this is Beyoncé we’re talking about, she shrugged it off like a pro.
The Other Destiny’s Child Outfit
For weekend two, Beyoncé switched it up and prevented any malfunctions by wearing a sparkly bodysuit with fishnets and a wraparound, belted design.
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