Beyoncé—superstar, tastemaker, Givenchy flame-wearer—kicked off the U.S. leg of her Mrs. Carter Show World Tour in L.A. on June 28. She already debuted a wealth of flashy wares in Europe, like custom costumes by The Blonds, David Koma, Dsquared², and Emilio Pucci. But, for her Stateside performances, Mrs. Carter is adding a few sartorial surprises. And she tapped emerging Israeli designer Alon Livné to make them.
The pair ignited their creative relationship back in February after Beyoncé’s stylists, Ty Hunter and Raquel Smith, attended the 27-year-old’s debut New York Fashion Week presentation. Smith reported back to Bey, who quickly fell in love with with one of Livné’s metal-embellished Pre-Fall gowns, and requested customized versions—in red—for her and her backup dancers to wear on the tour.
Based in Tel Aviv, where he owns two stores, Livné returned to New York earlier this month to show his Resort ’14 collection to retailers. And not long after his arrival, he got a call. “They asked me if I could do something special,” Livné told Style.com—the “they” being Beyoncé’s stylists, and her mother, Tina. “I said yes, of course.” There was one problem, though—he had nowhere to work. But when you’re designing for pop culture’s reigning queen, nothing is impossible. Beyoncé’s camp set him up in an office with an industrial sewing machine, and he got to it. “I think the fact that they were willing to help me make these dresses, and to give me a studio, was so amazing,” offered Livné. “I mean, it’s Beyoncé. She can go anywhere from Chanel to Givenchy and pick whatever she likes, and she helped me.”
The fruit of his labor is a scarlet corset sprinkled with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS crystals, the sketch of which debuts exclusively above. The look will serve as Ms. Knowles’ show-opener during the tour. Livné also made the star a printed gown with metal details, and a bevy of costumes for her backup dancers.
