If Beyoncé is the poster girl for #flawless, Solange is the queen of unconventional cool. She rocked a cape at her wedding, frequently steps out with bold makeup looks, and has the best pantsuit collection of anyone we've seen. But it was her recent SNL performance that made us completely lose our sh*t. Her singing was, of course, incredible. But let's take a collective moment of silence for that. hair.
As the singer walked out on the stage to perform one of her latest singles, “Cranes in the Sky,” we were immediately taken with her gravity-defying halo of braids and bling. It wasn't so much a hair look as it was a piece of art — which makes sense when you know who created it.
Solange tapped Shani Crowe, a multimedia artist behind the powerful exhibition "Braids," to weave together her look. Crowe took her art out of the gallery and onto the live stage by creating a custom piece just for Solange’s performance — resulting in an incredible display of #blackgirlmagic. It all started with a cold email from Solange’s team: Could Crowe create a halo similar to her work “Fingerwave Saint”? “She wanted it bedazzled,” Crowe says. “The rest was just my interpretation of what she asked for.” That interpretation ended up requiring 100 feet of braided hair, layered and wrapped around a metal framework. Also included: 2,500 Swarovski-crystal beads in multiple sizes and shapes. The whole thing, which took Crowe about 50 hours to make, is an ornate take on wearable art. “The nature of a braided hairstyle allows it to grow and change as the wearer's hair does. Its temporary nature makes it an exclusive encounter,” notes Crowe. “It was awesome to see my conceptual braid work in action on stage. It's glitter and oscillation paired with Solange's grace...this experience, in its entirety, was a dream.” We'd say.
Solange tapped Shani Crowe, a multimedia artist behind the powerful exhibition "Braids," to weave together her look. Crowe took her art out of the gallery and onto the live stage by creating a custom piece just for Solange’s performance — resulting in an incredible display of #blackgirlmagic. It all started with a cold email from Solange’s team: Could Crowe create a halo similar to her work “Fingerwave Saint”? “She wanted it bedazzled,” Crowe says. “The rest was just my interpretation of what she asked for.” That interpretation ended up requiring 100 feet of braided hair, layered and wrapped around a metal framework. Also included: 2,500 Swarovski-crystal beads in multiple sizes and shapes. The whole thing, which took Crowe about 50 hours to make, is an ornate take on wearable art. “The nature of a braided hairstyle allows it to grow and change as the wearer's hair does. Its temporary nature makes it an exclusive encounter,” notes Crowe. “It was awesome to see my conceptual braid work in action on stage. It's glitter and oscillation paired with Solange's grace...this experience, in its entirety, was a dream.” We'd say.