Erykah Badu Dazzles in Iconic Face Jewelry as She Redefines Glamour at the 2024 CFDA Awards
Erykah Badu understood the assignment at the 2024 CFDA Awards. The Council of Fashion Designers of America awarded the Grammy winner its most coveted honor on Monday night. The Fashion Icon Award goes to innovative style savants who support the industry and its designers. In previous years, Zendaya, Lenny Kravitz, Serena Williams, Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Lady Gaga have received this recognition. Now, it’s Badu’s turn to be a Fashion Icon — rightly deserved.
Erykah Badu’s CFDA look
In typical Erykah Badu avant-garde fashion, the “On & On” singer donned a sleek, all-black ensemble by Thom Browne. The outfit featured an hourglass-shaped Chesterfield, sportcoat, and embroidered cardigan. Taking a cue from autumn, she layered a pleated skirt and trousers crafted from black cashmere, three-ply mohair, wool flannel, and silk faille. Badu added an oversized jumpsuit in black three-ply mohair with black grosgrain trim.
The 53-year-old accessorized with simple black patent leather wingtip pumps. She topped off the look with a custom beaded CHRISHABANA headpiece and septum jewelry. Badu’s entire look, though elaborate, was rooted in Afrocentric elements via her signature face jewelry. Dozens of celebrities have worn CHRISHABANA, including Madonna, Doja Cat, and Fashion Icon winners Beyoncé and Lady Gaga.
Badu collaborated with the New York-based jewelry line’s creative director, Chris Habana, for her unique CFDA look. The pair drew inspiration from an AI-generated collage of cultural influences and global styles. The image was provided by the “Didn’t Cha Know” singer who often pays homage to African aesthetics, spirituality, and symbolism. The CHRISHABANA team meticulously hand-carved and cast sterling silver charms and trinkets, blending them with hardware and sterling silver and decorative steel chains. They carefully hand-stitched each element onto a base hood crafted from Thom Browne fabric, giving the piece a couture finish.
Erykah Badu calls fashion her ‘husband’
During her speech, Badu demonstrated her sense of humor, saying that she’s been trying to win this award since she was 6. The songwriter elaborated that she approaches fashion as a sport, as therapy, and as her husband, according to USA Today. Earlier in a statement, she explained, “I’ve always had a love for taking bits and pieces of the things I am attracted to and creating something far more grand than the sum of those parts.”
Badu wasn’t the only celebrity going all out for such an innovative award ceremony. The star-studded gala saw an unprecedented number of stars walk the red carpet, including Cynthia Erivo, Blake Lively, Annie Leibovitz, Paris Hilton, Ciara, Katie Holmes, Kylie Jenner, Lucy Liu, Meghann Fahy, and Nicole Richie. We could go on, but you get the picture.
