When did Cardi B become a full-fledged style icon? Everyone surely has their own personal opinion on the matter—perhaps for some, the tides shifted with the dramatic floral gown and matching headpiece that she wore on the 2018 American Music Awards red carpet. If you’re an even more discerning critic, though, maybe it wasn’t until Cardi sported the ruffled ruby red Dolce Gabbana dress to a Harper’s Bazaar event that really cinched it.
But no matter when it sunk in for you, it’s now undeniable that Cardi is a fashion force to be reckoned with—whether it be during her front row–hopping at Paris Fashion Week or walking the Met Gala red carpet in custom Moschino. Looking back over her style evolution, starting from the head wrap and leather trench dress that she wore to Alexander Wang’s fall 2018 show and ending with her recent vintage Jean Paul Gaultier moment at the premiere of Hustlers in Los Angeles, it’s impossible not to be struck by just how much Cardi’s wardrobe has changed in such a short amount of time (barely even three years, to be exact).
Her glow-up is not just a matter of her ongoing working relationship with her stylist, Kollin Carter, or a result of getting access to some of the fashion world’s most coveted brands—she still reps Fashion Nova as much as she does any other label, after all. It’s equally a testament to Cardi’s fearless attitude and her commitment to some of fashion’s riskiest looks. The singer herself put it best at Vogue’s Forces of Fashion conference earlier this year: “I’ve worked so hard to be able to get to these shows. When it comes to the fashion industry, they don’t care if you’ve got number-one hits, all the awards. If you just ain’t stylin’ right, they just ain’t gonna invite you to their shows; they just don’t care. You’ve got to be into it, and you’ve got to have a sense of style,” she said. “It’s something that you’ve got to prove. It’s taken years for me to prove it, and I’m finally where I want to be.”
In honor of Cardi’s Vogue cover this month, take a look at some of her style highlights over the years—she’s more than proved herself.
