The preparation for this year’s Grammy Awards began weeks before the event for Cardi B. On top of her intensive rehearsal schedule, the artist and her team had to plan stellar fashion looks from the carpet to the stage. Stylist Kollin Carter traveled to Paris to fetch museum-quality garments for the special occasion. His eyes were set on vintage pieces from Manfred Thierry Mugler’s Fall 1995 collection, a perfect match for Bardi’s fierce persona. “It was all about no limits and it was all about fearless,” Carter said, “And I feel like that’s everything she is as a woman.”

The designer’s Venus crinoline sheath gown was an immediate standout and ultimately selected for the rapper’s red carpet look. It was originally worn by Mugler’s beloved muse Simonetta Gianfelice. “That dress is worth not being able to walk,” Carter commented on its slender silhouette. “I know she’d be happy to just tiptoe down the carpet.”

Other pieces were flown tfrom the couture house to Los Angeles and they all required alterations to complement Cardi’s frame. Even the gloves she wore onstage were adjusted to accommodate the length of her flashy nails.

The fashion was displayed in prominence throughout the Grammy Awards as Cardi B bodied her performance and made history.