Twenty years ago this week, Beyoncé had just released her breakout solo album, Dangerously in Love. "Crazy in Love" was in the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and would soon become her first #1 hit as a solo artist. It was just the beginning.
The music was legendary, but so were the looks. The album cover specifically — from her iconic wind-swept hair, to that diamond encrusted top, to the airbrushed skin and low-rise jeans — has cemented itself as a lesson in Y2K fashion history.
And this week, Markus Klinko, the legendary cover photographer, spoke to Insider to talk about what it took to get the iconic shot.
Secondly, this was early days, so Beyoncé's mom, Tina Knowles-Lawson, still held the position as her stylist. Tina was actually the one who brought the diamond top on set.
"She brought this diamond top and I immediately recognized it as an opportunity," Klinko said. But Beyoncé didn't like it!
Apparently, Beyoncé didn't think the top would work because her mom wanted to pair it with long skirts. Beyoncé told Klinko, "This is going to look very prom or red carpet and I don't want to do that.'"
Klinko continued, "Beyoncé said, 'Well, we don't have any denim. We didn't bring any.' I said, 'You might fit my own jeans that I'm wearing.' She said, 'OK, let's try.' So we did."
I'm just imagining the conversation going like this:
Anyway, the contrasting blue jeans against Bey's airbrushed skin and sparkling top clearly worked, becoming a crystallizing moment in Y2K fashion, and possibly inspiring the era of the crop-top-and-low-rise-jean combo that ensued.
So whether you love it or hate it, you can thank this duo's happy accident for contributing to the rise of that trend.
And if you're wondering where the jeans are these days, you might be happy to find out they're still with Klinko. Beyoncé specifically told him not to sell them on eBay.
So there you have it! Next time you have to get scrappy, just remember that Beyoncé once had to do it too.
