At the 2022 Met Gala, Cardi B graced the red carpet in a custom Versace gown, dripping in gold. The outfit, highlighted with Medusa medallions and the Versace Greca encrusted in crystal ornate chains, required 20 people and about 1,300 hours to make, according to a statement from Versace.
The rapper/fashion icon, who was recently featured on the May/June 2022 cover of ESSENCE along with her husband Offset and their children, accessorized her evening gown with regal hair fit for a queen. TRESemmé and Dyson products were used to create the look with the help of her long-time hairstylist, Tokyo Stylez.
“We were inspired by her gorgeous gold Versace dress that’s covered in gold chains to create this glamorous 90’s, voluminous updo,” Tokyo Stylez, explains in a statement.
Achieving perfection takes a lot of work and according to Stylez, there was a little snafu along the way. “This look took quite a few hours because the wig was originally blonde,” she tells ESSENCE exclusively. “Honestly, without my Dyson dryer and straightener, it saved my life because it would have been a super long dry time. We didn’t know looks until the last minute, so I had to dye on the spot.”
Cardi’s hair was first prepped with TRESemmé Beauty-Full Strength Shampoo and Conditioner,” according to Stylez, to create volume and stronger hair.
She then spritzed TRESemmé One Step Volume Mist from roots to ends for added bounce and flexibility. “It also helps impart strength, anti-static, light hold and heat protection, and provide the perfect pre-blow dry step,” she says.
“Next, I rough blow-dried her hair using the Dyson Supersonic™ hair dryer professional edition. After blow-drying, I used the Dyson Corrale™ straightener to smooth everything out and create spiral curls throughout the hair, setting each curl with TRESemmé Total Volume Hair Spray to create hold while not sacrificing volume,” Stylez continues.
“Once the hair was set, I applied a touch of TRESemmé Keratin Smooth Serum throughout for added shine. I pinned the curls into a 90s-style updo and sprayed more hair spray all over to secure the entire look and provide a long-lasting hold.”
It comes as no surprise that Cardi B was very involved in the process, but according to Stylez, the Grammy award-winning rapper knows what she wants. “We were texting each other all night the day prior to Met. I would send looks and she would either approve or disapprove,” she describes to us. “We always had to judge off feelings, so we make decisions according to the mood of the Cardi and the team, but I think we came up with the perfect solution to match the amazing Versace dress and it looked great.”
Stylez also mentioned that Cardi B wanted people to “gag” when they saw her on the red carpet. “Well, we said we wanted the crowd to gag and not only did they gag, but they were also speechless so I think we set out and accomplished exactly what we wanted to do.”
Well, Tokyo, mission accomplished!