Oscar Holland, CNN
Mary J. Blige dazzled fans at the Super Bowl on Sunday evening, taking the stage in a bodysuit embellished with 10,000 Swarovski crystals.
The R&B singer performed her 2001 hits “Family Affair” and “No More Drama” wearing the white and silver outfit, as the SoFi Stadium was transformed into a California house party for a hip-hop-themed halftime show.
The look, complete with matching gloves and thigh-high boots, was custom-made by Norwegian fashion designer Peter Dundas. It featured a long-sleeve crop top with lace detailing, and was later accessorized with a silver fedora hat, which Blige wore to close the show alongside fellow performers Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Eminem and Kendrick Lamar.
Dundas, who was creative director for Italian brand Roberto Cavalli before launching his own eponymous label in 2017, used laser-cut mirror embellishments, pearl beadwork and crystals to create a sparkling animal-print effect.
Speaking to Women’s Wear Daily, Dundas said the outfit made Blige look like a “snow leopard.”
“I thought (the mirrors) worked really well with Mary because she pulls so much on your heartstrings with singing about things that you kind of identify with yourself,” he told the fashion publication. “She almost becomes a reflection of the audience as well.”
Often dubbed the “Queen of Hip-Hop Soul,” Blige not only won praise for her performance, but for her outfit — and her boots, in particular — on social media, with several fans declaring that she had “won” the Super Bowl.
“Mary J Blige’s outfit and hair is absolutely everything I am obsessed,” wrote one Twitter user, while another tweeted: “Mary J. Blige should have her own line of thigh boots at this point.”
Shortly after the performance, Dundas’ label announced that a virtual version of the outfit is being made available as a non-fungible token, or NFT, via the digital fashion platform DressX. Selling alongside a virtual replica of what she’ll wear to the afterparties, as well as the designer’s original sketches, the digital garments will allow fans to “participate and see themselves in the looks,” Dundas said in a press release.
DressX founders Daria Shapovalova and Natalia Modenova said in a press statement that buyers can “try on the performance looks in augmented reality anytime and anywhere in the world — something that could almost never be achieved in the physical world.”
This is not Dundas’ first time dressing the star for a major appearance, having designed the shimmery gold gown she wore to last year’s Met Gala. Nor is it his first Super Bowl creation: He also custom-made the crystal-adorned red outfit from Shakira’s halftime performance in 2020.
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