Taraji P. Henson, More Defend Blue Ivy’s ‘Mufasa’ Gown From Critics

Blue Ivy Carter has a Beyhive all her own.

Members include Jenna Bush Hager and Taraji P. Henson, who defended the gold strapless gown the 13-year-old wore to the Mufasa: The Lion King premiere in Los Angeles after internet trolls questioned if the look was “age appropriate.”

Christian Siriano — who designed the metallic stunner for Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s eldest daughter — appeared alongside Bush Hager and Henson on the Monday, January 14, episode of Today with Jenna & Friends who praised the Project Runway alum for the “gorgeous” gown.

“It’s so beautiful,” Henson, 54, gushed. “I thought she was age appropriate. She looked like a princess!”

Bush Hager, 43, “totally” agreed with her temporary co-host and added, “For anybody that says differently, we say bye bye.”
“People need to shut up!” Henson quipped. “It was very classy.”

Siriano and his team had a mere 48 hours to make the dress, and they wanted to focus on ensuring the teen looked like Hollywood royalty.
“What girl doesn’t want to have a princess moment?” Siriano, 39, asked hypothetically. “And when your parents are Beyoncé and Jay-Z what are you supposed to wear? A doily? Like, you’re not going to wear a tutu. You want to look like a star, come on.”

Henson was quick to point out that Blue Ivy is still just “a child” and urged everyone to keep “our opinions to ourselves.”

“Kindness really matters, and it’s not as easy to do,” she continued. “You can sit on your phone and Twitter your thumbs all you want to, but let’s see you get on the red carpet and pull off a look.”

Bush Hager also gave Siriano props for how the dress’ golden finish resembled the color scheme of the film she starred in, so it was “what she should be wearing.” (Beyoncé, 43, voiced Queen Nala in the Disney live action prequel, while Blue Ivy voiced her daughter Kiara.)

 

Blue Ivy initially faced some criticism from trolls who deemed the dress “inappropriate,” to which Henson (a regular on the red-carpet best-dressed list) clapped back: “It was very appropriate,”

Several other celebrities — including Sherri Shepherd and Christina Milian — have also joined the conversation to voice their support for Blue Ivy’s show-stopping style.

For her part, Beyoncé hasn’t dignified the naysayers with a response and has yet to acknowledge the mixed reviews. Instead, she proudly joined her daughter at the premiere with her husband, Jay-Z, 55, — in a coordinated black-and-gold Balmain dress from the label’s limited-edition Disney x Balmain: The Lion King collection.

Designed by Creative Director Olivier Rousteing, the strapless column was adorned with gold polka dots made from metal leaves that, while on-theme, didn’t steal the spotlight from Blue Ivy.

After the red carpet was rolled up, the “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer praised her mini-me in a heartfelt Instagram shoutout on December 9. “My gorgeous baby girl,” she captioned the post featuring photos of her daughter posing for photographers. “This is your night. You worked hard and you did such a beautiful job as the voice of Kiara. Your family could not be prouder. Keep shining.”

After all, Blue Ivy is a rising fashion star in the making — and according to Beyoncé’s stylist Shiona Turini, Blue Ivy “makes the final choice” when it comes to her stage looks.

Case in point? The all-white wardrobe Beyoncé recently donned for her much-talked-about halftime performance during the Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens Christmas Day game. (The 13-minute performance, dubbed the “Beyoncé Bowl,” aired live on Netflix and is now streaming on the platform.)

For the set, the Grammy winner sang tracks from her Grammy-nominated country album Cowboy Carter. Flanked by a massive ensemble on the field — which included Blue Ivy — they all fittingly wore Western-inspired white costumes, with Beyoncé in a custom Roberto Cavalli feather coat and more than 350 carats of diamond Lorraine Schwartz jewelry.

 

Meanwhile, Blue Ivy dressed like a mini “Cowboy Carter” in a crystal-covered corset and wide-leg pants from Ukrainian designer Frolov that were festooned with fringe. They both topped things off with a Stetson hat.

“When Bey said she wanted everyone in white, I knew we had to look at different textures, different patterns, different accents — whether it was fringe, suede, crystals, American flags,” Turini said in a December interview with Harper’s Bazaar. “You really have to lean into the elements that are going to make each section feel different so it doesn’t feel repetitive.”

Turini continued: “But for Blue, you can play around with her options because she will be different from anyone else, no matter what.” Standout style, indeed.