[Beyoncé] | A custom stage costume designed for Beyoncé’s On the Run II Tour performance of “Resentment” on July 25, 2018 in Cleveland, OH

“Beyoncé answers random questions.” 4music on Channel 4, 2006. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXR5XOjEtOQ. 

Quick, Harriet. “MADONNA+BEYONCE ‘Myth Making’” Rosamosario Online, https://www.rosamosario.com/r-s-club/madonna-beyonce-myth-making/?srsltid=AfmBOoqICCZdu2nH9ByXmvsQkkQOWQaM5VEF858OKD4BDn2bbNS00vHh. 2025.

One of several custom stage costumes designed for Beyoncé’s “Resentment” during the North American debut of the On the Run II tour on July 25, 2018 in Cleveland, OH

Custom-designed for Beyoncé’s performance of “Resentment” on the opening night of the On the Run II tour’s North American leg, the present lot is a 3-piece suit comprised of a corseted body suit, high-waisted chap-effect pants, and a flowing blazer constructed entirely in a bright, white lace, except for the white silk satin cuffs of the blazer. Rosamosario provided several variations of the suit, including the present lot, to Beyoncé’s wardrobe team for the performance, as is typical for a performer of her level.

A creative collaboration between Zerina Ackers—Beyoncé’s longtime wardrobe curator—and creative director of Italian luxury studio Rosamosario, Carlotta Danti, this set was created specifically to dress Beyoncé during the second act performance of her ballad, “Resentment” on that first night of the US tour. The concept of custom lace suiting perfectly accompanied the emotional tone of “Resentment;” a moving, passion-filled ballad about forgiveness in the aftershocks of relationship infidelity.

Allowing the structure of a suit to meet the delicate durability of white floral lace achieved the pair’s vision of Beyoncé embodying feminine strength though hardship. “The beauty of lace is that it is never as delicate as it might first seem,” expressed Danti in a Rosamosario article reflecting on working with Ackers on the costume (Quick). The star shone in her lace armor as she performed “Resentment” on a stripped back and intimate stage, striding across its length and crooning seated in the center under a single spotlight. The chaps-like detail of the suit’s high-waisted pant is of note in retrospect as a nod to Beyoncé’s Houston roots that serve as the inspiration for the Western aesthetic she has now refined for the current Cowboy Carter era.

“Resentment” is one of those unique tracks in music history where the cover surpasses the popularity of the original in spades. First written and recorded for Victoria Beckham’s unreleased studio album Come Together and later repurposed for the documentary The Real Beckhams in 2004, “Resentment” immediately became Beyoncé’s song once her reworked version was released two years later on 2006’s B-Day. The 10^th track on Beyoncé’s second studio album, Beyoncé’s version of “Resentment” is a reworked version of the original composition by Walter W. Milsap III and Candice Nelson. Beyoncé received both writer and producer credits for the additional lyrical content and new production she added to her rendition of the song. In a publicity interview for B-Day with UK’s Channel 4, the young artist selected “Resentment” as the song on her upcoming album that made her the proudest, stating: “I feel like vocally I've grown, I feel like all the chord changes and the beautiful harmonies and the lyrics is something that I really am proud of” (Channel 4).

Designed by women for one of the most influential women artists in the history of music, the present lot represents a legacy of women’s work in textile construction, design and fabrication, in stage performance, and in the written word.