They Don't Love You Like I Love You

Hold Up by Beyoncé is an ode to possibly her partner, rapper Sean "Jay-Z" Carter or references the infidelity she witnessed first hand from her mother and father's relationship. The song reveals a variety of emotions ranging from rage to resentment in which she reflects on the behavior of her mystery significant other. In fact, the opening stanza of the song states how crazy her spouse would be to cheat on her because they'll never love him like she loves him. Based on a majority of the lyrics of the song, it can be interpreted that Beyoncé is the cheated on lover and Jay-Z is the cheater. There is even a borrowed lyric from Soulja Boy's "Turn My Swag On" at the end of "Hold Up."

I had a difficult time finding a look similar to Beyoncé's in the "Hold Up" video and ended up having to take the look in a completely different direction. The most important element I wanted to keep from the original look was the illusion of ruffles/pleats throughout the dress. I was able to find a lavender dress from NastyGal.com that did just that.

The Nasty Gal I'll Take That Net Ruffle Dress is a bit more expensive for an item I would feature on The Mod Little Melanin, but when dressing for The Formation Tour spending should be limitless, right? For $98.00, you can be the owner of this gorgeous lavender dress that features a sheer bodice and ruffles at the bust and bottom of the dress. Because the dress is sheer, I recommend adding either nude (flesh) colored pieces underneath or incorporating color into your outfit by adding a deep purple or pink pieces underneath.

While Beyoncé is wearing chunky platform heels in the music video, I choose to add a nude lace-up knee high heel in nude. By adding a nude shoe, the focus can remain on the dress more than the shoe. The nude lace up heels are from Urbanog.com, my favorite site to find affordable, stylish shoes, and are available on the site as the Perforated Scalloped Suede Lace Up Boots.

To accessorize, I would add simple stud earrings as your only accessory in order to keep the focus on your dress. I suggest less tamed hair to complete the look. I'd wear my natural, but other options include loose curls or waves to finish off the look. The bigger the hair, the better!

- Chelsea Nicole, The Mod Little Melanin 💋