Mariah Carey Kicks Off Her Holiday Tour with a Special Couture Dress

With the collaboration ignited, Carey and Libran wanted to create an elegant dress that reflected the glitzy style that both Carey and the holidays are known for. It resulted in a caped dress with all-over rose gold sequins, done over mesh netting and a boned bodice. “The silhouette is old school glamour with sparkle, to encapsulate my holiday spirit,” says Carey of the look. “I love the rose gold color. The dress is so modern and feels like a second skin. The built-in cape and the sequins on tulle also say, ‘Happy Holidays to me!’” For Libran, the challenge was taking on a festive design that would also read elevated and not too costumey. “I didn’t want it to be a costume—I wanted it to be an Haute Couture dress,” says Libran. “I wanted to create the magic of the holiday in a certain way, but I didn’t want it to be too literal. The rose gold is softer than an in-your-face, blingy gold.”

To do so, Libran infused the design with special details. Most notably, the cape unfolds and becomes a train. “[Mariah] explained to me that she loves the versatility of a piece of clothing,” says Libran. “That’s something that I love doing in my creativity. I love how things can be worn in so many ways, and that it becomes almost new and surprising.” The designer also had to think of functional details to add, to ensure that the design was ready for the stage and performance. “She needs to feel comfortable and to be able to perform while not having things in her way—something that moves with her,” says Libran. “She had to be unable to unlatch the cape with one hand. We also made sure that it was easy to get on and off in those seconds [she has to] change, so we opened the back.”

During her final fittings with Carey, just a few days before kicking off her concert, Libran says she could see Carey light up in her frock. “It felt like something different than what she’s used to wearing,” says Libran. “She was playing around with a cape, because the material felt good on her, like a second skin. It’s extremely airy and light.” Even better yet? The final look even got a stamp of approval from Carey’s children, who were also at the fitting. “[Mariah] showed her children how the dress looked on her, and she told me they said, ‘Mommy, you look so cool.’”