Prince on Prince Entendre

“Prince on Prince Entendre,” styled, directed, and photographed by Khalida Ali.

Durag art is more than fabric and form. It is memory, protection, expression, and legacy. I use the durag not just to style, but to honor where we come from, and to reimagine where we can go.”

There’s a certain type of presence that doesn’t need to be loud. It just exists. That was the energy I tapped into for Prince on Prince Entendre, a visual concept rooted in elegance, subtle power, and identity.

The title plays on two meanings of “prince.” One is the artist Prince, known for his expressive, boundary breaking style. The other is the traditional image of a royal prince, poised, formal, and composed. This look was created as a conversation between the two, told through styling, shape, and detail.

The suit is a deep purple. The jacket is cropped and tailored, stopping right at the waist. It features rhinestone appliqué embellishments on the front and shoulders, arranged in mirrored gold and crystal patterns that resemble royal insignia. The lapels and sleeve cuffs are wrapped in black satin. From the cuffs, black lace flares out softly, built into the jacket itself. The gloves are plain black, adding a subtle layer without distracting from the design.

Under the jacket, there’s a black lace jabot-style tie, falling loose at the neck. The pants are high-waisted and clean-cut, with a straight leg that balances the cropped jacket above. The durag is made from black satin. In one version of the look, the durag flows into a soft, layered train crafted from gathered purple organza. The train is not for drama but for presence. It adds softness and dimension, designed to echo movement.

Prince Rogers Nelson, an icon whose fluidity and brilliance continue to shape how we define presence.

I didn’t create this look to mimic Prince, but to respond to him. He wore lace, heels, and eyeliner without asking for permission. His style was fluid, but never forced. That duality, softness with control, is what I wanted to reflect.

Traditional royal presence. One that is composed, elegant, and commanding.

At the same time, I was drawn to the image of traditional royalty. Upright, measured, someone who doesn’t need to speak to be heard. Prince on Prince Entendre brings both of those energies into one frame. I also pulled inspiration from Prince's iconic Purple Rain era — the styling, the colors, and the emotion embedded in that moment all shaped how I wanted this look to feel. It wasn't just about referencing him as a figure, but about capturing the texture and tone of that cultural moment.

Met Gala 2025: Superfine Tailoring Black Style, a theme that aligns seamlessly with durag art and Black elegance.

This concept also connects with the 2025 Met Gala theme, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” Inspired by Monica L. Miller’s Slaves to Fashion, the exhibition explores how Black individuals have used tailoring to express resistance, elegance, and identity across time. That conversation is where I live. Durag art is my form of tailoring. It’s stitched, sculpted, placed with intention. It exists to reclaim what was once criminalized or dismissed, and reframe it as luxury and pride.

For generations, the durag has been overlooked, or treated as unworthy of high design. But I’ve always seen it as more than fabric. It holds memory. It protects the head. It marks identity. In my work, the durag becomes architectural. I treat it the same way others treat a cape, a veil, or a headpiece. In this look, it becomes an extension of the suit itself.

When Jay-Z wore a durag with a suit on the red carpet, it wasn’t rebellion. It was Black formality. I design with that same truth in mind.

Jay-Z at the 2003 MTV VMAs, making a cultural statement in a durag and suit.

Prince on Prince Entendre is not just fashion. It is a statement and it was not my first durag centered piece, but it was a shift. It brought everything I’d been doing to a higher, more refined place. It became a layered reflection, soft, sharp, regal, and redefined.

As a designer, I build worlds. I shoot my own campaigns, design the garments, create the visual narrative, and stitch it all together with intention. This look is part of that world. It doesn’t exist to ask for space. It makes space. It says the durag belongs in every room where style, culture, and history are being discussed.

Every detail styled, directed, and captured through my lens to reflect what durag art can look like when it leads in both fashion and storytelling.

This is durag art. This is Black elegance. And it’s just the beginning.

The Royal Stride is what came next, but this, right here, was the moment I made sure our crowns were being seen.