In the race of pot-lovin’ pop princesses, Miley Cyrus comes in a close second behind Rihanna.
(Courtesy of The Blonds)
While it all started with that infamous bong hit of Salvia in 2010 at her 18th birthday party, she has since opened up about her way with weed in the media, through Twitter and even on stage. She most recently proclaimed in the March issue of W Magazine, on which she graces the cover, “I just love getting stoned. I just want it to be back to where it’s, like, organic, good weed.”
Perhaps Cyrus’ most blunt gesture to date? Making marijuana a central theme of her Bangerz world tour, which kicked off in Vancouver earlier this month and blows into Denver next week. There are backup dancers dressed as joints and 24-carat gold rolling papers at the merch table, and Cyrus is flying around arenas on a giant hot dog (which we can only hope was inspired by Phish) and parading onstage in a pot leaf-and-crystal-encrusted leotard. This girl clearly loves her ganja.
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The leotard is just one of many costume changes concertgoers can expect, but it’s already garnered plenty of attention. We caught up with The Blonds — design duo Phillipe and David Blond — in between fittings in their NYC showroom to find out exactly what’s behind the infamous bodysuit.
“We’ve been working with her amazing stylist Simone Harouche for years and had the opportunity to dress Miley many times, most recently at the Bambi Awards and her New Year’s Eve performance in Times Square,” says Phillipe.
For the Bangerz tour, the designers took a collective approach to the costume creation process throughout a series of creative sessions with Cyrus.
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“Working with Miley is a truly amazing experience. She has a very clear vision of what she would like to express, but the process is still very collaborative,” says Phillipe.
Known for their crystal-encrusted bustiers and corsets, The Blonds got their big break with Beyoncé in 2007 and have since worked with many of pop music’s leading ladies — Katy Perry, Ke$ha, Lady Gaga and Rihanna, to name a few.
“We’ve had a lot of incredible moments with Rihanna and one of the looks we created for her is on display in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That was a real high point in our career … pun intended,” says David.
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Like most of their pieces, the glittery leotard was made completely by hand using 3D-printed graphics of bright gold and green cannabis leaves. Swarovski crystal elements were sewn on to make it pop and sparkle. The Blonds were so impressed with how the print came out, there could be more pot-inspired pieces in their future lines. The duo is already hard at work on their next collection.
“Anything is possible,” says David.
Fresh from an over-the-top, Catwoman-themed presentation during New York Fashion Week, where Phillipe walked the runway himself, The Blonds definitely have more fun.
Miley Cyrus at the Pepsi Center March 4
See Cyrus work The Blonds’ spectacle of looks and others, including vintage Bob Mackie, Roberto Cavalli, Jeremy Scott and Marc Jacobs on March 4 at the Pepsi Center. Sadly, that $0.75 ticket link that was recently floating around is no longer valid, but full-price tickets ($19.50-$89.50) are available through Altitude Tickets.
