Mariah Carey is the queen of over-the-top glamour.
The “Songbird Supreme,” as she’s been dubbed by the Guinness Book of Records due to her vocal range, loves doing things her own way. To put it plainly, there’s rarely a dull moment with the iconic singer.
That rings especially with her fashion choices, which are almost always so extra. One minute, she’s riding the New York subway in couture, and the next she’s working out in stilettos. Then, of course, there’s her obsession with baths, which has become public knowledge over the years. Jimmy Kimmel even set up a bubble bath for his interview with the star in 2016.
In honor of the singer’s 49th birthday on Wednesday (or, according to some sources, her 50th), we’re taking a look back at some of her most iconic, over-the-top and extra fashion moments. You’re welcome.
1. When she entered her bath while wearing a towel during her episode of “Cribs”:
In 2002, Carey showed off her home on MTV’s “Cribs.” One of the episode’s most memorable moments occurred when she took viewers into the bathroom ― her favorite room in the house ― and proceeded to enter the bath while still wrapped in her towel. In true Carey fashion, the tub was positioned under a sparkling chandelier and surrounded by candles.
2. When she took a bath while draped in diamonds:
Again, Carey loves her baths. On Instagram in 2016, she shared a snap of herself sitting in a bubble-filled tub while draped in diamonds. How else would the megastar wind down after a long night spent at the studio?
3. When she wore a gown to bring her kids to the playground:
For starters, our moms never wore gowns to take us to the park. And they definitely wouldn’t have worn such a light color to spend time outside with their kids. But Carey isn’t a regular mom, she’s a glam mom who wears fancy dresses and stilettos to push her kids on the swings (despite “sinking into the rubber mats,” like the caption of her Instagram photo describes).
4. When her assistant helped her change clothes while she was still walking, also on her episode of “Cribs.”
Carey’s episode of “Cribs” was a treasure trove of extra fashion and beauty moments in and of itself. In the scene above, the pop princess has her assistant literally help her change clothes while she continues touring her home for the cameras. For the singer, that seems like totally normal behavior, but for anyone else, we probably wouldn’t feel the same way.
5. When she rode the #subwayincouture:
If Mariah Carey is going to take the subway, she’s going to do it in couture, obviously. And not just any couture, Atelier Versace. Just another day in the life. Fast forward to 2019 and the singer alluded to this fancy subway ride in her meme-able music video for “A No No.”
6. When she had her sling bedazzled to match her outfit.
This ensemble from 2013 has to be one of our favorite Carey fashion moments ever. Of course, Mimi wouldn’t let an injured arm stop her from being her most glamorous, over-the-top self.
7. When she took a bubble bath with Jimmy Kimmel while wearing a sparkly gown:
Like the rest of us, Jimmy Kimmel knows Carey is a fan of baths, so when the Grammy award-winner appeared on his show in 2016, he decided to conduct their interview a bubble-filled tub. Carey obliged, and stepped in while dressed in her glittering gown (though she made sure to strategically move some of the bubbles out of the way so as to not mess up her hair).
8. When she avoided a twinning moment like this:
Carey would never be caught dead in the same dress as someone else, even if that someone was Whitney Houston. At the 1998 MTV VMAs, the singer-songwriter avoided an unwanted twinning moment when she ripped off the bottom half of her dress, setting it apart from Houston’s. The moment was definitely planned, but it still taught us that you can never be too prepared.
9. When she introduced Vogue to her closet:
Carey’s closet tour for Vogue was like “Cribs” 2.0. She shows off her epic shoe collection, her Hermes handbags (one of which was a gift from Floyd Mayweather) and even talks about her prized piano, which used to belong to Marilyn Monroe.
10. When she rode a golf cart in this ensemble:
We don’t know about you, but we’ve never looked this glamorous riding a golf cart.
11. When she brought a folding fan to “The Tonight Show” in case she “felt a bad angle coming:”
During an appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” in 2013, the “Heartbreaker” singer admitted her accessory choice was strategic, “in case [she] felt a bad angle coming.” Carey is very particular about being photographed on her “good side,” which she believes is her right side.
“A record label lady on set told me, ‘This is your good side, only let people photograph you from your good side, ever,’” Carey explained in an episode of her E! docu-series, “Mariah’s World.”
In our eyes, Carey doesn’t have a bad side. Though we still think she was onto something here. In our selfie-obsessed culture that’s all about appearances, perhaps we should all be carrying fans around with us.
12. When she wore stilettos to go bowling:
We get it, bowling shoes are ugly and (surely some would argue) very dirty, on account of tons of people using them every day. But bowling in platform stilettos is a move only someone like Carey can pull off.
13. When she hit up the gym in stilettos:
Fitness instructors and doctors would probably cringe at the sight of someone working out in heels, but again, for Mariah Carey, this just makes sense.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight in 2017, she clarified that this wasn’t her first time working out in heels ― she did it during her wonderful “Cribs” episode ― and noted it was all for laughs. Still, we wouldn’t put it past her to actually do it.
Before You Go
