Cardi B Just Provided Winter’s Most Surprising Outfit Inspiration

There’s no denying that we’re currently fascinated by women who have been caught misbehaving. From Elizabeth Holmes fooling investors and the media to Anna Delvey claiming to be a German heiress and Lori Loughlin's college admissions scam, we can’t look away from them. And more specifically, we’re obsessed with how they dress, especially in court. Enter: Cardi B. Unlike the women above, she's not a scammer (she’s in court for a hearing regarding an alleged assault in a strip club in 2018), but nonetheless has used each of her court appearances to remind us she reigns supreme.  

On Tuesday, the January Vogue cover star walked into Queens Criminal Court in New York City wearing an Adrienne Landau by Saulo Villela fur and feather “Queen’s” coat, a thin black tie, white button-down, trousers, and a pair of Christian Louboutin stilettos. The coat retails for $2995.00 and is available for special order online. 

The courtroom outfit has long been a subject of fascination. Historically, defendants and plaintiffs alike wear muted, pared-down pieces of clothing to appear solemn in front of the judge and jury, with some major exceptions — like Naomi Campbell's Azzedine Alaïa dress, and Lindsay Lohan's manicure that was a literal “Eff You” to the judge. Now the courtroom outfit has become akin to a red carpet moment. It's a way for celebrities to act as their own historians, turning every public moment into a photo opp, a headline, a chapter in their memoir, or a visual flashcard about their narrative which they want to control.

We know Cardi doesn’t need more press — but with a coat like that one, it’s too hard for us to ignore. Cardi B let us know with her first Billboard number one hit "Bodak Yellow" that no one would ever out-work her. And with her memorable red carpet appearances and numerous fashion magazine covers, she's proving that no one can out-dress her, either.