“We were unapologetic
about what we
wanted to create.”
—MISA HYLTONCLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Hylton puts the finishing
touches on Lil’ Kim’s 1999 Vibe cover outfit. The friends share smiles at the
2019 premiere of The Remix: Hip Hop x Fashion, a documentary
highlighting Hylton’s career. The 1999 MTV VMA Awards ensemble that went
down in history. Hylton at a Giuseppe Zanotti trunk show.
Kim stuns at the 1999 Source Awards.KIM’S WHITE FEATHER AND MINK
LOOK FOR VIBE’S 1999 COVER:
“Vibe contacted me about a pair of
mink-embellished jeans I’d made for
Kim and Mary J. Blige. I created it
with the late, great Nija Battle. But it
was summer, and we wanted some-
thing new. I trimmed the sides of the
jeans with feathers and added a
beaded fringe. We kept the mink
bikini top because we love fur.”HER 1999 SOURCE AWARDS LOOK:
“You couldn’t help but be inspired by
Nija Battle’s furs. I saw this freshlydyed tan-colored fur and envisioned
a nude bodysuit on Kim. I embel-
lished the bodysuit with Swarovski
crystals to give this effect of being
showered in diamonds. A platinum
wig and tan and cream cuffs pulled
the look together flawlessly.”THE 1999 VMA LOOK: “I was with Missy
Elliott, and we were talking fashion and
music, and she was like, ‘If I was Kim, I
would just have one boob out, like f--k it.
I wouldn’t care, because Kim can do
that.’ Missy got my imagination working.
The next big event was the 1999 VMAs,and I brought that idea to life. It was
risqué, so I made it really pretty with
Indian bridal fabric to soften it.”KIM’S FUR FAUSTO PUGLISI LOOK:
“For the MAC dinner for Kim’s Viva
Glam campaign at Philippe Chow,
Fausto Puglisi made an animal-skin
dress with huge diamond crystals—
the most luxe, edgy Italian yet
hip-hop piece I’d ever seen.”FOR MORE of Hylton’s best fashion
collaborations with Lil’ Kim, visit
CL ESSENCE.com.
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ESSENCE.COM I 41 I SEPTEMBER 2019