05/08/2026
When Megan Thee Stallion needed a saucy look for her Lover Girl single cover, she and stylist Eric Archibald skipped fashion designers and went straight to top costume maker John Kristiansen. Trained as a costume designer before shifting to making, Kristiansen used both skill sets to create the sexy, cupid-ish, over-the-top look the singer is known for.
This is not Megan Thee Stallion’s first go around with Kristiansen. For her annual Hottieween Party benefiting the Pete & Thomas Foundation, she wore a faux-destroyed embroidered white lace gown imagined by costume designer Natalia Barzilai, styled by Archibald, and made by Kristiansen. For the Met Gala, she wore a Michael Kors-designed gown also crafted by Kristiansen. His shop sits, fittingly, in the Cinderella Building on W. 38th Street in NYC’s Garment District.
Entertainment stars usually lean on fashion designers for special outfits, but more of them seem to be turning to New York’s top costume shops for unique custom pieces. When I asked Archibald why he works with Kristiansen, he told me: “I work with costume builders who use their expertise to capture my clients’ physiques. When it comes to quick turnarounds and creating designs that truly accentuate my clients’ silhouettes, they bring a different level of mastery to the execution.”
To learn more about how the costume industry is stepping outside of its traditional borders, head to 𝗔 𝗕𝗶𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝘂𝘁, my Substack, via link in bio.
