Behind the Scenes of Mary J. Blige's Super Bowl Look: Last-Minute Changes and Shoe Secrets (Exclusive)

Mary J. Blige brought the drama, glitz, glamour and soul to the Super Bowl LVI halftime show!

The queen of hip-hop and soul dazzled in a custom Dundas look as she performed alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent during the halftime show at So-Fi Stadium. ET chatted with Mary J's stylist, Jason Rembert, who broke down how the shining ensemble was created.

For her epic performance, during which she belted "Family Affair" and "No More Drama," Mary J rocked a white-and-silver custom long sleeve crop top with lace-up detailing, paired with matching boy-short, a fedora style hat, Dundas by Sergio Rossi crystal toe cap thigh-high boots and car gloves, which were all embellished in silver animalier patterned mirrors, Swarovski crystals and pearl beadwork.

"I reached out to some of my favorite designers and put this great mood board together that embodies Mary J. Blige currently, who she was as an artist and with her album out now to kind of be in unison with that," he shares. "It was important for her to be her, and whichever brand she works with as a collaboration rather than this is her design. So it was cool, great colorwise, we're always pushing for color but we didn’t go with a bright color like I thought we would."

Rembert reveals that they made five look options for the Super Bowl, before narrowing it down to what she wore. However, the ensemble she rocked was also made in purple instead of the silver and cream.

"Same look, different color," he shares. "She chose the cream."

"Mary was feeling it from day one. I knew the cream was going to be hot, I just knew it worked," Rembert says. "Sometimes it’s not about making it what you want to make it, it’s about what’s best for us as a team, we're all making what’s best for Mary. Mary was very collaborative on this. Her earrings are from her clothing line, Sis Love, a jewelry line she has. [Her] hoops, they’re diamond encrusted, she’s also wearing a custom chain, she debuted it so those are the things that are true to her. I didn’t work with any other jeweler, I worked with her and that was a great thing."

Mary J's boots took a lot of manpower to create, Rembert shares, adding that they were made in India. "Someone flew all the way across the world, probably like six or seven days ago, but it’s so intricate. It took so much manpower to create these boots in two weeks," he says.  

"The boots that Mary is wearing for the Super Bowl is actually made out of leather. We put the embroidery on top of it, super intricate embroidery and the heel is still a high heel because Mary can run in heels, so I was still confident about her wearing a heel because she’s performing on a rooftop," he details. "She’s still able to be her, be authentic, able to have balance with the size of the heel just to give her a little bit more. I got her a grip on the bottom of the shoe because that tarp that they put down on the field is super slippery, so I just wanted to make sure she was good walking across the stage."  

The outfit also had gloves, which blended into the overall look. "You probably won’t be able to notice it, but there is a mic pack sleeve on the back of the suit that's also encrusted with the same material," the stylist adds, also touching on the hat Mary later put on during the show. "She doesn’t start with this hat but this hat will make an appearance… And again the level of detailing, this was just a white hat six days ago but Peter [Dundas] and his team created it to match the look."

For Rembert, working with Mary J. for the Super Bowl was an incredible experience.

"It’s great to see something that went from a sketch in November to seeing it in person because you know this is the one," he explains. "But then when we saw it in person it’s like, 'Wow!'

"We’ve done so many things leading up to the Super Bowl [together]," he reflects. "Mary J. Blige isn’t just an icon and a legend, she’s also a dynamic woman. She’s an actress, a singer and entrepreneur. She’s just so much for my culture, our culture, so I really enjoy the process of working with someone who's already timeless."

See more of Mary J's sensational Super Bowl performance in the video below.

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