Speculation ruled at the 2016 CFDA Fashion Awards dinner Monday night in New York City. The lauded industry affair celebrating fashion leaders attracted the likes Anna Wintour, Lena Dunham, Victor Cruz, Claire Danes, Naomi Campbell, and Tilda Swinton. But even with that much star power in the room, there was little to thwart the spectacle of witnessing fashion designer Rachel Roy ditch the scene just before Beyoncé’s arrival.
Attendees claim Roy, after earlier walking the red carpet with a model she dressed, grabbed her place card and left before Beyoncé made her entrance. The superstar was in attendance as the surprise recipient of the Fashion Icon Award. Roy’s exit at the height of the evening of course got the Beyhive buzzing. Many wonder why Roy, a solid figure in the fashion community, would depart before the Fashion Icon Award was presented. If she has no actual bad blood with Beyoncé, why not be present and support the success of another woman of color getting ahead in an industry that has historically shut the likes of Roy and ‘Yoncé out?
But, of course, it’s not just about that. Not long ago, Roy’s relationship with rapper Jay Z became a headline when rumors mounted that Roy was the infamous “Becky with the good hair” discussed on one of Beyoncé’s tracks on the cheating-man-trashing album Lemonade. Roy fed the flames when she posted to social media “Long hair don’t care” when the video feature of the album played on HBO. The connection to Jay Z wasn’t new for Roy though, as she was once married to Jay’s former business partner, Dame Dash. After they split, rumors of a relationship between Jay Z and Roy grew, even after Jay married Bey. Many insiders claimed Roy was actually behind the elevator tussle between Solangé and Jay a few years back.
While the latest twist in the rumored Beyoncé / Rachel Roy / Jay Z love triangle has piqued more interest, there’s no word from the stars themselves.
