ESSENCE 25 Most Stylish: Kelis Takes Us Inside The World Of A Lifelong Trendsetter

1 of 9

"My personal style is emotional, it’s based on how I feel. I’m a very visual person and sometimes I associate random things together, whether it be a thought, or a feeling, or it could be an object, but then I dress according to my interpretation of whatever birthed the inspiration."

2 of 9

"I love putting the old with the new, and it’s never one thing. I love a theme and capturing the essence of an era."

3 of 9

"Growing up my mother would always tell us we were beautiful black girls that were growing into beautiful black women so there has never been a time in my life where I doubted or questioned that."

4 of 9

"I grew up in Harlem and I have sisters, so my dad was always outnumbered in our house. The female energy was palpable and just the norm."

5 of 9

"I love so many different things; I can’t really choose specifically. My style is moody. Depends on the day."

6 of 9

"I love Halpern or Boudica. I love this store called, The Way We Wore, but I can find something pretty much anywhere."

7 of 9

"I’m a shoe girl--I may actually have a problem. I usually choose shoes over everything else."

8 of 9

"I get dressed from the bottom up ninty-percent of the time. Heels, sneakers, flip flops, slides, mules, high tops, low tops. I don’t care, I want them all!"

9 of 9

"My mother was always someone I admired for not just her style, but the way she carried it. Red lips, red nails, and lots of hair. So ladylike; I wanted to be just like that. I’m not really, but she’s the one who taught me how to be."