When Chloe Bailey paid tribute to Dionne Warwick during the 46th Kennedy Center Honors, she hit all the right notes.
During Bailey’s rendition of Warwick’s 1964 song “Walk on By,” she not only put her own stamp on the iconic singer’s memorable cadence, but channeled Warwick’s ’60s vogue.
Bailey, 25, gave fans a glimpse of her look after a black-tie event honoring lifetime achievements in arts and entertainment was filmed on Dec. 3.
“Timeless,” she began her caption on Instagram. “What an honor it was to sing and celebrate Dionne Warwick at the Kennedy Center,” she added.
Bailey’s look was expertly done by Fesa Nu, who revealed on Instagram that she used two wigs to create Bailey’s unforgettable style. Speaking with PEOPLE, Nu talked about working with Bailey and collaborating on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Chloe Bailey performs at the 46th Annual Kennedy Center Honors.
Gail Schulman/CBS via Getty
Nu and Bailey worked together for five years. Her first meeting with the star and her sister Halle Bailey (23) was high stakes to say the least.
“For the first time I worked with the sisters for the cover Blanc Magazine”, recalls Nu and adds: “Man, I was nervous!”
Nu says at the time: “I had no idea what I was doing with locs because I had very little experience. But I was able to stay in my element of creativity and bold expression.”
Nu did not disappoint, and that moment “led to a beautiful relationship” that has since “grown into a family,” she says.
As the sisters’ individual careers flourished, Nu was tasked with focusing on Chloe’s looks.
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Scroll through Chloe’s Instagram and you can see why Nu describes herself as a hair poet.
Nu says she was born in Texas and her mother is from Cape Town, South Africa.
She developed a love for hair at a young age, and after learning to braid her own hair, Nu began charging boys at her school $10 to braid her hair. Her creativity has become her signature.
“As I got older, I really wanted to connect more deeply with my African roots, so I traveled to South Africa and found myself inspired by our people and our hair, which led me to a more creative hair space,” shares Nu.
“During that discovery, I realized that what I was doing was no longer just ‘hairstyle’ – it was transformed into hair poetry. That name came from a place of deep feeling and emotional connection to my roots. I felt different when I created a different look and it was so poetic.”
That willingness to think outside the box came in handy when designing the Kennedy Center Honors look.
“We pay tribute to Dionne Warwick with a short wig. Chloe wanted to cover all aspects of Dionne’s career [everything from] the short pixie cut that she wore so beautifully, on a beautiful dress, on her hit “Walk on By”.
Nu had “just over a week” to prepare for Chloe’s performance, she says.
Queen Latifah, Barry Gibb and Dionne Warwick among the 2023 Kennedy Center Honorees.
“Chloe has had different looks, some longer, some short, but I just knew I wanted a pixie because we’d never tried a wig that short on her legs – and I wanted something Chloe hadn’t done before.”
Fun fact: The short bob Chloe wore on Halloween while playing Mrs. Incredible was the shortest style they’ve ever created.
Nu says, “I had to go even shorter!”
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“During the glamor there was a lot of trust in the process,” says Nu. “Every turn, maneuver, pull and pull had to be precise. Of course, I wanted the flattest, most seamless look possible and I’m never happy if it’s not perfect, so I was definitely sweating.”
Nu continues, “I feel like we’ve achieved that, but I still have so much work to do! I’m working on perfecting my technique to make the positions a lot straighter.”
The style received tons of compliments on social media, but most importantly, Chloe was happy. “When we put the wig on, she loved it,” says Nu.
The event, which aired on December 27, also honored Billy Crystal, Barry Gibb, Queen Latifah and opera singer Renée Fleming.
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Source: HIS Education