Halle Bailey Just Channeled Janet Jackson at New York Fashion Week: 'My Inspo Always' (Exclusive)

The 'Little Mermaid' actress joined a number of celebrities at Pandora's star-studded NYFW event celebrating the jewelry brand's lab grown diamond collection

Halle Bailey turned up the volume for her latest red carpet appearance.

Bailey's structured black blazer dress was inspired by Janet Jackson, she told PEOPLE at the red carpet for an event in New York City on Wednesday night celebrating jewelry brand Pandora's unveiling of a Diamond District pop-up installation in Astor Place. Jackson is "my inspo always," The Little Mermaid star, 23, said.

"So that was the vibe tonight, and I thought it was going to be way colder in New York, but it's not, it's hot," Bailey said with a laugh as she fanned her face.

She is more about dressing for function over fashion, telling PEOPLE she is "all about being comfortable." Bailey planned to take her black heels off when the red carpet was over, she said.

To celebrate the recent launch of three new lab-grown diamond collections, Pandora plans to "take over New York Fashion Week with diamond-tinted lenses," according to the brand, and reimagine everyday N.Y.C. moments via the installation.

In addition to the Grown-ish actress, a number of other celebrities turned out for the star-studded event, including Pamela Anderson, Pandora global ambassador Ashley Park, Julia Fox, Brandon Lee, Cara Santana, Caroline Polachek, and Grace Coddington. Anderson and her sons star in Pandora's latest ad campaign.

Halle certainly knows how to make a statement on the red carpet. She and her older sister Chloe Bailey have been walking red carpets together for years, and Chloe, 25, admitted to PEOPLE last month that they rely on each other to help keep their cool and composure.

"I'm so happy when sis and I go to a red carpet together so we can hold each other's hands, because it's quite overwhelming to have people with cameras yelling at you with a bunch of lights flashing," she explained. "It's flattering, because we're happy that they care to see us and what we're wearing, but it's overwhelming."

Though they sometimes grapple with nerves, the sisters said getting glammed up for a night in the spotlight gives them an instant confidence boost. "You feel like a fresh new woman," Halle said.

The "Ungodly Hour" singer recently told Cosmopolitan that it took her a while to hit her stride when it comes to her style. “I’m definitely not a natural,” she revealed in the magazine's September cover story. “I look back at some of my pictures on the red carpet and laugh.”

“But as I’m getting older and my body is changing, I’m learning who I am,” Halle continued. “I want to be sexy. I want to feel good. I want to wear clothes that embrace where I am in life.”

Related: Chloe and Halle Bailey's New VS Pink Collab Is All About Dressing a 'Fresh Hot Outfit' Up or Down (Exclusive)

She credits Chloe for helping her find her way with fashion and be more confident in taking risks with her outfits. “My confidence has gotten deeper and bigger with the help of my sister,” she said of Chloe. “She’s always been an extroverted, sexy, demanding kind of presence.”

“As I’ve watched her, I’m like, 'That’s so cool,' ” she added. “I hope one day I can do that. She’s helping me find my footing in this whole adult-woman world.”

Halle also told PEOPLE she enjoys experimenting more now that she's left her teenage years behind and "matured more."

“I’m more comfortable with wearing more form-fitting things and embracing my curves now,” she explained.

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This December, fans will get a chance to see Halle on the big screen again when she stars in the new Oprah Winfrey-produced movie adaptation of The Color Purple. In her Cosmopolitan interview, Halle said she had a blast filming alongside her castmates, including Fantasia Barrino, Danielle Brooks, Taraji P. Henson and Ciara.

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