Misty Copeland Credits Prince for Her Biggest Fashion Successes and Faux Pas: ‘A Little Overwhelming’ (Exclusive)

The ballerina reflects on her longtime friendship and frequent collaborations with the late musician

Misty Copeland is focusing on her style, even though she will not be wearing a raspberry beret anytime soon.

The 40-year-old ballet dancer says that thinking about her greatest fashion triumphs and failures reminds her of her friend and mentor Prince. “He loved to dress me,” the ballerina tells PEOPLE at Breitling's Navitimer cocktail party.

She adds, “There were some things that were beautiful and elegant and made sense for me and my figure, and then there were other things where he was like, ‘I just want you to be a rockstar like me.’”

While she has a deep appreciation for Prince and his style, Copeland says the ‘rockstar’ outfits were too much for her. “It was a little overwhelming… I’m not Prince.”

Copeland and Prince worked together early in the ballerina’s career, having appeared in the singer’s 2009 music video for “Crimson and Clover” and danced alongside him on his European tour in 2011. “I wouldn’t be in this place in my career had I not met him,” Copeland told PEOPLE back in 2016 after the “Purple Rain” singer's death. “He pushed me as an artist in ways I hadn’t been before… In ways that the ballet world doesn’t particularly invite.”

While Copeland holds her fashion moments with Prince near and dear, her style since becoming a mother in 2022 has evolved.

“This is my new mommy aesthetic where I love this kind of androgynous, masculine vibe for women,” the ballet dancer tells PEOPLE. “This mix of masculine and feminine, like the pants with the long skirts attached.”

While Copeland has many exciting endeavors in the works, such as a new children's book and her film Flower making its way through the festival circuit, she is still keeping her eye on fashion.

“I have an athleticwear line that's launching in a few weeks,” the ballerina says. “We founded [Greatness Wins] with Derek Jeter and Wayne Gretzky, and while the men's line launched last year, I'm leading and heading the upcoming women's line. It's just exciting to be able to showcase real quality athleticwear for women of all shapes and sizes.”

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Read the original article on People.