Beyoncé: Don't Blame My Falls on My Fashion

The singer, who recently took a tumble on stage, says that's hardly out of character

It turns out Beyoncé Knowles‘s meteoric rise over the years has been accompanied by just as frequent falls.

Knowles, 26, who slipped and fell during a concert in Orlando in July, tells Cosmopolitan in its December issue that she is used to taking a spill now and again.

“I recently fell down the stairs because my heel got caught in the hem of my coat,” she says. “But really, I’ve fallen down the stairs a lot of times, so I can’t only blame it on the coat!”

The singer is more sure-footed when it comes to her 3-year-old fashion business with mom Tina Knowles – though the inspiration for their House of Deréon dress designs often arrives in unexpected ways.

Mom Calls Her Crazy

Knowles explains: “Usually, I call months before and tell [my mom], ‘I woke up from this dream. I was wearing gold and I was a robot.’ And she’s like, ‘Okay you’re crazy, but I’m going to make it happen.’ So she makes about 50 robot suits and we choose from those.”

Not that the pop star has always been so fashion-forward. “At one point, I was a tomboy and wouldn’t wear dresses,” she reveals. “And when I first became a teenager, I hated purses. My mom used to say, ‘You’re a young lady, you should have a purse.’ I refused. She had to beg me.”