Rihanna loves fashion, and when she was growing up, her style icons were Mariah Carey, Madonna and Marilyn Monroe. She always wants to make a statement with what she wears in her videos, at award shows, events… even when she’s out shopping. The singer likes her clothes to be an extension of her personality and of how she is feeling, rather than just costumes designed to shock or generate column inches in newspapers. Altogether, she has 1,500 pairs of shoes in her closet to choose from, so she never has any excuse for not wearing matching shoes!
Rihanna admitted to InStyle magazine: ‘I’ve been a fashion fanatic since I was little, looking at all the international magazines, but I used to dress like a boy when I was a kid. I’d wear my brother’s baggy pants and his sneakers. Now I like little skull caps, jeans, flat boots that come up to the knees. And then I play around with the top – a big T-shirt or a sleek camisole, or a jacket. I love jackets! I have a million.’
Being fond of daring accessories can sometimes cause problems, though. She told the Daily Telegraph: ‘At Fashion’s Big Night Out, I wore this spiked bracelet. I saw so many people I knew and everyone I hugged was flinching. It took [hugging] four people before I realised what was happening. And then my earring started to stab me on my shoulder. That was dangerous!’
Rihanna did look fabulous that night, as she wore a black cowl minidress by Alexander Wang and some studded sunglasses, which went well with the bracelet.
She divulged to SugarScape: ‘With fashion, the simplest thing like a star or a flower can inspire you. I’m into a lot of stuff to do with nature and colours now, just things that are really expressive.
‘I wear a lot of Stella McCartney because what she does is great – she’s a top, top designer.’
RiRi talked to Elle magazine about other fashion designers she admires. She confessed: ‘It’s clear there are definitely fewer black women in the high-fashion industry. One of the things I respected most about Gucci was that they did a print campaign with me. I’m a black girl on a fashion spread for Gucci – that was a big deal. I respect designers who aren’t afraid to go outside the box. I went to a Jean Paul Gaultier show, and I saw girls who are thicker than me, beautiful and voluptuous and different ethnicities. That made me so excited. I thought, Okay, I can work that, for sure.’
RiRi thinks Victoria Beckham is very stylish and told the Sun: ‘I love Victoria Beckham’s line, it’s so feminine and chic.’ She admires the effort the designer puts in to create her dresses, accessories and trousers, adding: ‘Really sexy, really, really tailored. That’s what she is. She’s put a lot of effort into it.’
Our favourite singer has always been a risk-taker when it comes to fashion. She likes choosing unusual items when she’s out shopping and using them to create a unique look. When it comes to dresses, she likes them to stop at the knee and show off her curves; she also likes minidresses with long sleeves. She isn’t the kind of celebrity who only wears an outfit once either, as she likes to get her money’s worth. The favourite items in her wardrobe tend to be jackets, because they can completely transform an outfit and make it look completely different.
When it comes to shoes, she likes ankle boots and sneakers, and she likes tomboy-ish jeans, as she explained to Seventeen magazine: ‘For everyday, I like jeans that are supposed to be skinny jeans but aren’t tight. I like them tomboy-ish so that they’re almost a size or two bigger than my normal size and slouch a bit. When I go out, I like a more structured jean because, for my body, they’re more flattering on my legs.
‘I love sneakers and my favourite sneaker is the Nike Blazer. I don’t really like low-tops, but if a high top is paired with skinny jeans, it makes your feet look really big, but the Blazer gives a really good shape for girls, especially with skinny jeans.’
It might seem as if Rihanna looks glam all the time, but when she’s on her tour bus, it’s comfort that matters most to her: she ditches her heels for sneakers and wears sweatpants and pyjamas. In fact, she travels relatively light, as all her stage clothes are looked after by other people in her team.