Rihanna’s still turning heads with her fashion

This time last year, Rihanna told Vogue contributor Afua Hirsch that London is where she feels her most creative; Paris is the place she is at her most “fashion”; Barbados puts her in closest proximity to family; and Mexico is where the businesswoman goes to relax.

Fast forward to 2021 and Rih’s recent stint in Los Angeles, a city previously missing from her nomadic shortlist, seems to have kick started a new chapter for her. Santa Monica is where she looks her most experimental.

This is, in part, down to her frequent visits to Giorgio Baldi, a family-run Italian restaurant that has become something of a celebrity hideout over the years.

“When I walk into those places, I am invisible. And nothing makes me feel better than being invisible,” Rihanna has previously said of upmarket establishments, whose clientele is too concerned about the extensive wine list to care about watching popstars eat spaghetti.

And so, the Diamonds singer midriff flossed her way in and out of the joint wearing a Peet Dullaert crinkle-cut slip with an R13 sherpa aviator jacket shrugged over her shoulders and Fenty parachute boots; a Rick Owens waxed denim skirt, hooded, floor-sweeping cloak and Amina Muaddi stilettos snaking up her ankles; and a Maisie Wilen baby blue terry-towel twin set, a vintage Chanel jacket and dramatic John Galliano-era Dior choker – all within the space of a week.

This retro-meets-trend-conscious spring fashion romp was a visual feast for anyone starved of transitional dressing inspiration and considering burning their tracksuits.

Rihanna’s directional turn extended to her daywear. She did grocery-run style in a splashy Celine x Tyson Reeder Hawaiian Autobahn print shirt, a Random Identities distressed denim skirt, more Muaddi heels and vintage Versace chequerboard sunglasses.

She subsequently showed us how to work the mall in fabulous Gucci by Tom Ford jeans, a classic white tee and a huge Benny Andallo foxy faux fuzz dome hat.

With a beaded Fendi baguette and an equally blingy Cartier watch upping her accessory game, Rihanna transported us back to the ’90s with modern flair. When the self-professed bad gal does archival fashion, she means business.

To New York for her mother Monica Braithwaite’s birthday party in the Meatpacking District, where Rihanna managed to make a Clintons-style gift bag look chic.

She showed her commitment to colour blocking and emerging designers by wearing chocolate-brown sheer Supriya Lele trousers, a matching Saint Laurent leather blazer, Bottega Veneta studded leather gloves and a nostalgic Fendi logo Zucca tote.

Naturally, it wouldn’t have been an influencer party look without a pair of The Attico heels thrown into the mix, but Rih skipped the Gen-Z mule trend and went classic in a pair of white slingback pumps.

Another leather blazer swiftly followed, this time a fire-engine red Gucci jacket injecting her ’90s streak with an unabashedly ’70s bent.

With a matching lip colour – no doubt from her Fenty Beauty line – stacked gold chains and a pair of slashed, faded jeans, Rihanna flouted the Nobu dress code (the sushi spot reserves the right to dismiss guests in ripped denim), in a high-low look that will encourage even distressed jean naysayers to reconsider the throwback trend.

Rihanna’s Stateside spring fling shows that she is stepping outside the box when it comes to her new-season looks. It’s hardly surprising, considering how ubiquitous Bottega bags became after she started stocking up on Pouches. Moreover, her pastel check Chanel coat dating back to 1996 can’t become an It-girl essential – it’s too rare.

Ditto her Tom Ford for Gucci jeans from ’99. As the concept of relegating pieces to a specific season looks increasingly out of touch in light of fashion’s greener outlook, Rihanna has gone beyond influencer status; she is the best ambassador the industry could ask for. (vogue.co.uk)