Glamazons,
Rihanna is getting crucified in the press for her new collection for River Island, shown at London Fashion Week. A particularly scathing article in The Daily Beast called the clothes “porny” and “hideous.” And there was this quip:
Similarly, if you were a guy hoping for a one night stand and a girl started chatting to you in a bar wearing anything from the Rihanna for River Island collection, you could feel fair confident you’d be getting lucky. The only lingering uncertainty in your mind would be whether or not she would take a credit card.
Ouch.
To be sure, Rihanna didn’t send any groundbreaking, inspired designs down the runway. Everything in Rihanna for River Island was basic and wearable, maybe even to a fault. Coupled next to imaginative London Fashion Week designers with a brilliant and unique point-of-view like Mary Katrantzou and Peter Pilotto, yes, it was comparatively underwhelming.
But I can’t completely blame Rihanna for playing it safe. Where London Fashion Week is home to many seasoned, accomplished designers with intricate and beautiful clothes, this is only her first time out.
And Rih’s collection is for a mass UK retailer who would be less likely to encourage risky designs and more compelled to push out wearable clothes that will sell in the market. River Island is not exactly the platform for the one piece jumpsuits with structured shoulders or tuxedo suits with balloon arms that we’ve seen Rihanna wear on the red carpet.
They want revenue, and sassy, trendy basics are better positioned to fly off the racks.
Also, however risque the clothes, they were true to Rihanna‘s everyday style. The singer shows off her body in slinky slip dresses (that recall ’90s Calvin Klein) and minimalist maxi dresses with sultry slits:
She loves crop tops and swingy skirts that are at once brimming with sex appeal and evoking of a girlish charm:
She likes to play with mixed media and a tomboy aesthetic as evidenced by a cool pair of cuffed jeans that give a light denim on dark denim layered effect:
The fact that the clothes reflect how she actually dresses shows authenticity and synergy within her brand.
And lastly, the clothes aren’t to please or impress the elite fashion media. As a celebrity designer, she would be hard pressed to send anything down the runway that could overcome the extreme bias fashion writers hold against musicians who dabble in design. In fact, much of the criticism about her collection dwelled on the fact that her kind (the celebrity designer) doesn’t belong at London Fashion Week, much like Kanye West was chided for showing at Paris Fashion Week.
And to an extent, I agree: her collection might have been better received had she opened with a launch party/concert a month from now versus showing with the top designers in the UK during LFW.
But that aside, Rih‘s designing for the young, sassy, edgy fans who love the way she dresses and want wearable clothes that mirror her everyday look. They’ll be happy to buy up several basic pieces from her collection even if sophisticated fashion journalists would never be caught dead in them. Most of the fashion press doesn’t shop at River Island anyway.
And now that my rant is over, here are the deets on the actual collection, designed in collaboration with Adam Selman:
Inspiration: Rih took inspo from her favorite period, ’90s grunge. The ’90s was known for its sexy interpretation of minimalism and we saw that in Rih’s high-slit skirts, slip dresses and maxis. The tomboy style loved during the ’90s is also evident in Rih’s oversized varsity jackets and hoodies, as well as a pair of baggy cropped jeans and a denim crop top inspired by overalls. Finally, Rih sent a crop top and pencil skirt down the runway with a chambray shirt tied around the waist that was a clear homage to the popular ’90s trend (and one of the styles she rocks herself like at the Victoria’s Secret fashion show).
*Bonus: Adam Selman told British Vogue: The collection is “urban-inspired, unfussy with a hint of uptown” and targeted at “cool hip girls who aren’t super thin.”
Key Pieces: crop tops, swingy skirts, maxi dresses with high slits, floral dresses with high-low hems, loose-fitting printed jumpsuits, yellow halter dresses, black netted halters and pencil skirts, chambray shirts tied around the waist, lace-up boots with heels. The models wore gold hoop earrings, MAC Cosmetics “Ruby Woo” lipstick and slicked back hair.
Who I Could See Wearing This Collection: Rihanna (obvs), Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Paris Hilton, Vanessa Hudgens.
Check out more images from the line below:
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And here’s behind-the-scenes video from the show:
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What do you think of it, Glamazons? Do you agree with the criticism?
Kisses,
Glamazon Jessica
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