Fashion

Rihanna is the Queen of Paris Fashion Week

by Mary Avant

As with Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, and practically every other pop star before (and after) her, we really shouldn’t be surprised anymore at some of the outfits Barbados beauty Rihanna wears out and about. But thanks to her many style personalities — which range from urban chic and sexy to glammed-up flight attendant — she never fails to amaze us when she shows up in her latest (and often risky) ensemble. Most recently, she’s been shocking and wowing us on the front rows of one of the highest-profile fashion events of the year, Paris Fashion Week, with a series of outfits that range from NSFW to totally Parisian chic.

Kicking off her Paris festivities with a bang, the singer made sure all eyes were on her at the Balmain show with a monochromatic, cleavage-bearing leather vest and cargo jacket ensemble, which she paired with strappy stilettos, pastel-purple lips, and a blunt, chin-length bob. She covered and cozied up a bit when she popped over to the Lanvin show on the same day, sporting tapered trousers, a peplum blouse, and a major fur stole — which she wore not around her neck, but around her chest, because she's Rihanna. Accessorizing with a casual-cool fedora and laced-up black loafers, this may be the most laid-back outfit we’ve seen her don in recent memory.

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But then the pop star went and blew our minds, showing up to the Balmain show after party wearing a leather skirt and black mesh top. Which, we’ll admit, doesn’t sound so scandalous — until you find out that she went braless underneath, that is.

Fortunately, she cleaned up her act just in time for the next day’s oh-so-classy Christian Dior show, at which she sat front row alongside fashion lovers like Jessica Alba, Emma Roberts, and Olivia Palermo wearing a plunging black nightgown dress and dramatic red fur coat. Completing the look with a flawless red lip, sexy statement necklace, and black gloves and thigh-high hose, Rihanna looked definitively glamorous while taking in the collection.

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Within the blink of an eye, however, Rihanna was back at it, baring all at the Jean Paul Gaultier show when she showed up in loose-fitting black trousers and a long-sleeved lace bodysuit. Again, the singer left the bra at home, but this time — to her front-row seat mates' relief — she was wise enough to cover up with a black-and-white fur stole.

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Opting for a more dressed-down look at the next day’s Givenchy show, Rihanna sported baggy black pants; and oversized, color-blocked blazer; a black bandeau; white tennis shoes; and a black hat that was part ball cap, part funeral veil. At Stella McCartney, the singer opted for a pretty printed coat, which she paired with a satin silver skirt and big orange sunnies. And finishing up her Paris Fashion Week appearances, she looked like the classic Chanel lady with a twist in a lavender tweed ensemble; matching shoes and fanny pack; and an armful of oversized pearls.

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Though she may have been in Paris to catch a glimpse at dazzling designer collections, we’re just happy we were able to snag a front-row seat to Rihanna Fashion Week 2014 — an entertaining and sartorially surprising event we’d love to attend again come fall.