Why I think Rihanna is the best kind of narcissist
I'm here to talk about socks. Stay with me. Specifically, I'm here to discuss Rihanna's Fenty for Stance collection.
When I first saw pictures of the Fenty for Stance collection, my mind immediately drifted into the boardroom where Rihanna and her design consultants discussed ideas for her debut range with the sock brand. "So, we've got some initial ideas of colours, patterns-" one of them would start. "Put my looks on them. My best looks," Rihanna would say. After a few moments of flitting eyes and wry expressions, the boss would say: "That's that then." Notepads would close and the orders would be sent to production. A few months later, they were done...
Socks adorned with images of Rihanna in her most iconic looks of all time are here: her 2014 CFDAs dress which made headlines for being totally sheer, her colourful crochet maxi dress worn in her 'Work' video, her striking yellow Guo Pei Met Gala 2015 which sparked a thousand memes, and her 'Bitch Better Have My Money' nipple tassel ensemble, are among the designs in the collection.
Rihanna's debut sock range is typically Rihanna. She knows she's served some 'looks' in her time, she knows they're something to behold, she knows people would want to wear them on their feet, however strange that prospect may sound - hey, I'm included! Rihanna is a narcissist - but the best type of narcissist.
Rihanna is the kind of woman who will wear a T-shirt with her own face on it, but never take a selfie. She'll post a photo of Her Majesty The Queen's face photoshopped on her body, but she won't Insta Story her own bikini bod. If she throws a party, Anti will be the soundtrack (true story if you watched her Instagram Live recently). It's brash, unapologetic narcissism, but not the kind where you know she's spending hours admiring herself in front of the mirror everyday. And that extends to her style, too: it's ostentatious, loud and she's always wearing something before anyone else (the Saint Laurent glitter boots come to mind). It makes headlines, but at the same time it looks effortless. You can kind of imagine Rihanna's stylist showing her a rail of clothes and she'll decide what she's wearing in two seconds rather that fussing for hours over "will people like this?" and "does this make me look fat?" A friend of mine once said: "Things are only ugly until Rihanna wears them," and I've honestly never heard truer words spoken.
She's badass and she knows it, but also doesn't shove it down your throat every single day. And maybe that's why Rihanna has such a huge celebrity fanbase, on top of us non-famous folk. You can't go one interview without someone citing Rihanna as one of their style icons (Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner to note), or as a woman that inspires them. Her recent Crop Over Festival look had everyone from Pharrell to Emily Ratajkowski reposting her pictures with cries of "DANG!"
People love Rihanna because she doesn't overtly love herself (she'll just drop a sock line with her iconic looks on them every now and again, y'know?). She's the epitome of less is more. She's classy 'til death. Can more celebs take a leaf out of Rihanna's book please?
PA PhotosWhile most rising stars - as Rihanna was at this stage in 2009 - play it safe at award ceremonies in mermaid-style dresses, RiRi decided on a Dolce & Gabbana tux with exaggerated shoulders and Freddy Krueger-esque leather gloves, which she may or may not have stolen from Karl Lagerfeld.
PA PhotosThis was one of the first outfits that Rihanna wore that really got people talking - a daring Jean Paul Gaultier gown she decided on for the 2011 Grammys. It kind of looks like a couture version of scrunched toilet paper.
Rihanna can do simplicity as much as she can high-octane dramatic glamour. In 2012 - when she was first making it in the fashion world - she attended an intimate Stella McCartney dinner in a green slip dress and heels. In fact, Rihanna was a fan of the slip dress long before the rest of us caught on this season.
Getty ImagesFor the 2013 Grammys, she wore a red floor-sweeping Alaia gown, proving that she can do soft and feminine.
Getty ImagesThis dress attracted international attention when Rihanna wore it to the 2014 CFDAs, which was probably the point. To many, it was deemed too much for the sensitive eyes of the conservative press, but to us, she is defiantly sexy and 100 percent badass. wearing a part Josephine Baker, part sphinx sheer dress, her modesty covered by a nude-coloured thong. She accessorised with a white fur stole, smoking eyes, glittering gloves and a turban that referenced the style of glamorous Twenties flapper girls.
Rex FeaturesFor a 2014 Dior show, after which point she made a brand ambassador, she wore a regal, voluminous dress coat - adding a modern edge with thigh-high PVC boots.
Getty ImagesSome called it a pink tent, some described its as luffa, but Rihanna shocked again at the 2015 Grammys in frothy pink Giambattista Valli.
FlynetWhile the rest of wear tropical prints and bright colour to carnival, Rihanna always takes it to the next level - in 2015 wearing nothing but a headdress, a bejewelled bikini and a diamante-encrusted glass of rum like a gloriously wayward, rum-swilling gangster version of a Victoria's Secret Angel.
GettyRihanna was one of the only Met Ball 2015 guests to pay attention the event's theme, China: Through the Looking Glass, wearing then little known designer Guo Pei. She admitted she could't walk in it without help, but she took the hit anyway and took on the guise of an exotic princess for the night. A plethora of omelette comparisons fast ensued.
Getty ImagesRihanna's downtime look is pretty fearless too, as shown here as she strolls around New York in a puffa jacket-cum-duvet dress worn with heels.
Rex FeaturesThis look attracted a lot of attention. Why? No, not because of her waist-high denim boots that she that designed with Manolo Blahnik, but it's her Princess Diana T-shirt that got the world talking. Why is Rihanna such a fan of the late princess? In her own words: "She was gangsta with her clothes. She had these crazy hats. She got oversize jackets. I loved everything she wore!”
Getty ImagesAnother Met Gala, another mic drop moment from Rihanna. For 2017 annual fashion event, queen Rih rocked up in a Comme look (as we predicted); an elaborate flurry of red 'petals' with unique painted designs on each and lace-up strappy red heels - which it took her an hour to get into.
Getty ImagesRihanna didn't give anyone else a chance on the Valerian London premiere red carpet in July 2017, stepping out in a floor-length red Giambattisa Valli Couture gown. It was a dramatic dress (and not to mention VERY cleavage-heavy) which of course sent Twitter into meltdown.
SplashRihanna doesn't play when it comes to Crop Over Festival in her hometown of Barbados, and her 2017 look proved that. Wearing a bejewelled bikini with a turquoise wig and huge colourful feathers, Rih slayed so much even her ex Chris Brown took notice...
