Rihanna is a multi-faceted jewel in her own right.
She only goes bold or goes home, whether that means posing as nude as Instagram will allow, making it rain on strippers, or going on tour packed with custom Lanvin for days.
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The girl’s got an inexhaustible arsenal of power suits, embodying what Riccardo Tisci is calling “the face of the generation.”
There’s Rihanna, the glamorous red carpet stunner; Rihanna, the showstopper of the Diamond World Tour; Rihanna, the Barbadian blazer, smoking blunts around the house in her underwear.
It’s hard to imagine that one woman could wear it all, and boy does she wear it.
We’d like to think she’s superwoman, getting together her own custom designer made wardrobe, but more than likely we have her devoted stylist extraordinaire to thank for that.
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In his latest interview with Refinery 29, Mel Ottenberg opens up about his role in creating the RiRi empire, from its early beginnings to her current, unstoppable presence in hip-pop culture.
Here are 5 things we learned about Rihanna from her stylist:
1. Rihanna controls every aspect of her image.
“We definitely have some back-and-forth moments, but she’s in control of her image. I show her different ideas, and we talk about it. Sometimes, figuring out what it’ll look like has already been done, and other times, it’s more spontaneous and collaborative.”
2. She goes for comfortable looks that are effortless, sexy, and impactful.
“That’s actually what I really like about the Rihanna for River Island collection. We were going for dresses that make a lot of impact but can look good on many types of girls. What I’m looking for is something that she’s going to feel really good in and not think about too much. I want her to be able to move and not feel so self-conscious about the fashion.”
3. Because her style is so naturally versatile, she can rock anything from loose fitted pants and snapbacks to red carpet gowns.
“That’s all very her. I don’t know of anyone else who really has that — the badass street style but refined, red-carpet attitude. It all comes naturally to her.”
4. Designers love dressing RiRi.
“Raf Simons, Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy, and Alber Elbaz for Lanvin, were all psyched to work with her because Rihanna is such a major icon.”
5. She has no competition.
“In this day and age, everyone thinks it’s all the same watered-down looks, and Rihanna isn’t like that. She’s not looking at other people for competition; she’s just doing her own thing, and that’s fun to work with because she’ll let you do something different.”
We’re pretty sure that last bit is an understatement.
SOURCE: Refinery29
