A week ago we could admire Rihanna on the 2014 CFDA Fashion Awards red-carpet (scratch that, it was blue). Actually, only those who had sunglasses could, as she was sparkling under the 216 000 crystals that covered her body.
Obviously, her choice was very risqué and shocked many. I decided to comment on this as I thought there were many things to say about Rihanna's decision.
First of all, I would like to say that I definitely agree with all the comments on the social medias saying that class exists by letting people guess your assets and not showing them, which is the exact contrary of the music sensation's doing. Elegance is also a way of life and personally I do not think the pot-smoking pop star is trying to convey such an image. This dress is not classy but it doesn't seem like Rihanna is trying to be classy. So as far as the fashion sense goes, I strongly disagree with people who maintain that this is a good way to dress for a glamorous event. Her nude underwear should at least match the colour of her skin a little better in my opinion and the fur should have been a little more imposing. The only up-side about everything that is going on here, is her gorgeous turban which makes her look deliciously exotic. Her make-up emphasises the beauty of her profile so I think that as far as "face-wise" she did an amazing job. Strictly fashion-speaking it could have been way more spectacular had she covered up a little.
However I believe that the whole point of this dress, probably according to the creator, is to show the beauty of the body, and how it alone can be mesmerising. The fact that Rihanna's nipples are showing does not make me uncomfortable and I find it completely fine. Exhibitionism is fine if it serves a purpose and in her case it seems like she has one. This might be her way of showing how at ease she feels in her own skin, and how incredible it is to accept yourself. At least, that's what I would very much like to think is the point of this whole outfit. It glorifies not only the person wearing it, but also women's body. Aesthetically, her body is near-perfect, she is in great shape so I do not find so much skin exposed to be disgusting at all.
In conclusion, I would not call her vulgar but she is coming dangerously close to it. The length of the dress has saved her from making the worst choice ever although this was still probably not a good idea in terms of fashion. If her point was to help women be more confident, prove that women chose what to show and when to show it then I admire her and think she did remarkably well, and if not then she still managed an extraordinary publicity stunt. Either way, she wins by being daring and avant-gardiste. There is no need to be her biggest fan to accept and recognize her talent for fashion.
