Can you imagine a world without Rihanna in it? A world without What’s My Name?, Fenty Beauty, and the entire 2016 Anti album. What a bleak existence that would make! Luckily, we’re living in this timeline, so we get to celebrate the superstar turning 36 years old yesterday. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Robyn Rihanna Fenty went from a normal island girl to one of the most famous people in the world all before she even turned 30. A true inspiration.
Rihanna isn’t just one of the most prominent singers of the 21st century with a successful, billion-dollar makeup brand, she is also the bonafide fashion icon of her generation. If her daring outfits constantly setting trends didn’t clue you in, Rihanna’s near-annual Met Gala looks stealing the entire event might. Will the mother of two attend the Met Gala 2024: The Garden of Time? We sure hope so! Check out this year’s Met Gala co-chairs below and judge for yourself if we’ll be treated to another one of Rihanna’s iconic Met Gala looks in 2024.
Rihanna’s Most Iconic Met Gala Looks
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1. China: Through The Looking Glass, 2015
2015 is undeniably the year that made Rihanna the reigning Queen of the Met Gala. Endlessly referenced and hailed as one of the best looks of the event’s entire history, this yellow gown designed by Chinese designer Guo Pei is one for the books. Not only is it visually stunning, but the fur-trimmed dress took 50,000 hours of hand embroidery and two whole years to make. It was an insane amount of time for a single dress but it tracked as the extravagant gown weighed 25 kilograms and had a five-metre train. Poor RiRi, it must’ve been a struggle to climb up the Met Gala steps.
But all the beautiful designs in the world would be worth nothing if the person wearing the outfit lacked the X factor. One thing about Miss Fenty is that she knew how to rock every ensemble she wore. Rihanna crowned herself with a golden headpiece set with white and red stones in the shape of flowers. The gilded headdress made her red bob cut with flicked-out ends truly pop. Honestly, no one was gazing through the looking glass that year, all eyes were on Rihanna instead.
2. Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art Of The In-Between, 2017
At the 2017 Met Gala, most attendees didn’t know what to make of the unusual theme. An event in honour of Japanese fashion designer Rei Kawakubo called for avant-garde pieces that heavily featured shapes and abstract designs. While most Met Gala 2017 guests showed up in the usual pretty dresses and basic tuxedos, Rihanna once again set herself apart by stepping onto the red carpet in this Comme des Garçons flowery 3D monstrosity — and we mean that in the best possible way.
The asymmetrical dress resembled flower petals — if it’s possible for a single flower to have different colours, designs, and shapes. The red thigh-high strappy heels took Rihanna and her team an hour to put on, but boy, was it worth it. Her dramatic makeup which featured tons of vivid rosy blush and eyeshadow topped with a burgundy lip, was just as eye-catching as her dress and that’s really saying something. With any other look, Rihanna’s top knot and fringe would’ve seemed a little out of place, but not here. All in all, the superstar nailed it.
3. Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination, 2018
Speaking of nailing the Met Gala theme, 2018’s Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination was one of the rare times where every guest understood the assignment. Because of this, the Internet hailed the 2018 Met Gala as the best one yet and we’re inclined to agree. Apart from everyone being on theme, Rihanna also served as the gala’s co-chair for the first time in 2018. That’s how you know the event would be historic.
When you’re one of the Met Gala’s co-chairs, it leaves you no choice but to serve and Rihanna did not disappoint. Wearing a papal-inspired ensemble designed by none other than John Galliano, the minidress, floor-length robe, and headdress were all encrusted with thousands of white pearls and black crystals — a truly heavenly sight. Rihanna commented that the outfit was so heavy that she had to squat before taking each step. But judging by how divine she looked, we doubt that she felt any regrets.
4. Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, 2023
We’re skipping a year to 2023 for Rihanna’s latest iconic Met Gala look. The theme was Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, in honour of the German fashion designer closely associated with the luxury brand Chanel, who passed away in 2019. Many of Lagerfeld’s close celebrity friends and muses attended the event to pay homage to the legendary designer, including Devon Aoki, Naomi Campbell, and Kate Moss. The last to walk the red carpet, arriving fashionably late as always, were Rihanna and her partner, A$AP Rocky.
All eyes were literally on the pair (as no one else was on the carpet at that point) to witness Rihanna wearing a white Valentino silk dress complete with a long, flowy train. But the egg-shaped cape made out of 500 petals forming 30 giant camellia appliqués stole the show, as did the white cat-eye sunglasses decorated with wispy eyelashes. As they ascended the steps, Rocky helped Rihanna to unfasten the cape, revealing the front of her dress and more importantly, her baby bump. Leave it to Rihanna to use her second child as an accessory, but as the ensemble very much gave off bridal vibes, the then unborn Riot Rose made for the best fashion statement ever.
Which was your favourite amongst Rihanna’s iconic Met Gala looks? Let us know on our socials and follow Glitz on Facebook and Instagram for all the latest updates.
