14 DAY TRIAL // Rihanna sure knows how to get people talking about her. In fact, with her most recent red carpet appearance, at the CFDAs 2014 in New York, not only did she get people talking but she managed to make sure they would continue to do so for another couple of weeks.
If you’re wondering what Rihanna wore to the gala, which also saw her walk home with the biggest distinction possible, the 2014 Fashion Icon Award, the practical answer would be “nothing.” In theory, Rihanna wore a custom-made dress by designer and longtime collaborator Adam Selman, which left absolutely nothing to the imagination.
Above is a photo of the dress. Because the shot was taken backstage where lighting wasn’t that great, it looks like a regular dress, showcased on a gorgeous body. However, when Rihanna set foot on the red carpet, it went completely see-through, to the delight (and some outrage) of all those present.
The only items that protected Rihanna from the gaze of onlookers were a pair of thongs and a fur stole, and she made sure she removed the latter while still posing for pictures. So yes, when Style.com describes the outfit as “scandalous,” it does so with very good reason.
However, that’s how Selman envisioned the outfit as a whole, he says for the trade publication. Having worked with Rihanna on costumes for her tour but also on her River Island capsule, he knew how much she liked to shock and deemed the CFDAs just the venue to help her do that.
He also aimed to help Rihanna show off her body while staying true to the image she’s been carving for herself for the past years.
“We definitely wanted to make it a little bit scandalous. The dress is just fishnet and crystals and a couple of fingers crossed. But fashion is about beauty, and the [female] body is part of that,” the designer says.
The dress was basically a mesh with over 230,000 Swarovski crystals manually sewn onto it. It was gorgeous but, at the same time, unlike anything else the world has ever seen on the red carpet – not just because it was this revealing.
He explains that he worked with Rihanna on the dress, after coming up with an idea for it after the MTV Movie Awards. The matching do-rag / headpiece was Rihanna’s idea, while her stylist did the rest, presenting her with the pink Pologeorgis fur stole, the Manolo Blahnik strappy shows, and jewelry by Paul Morelli.
The dress, according to Selman, is the very essence of Rihanna. “She’s daring, she’s bold, and she’s not afraid of fashion. She doesn’t let fashion overcome her. She embraces it and makes everything she puts on her own. Not many people do that.”
Indeed, off the top of our head, there are only a handful of female stars who have the body and the confidence to wear a dress like this one. Rihanna is definitely at the top of this list.