10/03/2013

Rihanna for River Island



I am not usually one to criticise a collection – as I am so diverse with my outfit tastes, I always find something that catches my eye or tickles my fashion fancy. So as I settled down with a nice cup of green tea and loaded up the Rihanna for River Island fashion show, I expected nothing less from the starlet, who is fast becoming a style icon. What I got, however, was a lot of black, a lot of thigh and a hell of a lot of swearing.
Rihanna’s style has developed dramatically since the boob-protruding green dress in SOS and gold crop top in Pon de Replay. The years have seen her move through phases of girlie and soft, to classy and mature, to damn right disturb(ia)ing. Now RiRi seems to have finally settled into her own unique style mixing genres of rock and hiphop and, as she admits in a behind-the-scenes River Island video, her collection is a little selfish; she designed the clothing with herself in mind.

         























A hint of 90’s grunge was definitely expected, and, in some way, delivered; floor length sheer overall dresses, chunky black trucker boots, fishnet skirts and baggy sleeveless tanks trawled through the catwalk, which was designed like a long boxed display cabinet. The models swept simultaneously through the square sections, stopping to pose for the audience before finally disappearing into the darkness. RiRi also touched on hiphop fashion, with leather trucker hats, hooded onesies and skirts with shirts tied around the waist.

I have to be honest - when the last model walked off stage and Rihanna appeared to thank everyone with a beaming smile, my initial thought was "Is that it...?" I shut my laptop, went to bed, and not a single piece played on my mind as they frequently do with other fashion shows. Harsh criticism it may seem, but as I skimmed through various other reviews it became apparent that Rihanna's collection had not lived up to the expectations that were dancing around it.


{images courtesy of riverisland.com and graziadaily.co.uk}
Firstly, (I feel really bad saying this, but) it was..bland. The biggest slice of colour was provided by a lemon mini sleeveless dress, and a few other yellow t-shirts. Other than that, black and grey were the dominant hues. Don't get me wrong, I love having black in my wardrobe, but not only were the garments dark, they were also ridiculously plain. 

Secondly, for an autumn/winter collection, there wasn't a lot of erm...coverage. High waisted denim shorts, dungaree tops, striped bralets and lemon cropped tees are reminiscent of a warmer climate (unless you live in the Bahamas, in which case Christmas in a bikini sounds pretty dece). But what particularly shocked me was the choice of music; I have nothing against a bit of Jay Z, but choosing two songs that use ‘fucking’ every two sentences? I don't know what loony gave that the all clear - not a good look for London Fashion Week. 

Overall, there were several items that I would probably skim through during a shopping trip, but nothing that would make me double take. The simple fabrics and basic cuts lack originality and sparkle, and considering Rihanna’s everyday style is rather quirky, I expected a lot more. 

xox

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