Rihanna is back. After seemingly a lifetime away from couture, the Diamonds singer arrived at the Christian Dior haute couture show in Paris this week, looking sensational in a Dior ensemble complemented by heels from Jordanian-Romanian shoe designer Amina Muaddi.
Choosing a puffed version of the famous Dior Bar jacket that was created by Christian Dior himself in 1947 – with its nipped-in waist and now with an exaggerated collar – Rihanna added her trademark twist by pairing it with a black baseball cap. Pairing it with a puffed pencil skirt, killer heels, long gloves and a Lady Dior bag, she managed a modern take on the femme fatale.
There aren't many who could get away with wearing a sideways cap to a haute couture show, but then Rihanna is by no means ordinary. A longtime fan of Dior, she arrived like a breath of fresh air, bringing her own idiosyncratic stamp of approval, plus some serious rocks around her neck.
Rihanna's choice of footwear also reiterates the star appeal of Muaddi, who often takes inspiration from her Arab roots for her namesake brand.
Another celebrity who came out in support of Arab designers was Jennifer Lopez, who attended the Elie Saab show on Wednesday. The singer-actress wore a draped chiffon dress in sea foam green, with a plunging neckline and cinched at the waist by a decorative belt. The gown was topped with a floor-length, flowered cape made from coloured feathers, while her newly chopped long bob was styled with a soft curl.
For the Valentino show that same evening, Lopez adopted a different style, arriving in a demure black dress, with a high neck and long sleeves. The dress was entirely plain save for bow details running down the back of each arm. Understated yet elegant, the look was finished with a choker necklace, and her hair pushed back under a simple headband – very Catherine Deneuve circa 1965.
The haute couture shows welcomed a number of other A-list celebrities.
Also at the Valentino show was actress Florence Pugh, who arrived in a sleek, one-shouldered black dress, alongside Kylie Jenner, who wore a straight-cut strapless dress – also in black – paired with a feather stole. British model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, meanwhile, wore a shiny black skirt, low on the hips, with a matching tube top, covered with an oversized blazer.
Sabrina Dhowre Elba, model and wife of actor Idris Elba, was at the Elie Saab show wearing a fitted black trouser suit – complete with a scarf at the neck and black gloves. She finished the look with simple black pumps.
Actress Anya Taylor-Joy attended the Dior show, dressed in a flame red dress, which worked beautifully against her pale skin and even paler hair. Taylor-Joy knows that put-together, lady-like dressing suits her, but she mixed it up by adding heavy black boots for a fresh take.
Also at Dior was actress Glenn Close who, even at 76, arrived looking immaculate in a Bar jacket suit. In cream, with the classic shaped waist and wide leg trousers, her ensemble can teach us all a thing or two about elegance.
Over at Schiaparelli, Zendaya arrived wearing the label as a fitted taffeta skirt and train with a sculptural velvet top. As someone who can carry off pretty much any look – thanks to the eye of her stylist Law Roach – Zendaya has a daring sense of style. For this entrance, she donned a blunt-cut fringed wig – and slayed it.
At Chanel on Tuesday, actress and Chanel ambassador Lucy Boynton looked stylish in a pale tweed minidress suit, while Charlotte Casiraghi, from the Monaco royal family, proved she was the epitome of chic by mixing her houndstooth tweed jacket with a pair of jeans.
At Giorgio Armani Prive, Celina Locks, model and wife of former Brazilian football player Ronaldo Nazario, looked effortless in a pale blue lace dress coat, worn over stovepipe trousers. While, at the same event, Gwyneth Paltrow arrived in head-to-toe black. Wearing a satin, button-front top, with relaxed, midi-length sleeves, she carried an air of refined simplicity.
