2016 was the year that celebrities dabbled in design, according to Google, which recorded pop culture topping search numbers for fashion. Beyonce's Topshop Ivy Park collection was passed over for comment except as evidence of her goddess-like work ethic. Kanye's latest foray into fashion was received no greater ceremony, as Yeezy Season 4 evinced zzzzz's from the majority of the fashion-forward. Meanwhile, Rihanna's Fenty x Puma shows at New York Fashion Week and Paris Fashion week elicited electric appraisals, which ranged from vitreous hauteur to the nigh-orgiastic. Surfacing like Botticelli's Venus from a sea of fashion memes, Riri is the embodiment of on point styling, studied by babes the world over. When the ever prescient question of 'what to wear?' strikes existential dread into your heart, dial in to "bad gal" Riri's Instagram account and breathe. Regularly accessorizing with wine glasses, a bevvy of A-list besties and revenge fantasies directed by Harmony Korine, Rihanna has become the ultimate brand. In 2016, Rihanna made a seamless (but not tassle-less) transition between rocking an addictive personal style, becoming a fashion muse, and cashing in on her pash for fash with a line all her own. Enthusing about her latest entrepreneurial adventure in the fashion jungle. Whether she's work-work-work-working big-name labels or strutting in her very own, Riri always lays on the slay, so lets summarize her top style hits of 2016 that crowns her the hottest celeb of the year.
15 Fenty x Puma Fashion Show, Paris Fashion Week
Backstage at her Fenty show in Paris, Rihanna revealed the secret of her creative direction: “I thought to myself, ‘Just design what you like to wear.’" Seemingly uncomplicated and yet mysterious like Rihanna herself, her sense of style gave the collection a genuinely progressive flair that was an impressive follow-up on last season's sell out show. Like Balmain before it, Puma has enjoyed a major boost from its affiliation with the pop princess. Rihanna worked in vibes from streetwear labels like Alexander Wang, revamped goth and plush furs. Riri could have worked any of the looks with the smoldering attitude that has become her calling card. But appearing on the show to receive her hard-earned applause, she modeled this look in particular, which perfectly melded luxe with casual in a kind of hoodie meets regal robes concoction. We want it just so we can be runway and sleeping bag ready simultaneously.
14 Falling in love with an Yves Saint Laurent Heart Cape
After confirming her romance with Drake, Riri wore her heart on her sleeve with an outrageous red fox fur cape. Do you love her heart shaped attire? We're pretty enamored with this look, which was easily one of Rihanna's most memorable of 2016. She wore the heart shaped stole, which was designed by Yves Saint Laurent, with a red lip that gave her a matching cupid's bow, and her go-to black baseball cap. What did she get up to while wearing this crazy-cool getup? Rumour has it she ran off to feed some pigeons whilst working the all-red ensemble. What else would you do in YSL fox fur? It does seem a tad hypocritical to feed the pigeons in fox fur in terms of environmental awareness and animal rights, but we imagine it was also a pretty romantic moment, like something out of a seventies arthouse film, subbing pop princess for femme fatale. And that fact that Riri had the supreme confidence needed to rock this ruby red look makes us love her even more.
13 Forest fashion from the future
We couldn't do a line up of Riri's top looks and not feature her mega-successful new collection. The stage was set with lawns instead of catwalks and a cracked mirror creating a kind of gothic Alice and Wonderland atmosphere to the show. Attendees to the A-list event vibed to industrial beats while leggy models worked the runway's haze of pink and camouflage looks. Major names like Chris Rock and Naomi Campbell no less looked on as the models paraded styles that brought together the idiosyncrasies of Riri's style: naughty and nice, cotton candy and gangster bling, comfy and chic. Rihanna's style defines modern femininity, a sassy combination of distinct influences that refuses to be pigeonholed. It's clear that Rihanna's own phantasmagoria of looks allows her to transcend not only any one fashion label in particular but also being labeled. Her protean fashion sense is so fantastical it floats, mirage-like over the internet trolling that besets the fashion world.
12 VMAs Green fringe jumpsuit
Riri was snapped on August 29th looking insanely stylish in this green fringe jumpsuit, with matching satin heels and hoop earrings. In a styling move she's been rocking a lot lately, Rihanna teamed the green ensemble with a contrasting deep plum lip. The dark plum lip is a modernized take on the gothic style (a deeply unflattering aesthetic on most of us), which Rihanna manages to make look effortlessly chic. Pulling vampy goth vibes together with the slinky yet vibrant jumpsuit is a genius move, especially as it allows Riri to show off her killer curves with ultimate vamp-like seduction. She manages to look flashy but without flashing much skin. The top knot is another mod move we've come to know and love, and the do counteracts Riri's tassels perfectly here, bringing some sleek to an outfit that's already all about movement. We loved Riri's post-VMA's look almost as much as her heart cape.
11 Raf Simmons puffer
Rihanna rocked Raff Simmons when she popped into Harrods for a late summer spot of shopping. Looking rather ready for the winter weather, despite her puffer jacket's downy pillows, she also looked cool as ever. Before Rihanna showed us how to wear them, we had though that puffer jackets were pretty much the least flattering garment out there. And despite this one's suggestion of bin liner, Riri proved she can look fierce in a sack. Still, the oversized shape of the jacket creates a contrastingly luxe aesthetic, which Rihanna rocks with her uniform sunnies, baseball cap, and matching yellow-black boots. However chill the puffer jacket might look, it's brought literally on point with these pointed heels. Counteracting the 'puff' of the puffer, we think these are the ultimate boots that Rihanna could have chosen to make tracks around Harrods, investing in even more super chic fashion pieces from the world's leading designers at one of its oldest department stores.
10 Balenciaga stole
On July 26th Rihanna was spotted in this statement Balenciaga stole, which spells out exactly how fabulous she is. This lady loves to wrap herself in luxurious threads, there's no doubt about that. And what could be more luxe than a stole that says "I've got exquisite taste AND attitude". As usual, Riri served up all the slay, throwing the stole over an oversized jean dress and barely there six-inch sandals. This look reminds us of the stoles worn by Hollywood's most glamorous fashion icons, like Marilyn Monroe and Rita Hayworth, a dream of glamour and romance that, as equally dreamlike singer Lana Del Rey has put it, reminds us of "the country America used to be" with a delicious nostalgia that's more seductive for being unattainable. Yet Rihanna also keeps things undeniably modern, while gesturing to the starlets that have stepped out before her only in the conception and not the execution of these magic clothes.
9 Dangerous Manolos
Yep, it's been the year that Riri killed it at fashion. Not content with her entire Puma collection, she collaborated with -Manolo Blahnik- no less for the 'Dangerous' denim shoe collection. Long recognized for rocking Manolos like no one else, Riri posed in these '9 to 5' chaps-inspired denim boots with embellished buckles for an editorial in British Vogue. Only she can do double denim with total conviction. She was spotted wearing this very pair at Drama nightclub in London, paired with an asymmetrical blouse and jean shorts. She has also teamed them with a screen-printed T-shirt with Princess Diana's face on it, paying homage to the late royal fashionista. Fashion royalty Ri has succeeded in making us covet a double denim look, making it somehow incredibly wearable. We think that 'Dangerous' is indeed dangerously desirable, and totally fabulous. We never thought we'd say it, but thigh-high denim Manolos are, in the words of Zoolander's Mugatu, "so hot right now".
8 Bossing it in Dolce & Gabbana caftan
And then there was the time (May 29th to be exact) that Riri wore a flowy Dolce & Gabbana caftan. Long a fan of flowy maxi dresses in the summer, Ri styled this tile-print caftan with a highly colored clutch bag, also by Dolce & Gabbana, and teetering platforms by Brit designer Stella McCartney and Japanese-inspired flower hair accessories. The look reminded us of a reinterpreted Geisha, in its combination of hair decorations, a high neck, and these platforms, albeit without on-show socks! Only Ri could pull together such a cultural fusion (Italian, American, British, Japanese) with complete elegance. She manages to be pretty and yet bring the magisterial swagger of O Wren Ishii in Kill Bill when she struts into the club with her legions of bodyguards and followers. But in a super girly way. All we know is, we totally want to get Riri's playful, fun, boss look.
7 Silk Gucci jumpsuit
Weirdly enough, this look reminds us of another Kill Bill character, this time the Bride. With her killer instinct, this girl was definitely "bad", just like Riri herself. We know she's capable of some crazy impressive style maneuvers and as fiercely self-reliant as the Quentin Tarantino's almost-superwoman. Except that Ri works the jumpsuit look in verdant emerald, paired with a deep red lip, fur cuffs, and gleaming long locks. She radiates style from her embroidered jumpsuit all the way down to her pointed white boots, looking more on point than we had even thought possible. From head to toe, Riri is a vision of sass, and "Flawless", as Beyonce would say. Did she wake up like this? We don't know, but we wouldn't put it past Rihanna, who's effortless style seems to be pretty faultless at all times. All we know is this is the first time since the nineties that we thought getting ourselves a jumpsuit was a righteous move.
6 Sunshine puffer
In February, Rihanna was already rocking a canary yellow puffer jacket, accessorizing with matching shades to go party with Drake in London. She kept warm and fly in the canary fur-lined puffer, which only she could make this glam. We like that she's coordinated her look with the typical style rocked by her on-off boyfriend Drake, who is also an exponent of the luxe puffer look, especially with the hood popped to offer a little shade from those pesky paps. London's paparazzi are reputedly some of the world's most invasive into the lives and privacy of celebrities, so it looks like Riri came ready to party. Covered up and cozy, yet still standing out from under her hood as the most glamorous in London's hood, she showed she knows exactly how to dress to impress, as ever. We want a pair of yellow sunnies to bring some sunshine to the winter months too.
5 Night out in New York with Balenciaga
Speaking of going out, Riri is never reticent to hit the party and stepped out in New York City in denim on denim once again. Here she accessorized her denim asymmetrical dress with Manolo Blahnik boots from her own line with the designer (the ultimate style power move), baseball cap, chains and a necklace with the Egyptian symbol for life. Ri crushed it with this look, which shows she not only wears the top fashion in the world but creates it herself. She paired her power look with deep red lips. Riri is magic for always wearing the 'now' lip color we can't get enough of the deep shades that characterized her 2016 looks. We are super impressed that Rihanna has also managed to make denim on denim chic and modern, a seemingly impossible task that Ri accomplished with ease, embracing New York's adventurousness as a forum for outrageous fashion.
4 Dior's Spring 2016 Show at Paris Fashion Week
Riri proved that pink is a boss color at Paris Fashion Week, which she attended in Dior. Riri owned as the brand ambassador of this stratospherically stylish brand when she attended designer Raf Simmon's spring-summer 2016 Paris Fashion Week show. Held on the grounds of the Louvre Museum under a mountain of flowers, Ri brought it in a flowing peach pink cape and uber sexy latex boots, also by Dior. The look was in keeping with her own Secret Garden campaign for the brand, which was shot in Paris' suburb of Versailles at the Palace's gardens. The ultra chic, ultra secret Dior shoot was in form and content every bit as mysterious and exquisite as we would expect from the top-level brand and Riri herself. This was the look that put pink right back on our style maps in 2016, as we hankered after a little of that ever-seductive Parisian chic.
3 Black Girls Rock Award look
We loved Rihanna's Black Girls Rock Awards look, combining cool with luxe, sweet side parting with confident styling and dark smokey eyes with natural skin and lips. But what made this one of our fav Riri moments of 2016 was her acceptance speech, which speaks for itself:
"This is a very important moment in my life and my career to be celebrated just because I’m black, and just because of what I do...thank you for acknowledging me for all of the hard work not just me but all of the women who have been honored tonight we just do what we love and we try to do our part in our community… Thank you so much for celebrating us in a world that doesn’t celebrate us enough. I really owe my thank yous to my mom, the strongest black woman I know, my grandmother, who's twenty times stronger than my mother...hopefully one day I'll be raising my own little black girl who rocks...this world is so big and it can be so confusing at times that you can be so...tainted by society. The only thing that's kept me going is being myself and the minute you know how to love yourself you would not want to be anyone else." - Rihanna
2 Vogue April editorial
Vogue alert! We told you this was the year of ultimate Riri fashion world takeover and we weren't lying. Pictured here in a Vogue editorial from April 2016 shot and styled by Mert alas and Marcus Piggot, Rihanna conquered in all gold. Showing off her fierce natural beauty in an uncharacteristically paired back look for the singer, the Vogue shoot was every bit as luxuriant as Riri's usual voluminous furs and excesses of mega-labels. Glittering draped negligee showed a far more vulnerable look that brought out our girl's natural grace and gleam, without need for accessories. Ri's poise was enough to carry the shots, which hinted at a dreamlike luxury world of untouchable romance. Festooned in drapery, Riri and the set were both plush yet elegant and impossibly sophisticated. The barely there gold look was perfect for Riri, who doesn't need too shout for us to know she's fashion gold.
1 It's Rihanna's world
2016 was the year Rihanna showed us that it is her world. Reigning supreme as the fashion icon of the moment on her Vogue April cover, the singer-come-designer's creative output rivaled Beyonce's this year. She dropped Anti, her first album since 2012, a super different vibe featuring an eclectic mix of dance and soul, Anti showed us Riri is evolving. 2016 was the year that she defined what it means to 'work it'. One critic called the song "post-language" for its gyrating staccato repetition of the word until it loses all meaning. Make no mistake, there is something undefinable about 2016 Rihanna that seemed capable of transporting us to the future. So on-point was she that we were mesmerized, hooked on her every fashion maneuver like couture junkies. Not only did Rihanna rule the fashion world, but she rocked it as well, we can't wait to see what 2017 holds.
