Fashion Icon Alert: Rihanna

If anyone fully abides by the phrase ‘Life is a catwalk’ it is Rihanna. How this female is so hot day-by-day is beyond me. From brown hair to black, from black to blonde, from blonde to fire truck red, from red to … Whitney curls? Dated, but it works, she works it. Rihanna is one of the greatest fashion icons to grace us with her style since… (dare I say it) Gaga – though to be brutally honest Gaga fell off the fashion radar when she decided to exchange her clothing for meat.

Rihanna’s style is meat-free and fun. Brightness, structured shoulders, hot pants, corsets and crops define her look, although she has traipsed through a number of wardrobe phases to get her to the ditsy colourful risky look that we see today. The black phase was the most recent, most mysterious, most worrying (to some extent) what with her head shaking vigorously in ‘Disturbia’ and her intense crawling with horns on, in the ‘Rockstar 101’ video. Though if we take this apart bit by bit, the intricate chain embellishment on those horns, had a rare eccentric edge that makes you secretly want it, before realising that no occasion is worthy, or more simply, there is no occasion that can handle such a headpiece. And as for the head-shaking thing, though scary, we can forgive, thanks to the fierce black belted leotard, with silver tassel detail that she happened to be wearing at the time.

Now she’s rocking block colours.

Red. Purple. Orange. The mix-matched patterns are fun and quirky, along with the, “I just stepped out of the florist’s” look that she rocks in a nude huge hip ensemble, covered in an array of flowers. It’s the chameleon-esque within her that makes her style unique, exciting, admirable… one day a flamboyant head tie in the colours of her native flag and the next, a black (Erin O’ Connor) top with the words printed, ‘She died of Perfection’, chino’s and a tailored blazer - Effortless.

Sadly, we now have to consider the harsh reality that is, The Stylist. Indeed, a successful celebrity without one these days immediately falls into the odd category, but things would be so much more peachy if we knew Rihanna herself, was the creator behind all this hotness. It is in fact, Mariel Haenn that we have to thank. She is responsible for the luxurious fur, leather belted dress that Rihanna performed in at the Grammy’s and of course, the bouffant-shouldered-Dolce & Gabbana-tux that drove the fashion press wild at the Met Gala in 2009– think androgynous-chic.

Even Rihanna’s most daring styles are wearable, which sets her aside from other style icons like Lady Gaga and Katy Perry. This therefore allows people like us to emulate her style, not with envy but with poise. Truly, we can look beyond the stylist; after all, the result is a joint decision between Haenn and Rihanna and one that we have to commend. The singer shows that red lipstick can be the reviver of any outfit, that round nails are a thing of the future and a bit of exposed midriff is healthy. To me, it is clear that this woman is leading, where fashion is concerned, and her different style changes from classy to rock chick to colourful keeps us in awe and appreciation … or is that just me… and Willow Smith? Once a star is actually appreciated for the appearance they set before us, it is clear that they are doing something right. And now, having equalled a chart record set by Elvis Presley, we see that it is not only the fashion charts that she has taken by storm. Rihanna we salute you.