Rihanna’s effect on maternity style is front and center of her May 2022 Vogue cover, for which she wore a red Alaïa catsuit and matching opera-length gloves. The look, a mesh masterpiece embroidered with floral stitching and lined with a boned, bustier-like piping at the bust, comes complete with stirrups and patent stilettos that are also from the Alaïa fashion house. Rihanna’s outfit, finished with simple Chopard diamond studs, was constructed by her own stylist, Jahleel Weaver, in collaboration with Vogue’s Alex Harrington.
Merely two hours after the feature was revealed to the world, searches for “lace bodysuits” surged 191 percent while searches for “lace gloves” increased 110 percent, as reported by fashion data research company LoveTheSales. Catsuits are a go-to trend among celebrities right now — Miley Cyrus, Dua Lipa, Lizzo, and Lori Harvey, to name a few — but with Rihanna reaching for the popular silhouette, it’s sure to be a look that’s everywhere this spring and summer. The superstar dined with Vogue editor Chioma Nnadi at Caviar Kaspia during Paris Fashion Week for her interview, the city where she also sat front row with partner A$AP Rocky at the Off-White show in a latex dress. PFW is also where she debuted a shearling Diesel coat and, most memorably, exhibited a lacy moment in lingerie at the Dior show. “To me that dress is actually the closest thing to maternity clothes that I’ve worn so far,” Rihanna told Vogue of the moment, for which she proudly displayed a self-designed Savage x Fenty G-string under her sheer babydoll. “They were going to see my panties regardless. So they’d better be mine,” she said.
Rihanna also touched on her feelings about maternity jeans, explaining, “When I found out I was pregnant, I thought to myself, ‘There’s no way I’m going to go shopping in no maternity aisle. I’m sorry — it’s too much fun to get dressed up. I’m not going to let that part disappear because my body is changing.'” She continued: “I’m hoping that we were able to redefine what’s considered ‘decent’ for pregnant women. My body is doing incredible things right now, and I’m not going to be ashamed of that. This time should feel celebratory. Because why should you be hiding your pregnancy?”
Rihanna and Weaver have created many a buzzed-about street style moments during her pregnancy, starting with the vintage pink Chanel puffer she wore unbuttoned on the streets of New York City to reveal she was expecting. While at the time of Rihanna’s meeting with Nnadi she had secured nothing but a miniature bathrobe for her child, shopping trips to Bonpoint and Baby Dior were planned for the following day. “That is the day that I will have a problem, if my child don’t like fashion? What?? You’ve got me so nervous!” she said when Nnadi teased her about the unimaginable possibility that her child would take no interest in clothes.
If Rihanna’s steadfast commitment to breaking fashion boundaries is any inclination, then her future children could very likely follow suit. Naturally, Rihanna already knows exactly what she wants in a baby shower: “No brunch, no blush tones. And no animal-shaped nothing,” she outlined. We’ll be keeping our eyes open for the headline-creating look she and Weaver dream up for that event. Surely, just like her Vogue getups ahead, the future baby shower outfit is bound to cause a spike in demand for something.
