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Rihanna’s River Island Collection: No ‘Diamonds,’ Just Rough
Julian Parker/Getty(2); Dave M. Benett/Getty
Of all the adjectives we expected to hear about Rihanna‘s first-ever fashion line (for U.K. chain River Island) — “’90s-inspired” or “skin-baring” among them — we have to admit “horror show” took us by surprise. But fashion critics called it just that, savaging her debut collection for being uninspired, underwhelming and just plain unattractive.
The show, held in an abandoned central London post office, started an hour late and ran for nine minutes — including a brief appearance by the star. It wasn’t difficult to see why the show wasn’t critically beloved, but there’s no denying Rihanna’s influence was clearly visible, from the belly chains to the see-through mesh tops to the high-slit skirts. In fact, a large part of the problem may be that the only person who can pull these clothes off is Rihanna herself.
And while some onlookers (like The Daily Beast’s Tom Sykes) found the collection “porny” and “hideous,” other acknowledge that the designs are likely to sell, no matter how bad: “She’s Rihanna, after all,” shrugged New York Magazine‘s Alex Rees. If you want to judge for yourself, River Island’s Facebook page is replaying the show on loop.
Tell us: What do you think of Rihanna’s debut clothing line? Would you buy any of the pieces?
–Alex Apatoff
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