Rihanna has long been a force to be reckoned with in the fashion world, never afraid to push the envelope and pull off the most extreme trends with an "|i-just-threw-this-on|" face. But once she entered motherhood, the Grammy-winning singer and Fenty mogul discovered she had a new fight on her hands. This battle was against the very thing she was once obsessed with: fashion.
In a frank interview in Harper's Bazaar, the 37-year-old pop star admitted that after birthing her two sons, RZA and Riot, with A$AP Rocky in 2022 and 2023, her sartorial adventurousness faded into the background. Rather than wearing head-turning ensembles, however, she discovered herself making convenience and comfort her priorities over creativity.
"I think putting on clothes is a battle in itself (now)," Rihanna confessed. "Everything is so… logical. What makes sense? What's easy? What's fast? I guess I don't want to overanalyze all that stuff, but you're going outside. It sort of prevents you from going out. How much energy do I need to invest in preparing? Doing my makeup, doing my hair, and then going to the closet and figuring out which three things in this entire room make sense together? You go through a fog. And fashion is really fun, and I missed the fun."
For someone who had built a brand on changing the rules of beauty and fashion, the shift was more than a style change; it mirrored her shifting priorities as a mother. Previously the reigning red carpet queen of high-fashion risk-taking, Rihanna found herself in "mom mode," as she puts it. Days spent planning elaborate outfits gave way to the realities of motherhood, and the spontaneity that had once brought her joy in getting dressed receded into the distance.
But keeping with her reputation, Rihanna is finding her fashion footing again. That fashion creativity that made her a global style icon is flickering back to life, and she's embracing the joy of dressing up again.
"Now I'm starting to remember what I loved about it: the juxtaposition, putting the things together that don't make sense," she said. "My mood has always determined my fashion, and my mood was in mom mode for a minute."
But of course, even as she slips back into her sartorial superpower, she is making it real. Not every evening needs a full-glam moment; sometimes comfort is key, even for Rihanna. On a recent date night at Giorgio's restaurant, she popped out of the house in a Savage X Fenty onesie, simply adding a pair of heels for that "I did make an effort" look.
I was like, 'The only thing I'm putting on right now is heels,' and fucking that's it. I want to eat. Why do I need to get dressed up for that? I like the food."
Rihanna's foray into fashion isn't just about walking out the door in statement looks again, though it is that; it's about taking back a piece of herself that got lost in the beautiful tumult of motherhood. And if there's one thing we know about Rih, it's that whatever comes next regarding how she wants to dress, she will do it on her terms.
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