Rihanna’s pregnancy fashion could change future maternity clothes
Rihanna fans wanted a new album, but instead they got a fashion revolution photo album. The singer and entrepreneur, who is expecting her first child with A$AP Rocky, is defying maternity wear conventions and sparking a “Fenty Effect” when it comes to pregnancy style.
No, Rihanna isn’t compiling a new photobook, like the one she released in 2019. But she definitely cataloged her nonconforming, fashionable pregnancy style on social media — and it all started with the initial baby announcement. She and A$AP Rocky posed for photographer Miles Diggs’ lens under a West Harlem overpass. Despite the freezing and snowy New York day, Rihanna exposed her baby bump between the folds of a Chanel coat while kissing Rocky to confirm they were soon to be parents.
This smart pregnancy reveal — and the fashion that went with it — created the same groundbreaking buzz of her previous work. The launch of Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty line sparked a “Fenty Effect” prompting other cosmetics brands to incorporate inclusive makeup shades into their range and her Savage X Fenty lingerie collection prompted other designers to consider the inclusiveness in their size.
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As photographers constantly capture the 34-year-old (and her accompanying baby bump) on red carpets, fashion weeks and magazine covers, she continues to push the boundaries when it comes to maternity clothes. and it’s on its way.
Rihanna told Bustle in March while wearing a custom silver Coeperni outfit, “I’m not going to buy maternity clothes.” Her May Vogue cover story accompanied a photoshoot of the star wearing shoes by Jean Paul Gaultier, Marc Jacobs and Manolo Blahnik, among others.
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“When I found out I was pregnant, I thought, ‘There’s no way I’m going shopping in the maternity aisle,'” she told the magazine. “I’m sorry, it’s too much fun to dress up.”
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The star stayed true to her word: no blouses, tent dresses or elasticated denim in sight.
“What Rihanna is doing right now is just amazing,” says Ariane Goldman, founder and CEO of maternity clothing brand Hatch. “It’s pretty bold and fierce and empowering that she just shakes her belly and dresses around the bump.”
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Shortly after the pregnancy announcement, more photos of Rihanna in the babywearing era began to appear. A paparazzi-esque photo featured Rihanna in an all-black outfit with a lace-up Jean Paul Gaultier top as the focal point.
Shortly after, the singer posted another photo of herself captured in denim and leopard print, complete with a Roberto Cavalli jacket. Rihanna’s choice in vulnerable low rise jeans showed off her midriff and was highlighted by an open panel shirt.
In the past, celebrity high fashion approaches to pregnancy have been harshly criticized. Kim Kardashian was seen wearing Tom Ford, Mugler and Donna Karan during her pregnancy with first-born North West in 2013, but the looks were rarely praised. Kardashian’s Met Gala debut was widely dismissed as a fashion faux pas after she arrived in a figure-hugging Givenchy dress. She recalled in a tweet from 2019 how after the gala she “went home and cried…insecure”.
Amy Odell, fashion journalist and author of the upcoming ‘ANNA: The Biography,’ says Rihanna’s pregnancy looks are ‘remarkable and exciting’ in part because ‘we missed them for a while’ as the pandemic shut down events, runways and red carpets due to the pandemic.
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“It’s really exciting to see someone like Rihanna who is in this joyful moment of her life, being incredibly fashionable (and) being out there,” Odell said.
Although Off-White, Gucci and Dior aren’t known for their wardrobe capsules aimed at expectant parents, Rihanna still wore the fashion house pieces around her baby bump for fashion week.
Rihanna and Rocky attended the Gucci show during Milan Fashion Week wearing custom pieces from the brand. Rihanna’s look included a silver headpiece, low-rise satin pants with a dragon on the side, and a lace and latex crop top, giving her future offspring an uninterrupted view of a high fashion runway.
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She followed at Paris Fashion Week with a fur jacket and pink leather dress from Off-White for the design house’s show. But it was her Dior fashion show look that really turned heads when she showed it all with a sheer tulle Dior gown, wearing nothing but Savage X Fenty underneath.
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“For me, this dress is actually the closest thing to maternity clothes I’ve worn so far,” Rihanna told Vogue in the May cover story.
The influence of Rihanna’s maternity fashion
Despite Rihanna’s comparison of see-through Dior to maternity clothes, journalist and author Odell says she’d be “surprised” if luxury houses started dipping a toe into the motherhood department.
“I think luxury maternity clothes are probably a tough proposition for companies because you don’t wear them for as long,” Odell says. “But I think what Rihanna does is likely to influence how other celebrities approach fashion when they’re pregnant.”
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‘Dollface’ star Shay Mitchell is also feeling empowered and embracing her bump as she is pregnant with her second baby. On Instagram, she often poses in crop tops, low-rise jeans, feathered blazers and Burberry ensembles.
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But influence doesn’t just influence celebrity moms. Goldman, which launched Hatch in 2011 to create more “fashionable” clothes for expectant parents, has also seen a shift in maternity fashion for the everyday consumer.
“If you asked me years ago would I incorporate crop tops into the Hatch collections offering, I’d say ‘you’re crazy,'” Goldman said. “We started designing them, just to see where the trend was going…and we can’t keep them in stock. So clearly the trend is changing.”
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While this fashion moment for Rihanna will end with the arrival of a baby, she hopes a change in society’s attitude around pregnancy will last much longer.
“I hope we were able to redefine what is considered ‘decent’ for pregnant women,” she told Vogue. “My body is doing amazing things right now, and I’m not going to be ashamed of it. This time, I should feel celebratory. Because why should you hide your pregnancy?”
USA Today
