Rihanna—& Her Pink Mink Cape—Steal the Show at Dior
Rihanna’s in the delphinium house! Three days into Paris Fashion Week, the fashion crew was blessed with a real A-lister. The newest face of Dior arrived to the brand’s runway show in a pink cape with fur sleeves and aviators, managing to steal the pre-show from the massive, mountainous display of over 400,000 purple and blue flowers just inside the Louvre’s storied archway.
Artistic Director Raf Simons likened the decor to a “soft, fluid landscape of the future” in his show notes and compared to the historic surroundings, the brightly-lit stark white venue did feel a bit like walking into an alternate reality—one filled with ridiculously good looking people, of course. Emilia Clarke, Leelee Sobieski, and Erin O’Connor were among the front row attendees (with the aforementioned superstar, who was protected by two hulking bodyguards swatting away anyone with a camera phone.)
Further down the line, Elizabeth Olsen sat quietly taking in the somewhat raucous environment before the lights went down and the curtain went up. “It’s always a beautiful spectacle,” she said of Dior shows. “Like a theatrical event, and that’s what I like about it.” The extravaganza was her second show of the week, after her sisters’ hush-hush spectacular for The Row, which was held at the 17th-century Château de Courances. “Their show this year was probably one of the most beautiful events that I have ever been to,” she told Yahoo Style. “I’m so incredibly proud of them. They have the best taste in the world, but I’m not surprised, I’m always blown away by them and their talent and skill.”
New Order’s “Elegia” pumped through the speakers while models in white lingerie-inspired cropped tops and shorts with scalloped hems traipsed down the runway. The transparent pieces became the foundation for the collection — worn under thick, cropped Shetland knit sweaters, pleated parkas, and updated Bar jackets. Victoriana clearly inspired the bias-cut slip dresses revealing cotton undergarments, but it didn’t feel antiquated at all. Nearly everyone was gawking at the shoes — pointy-toed flats with buckles that wrapped around the ankles. Forget moon boots, in Simons’ stylized version of the future, everyone is well-heeled and glamorous, thankyouverymuch. Also worth noting? The oh-so-chic scarves overlaid with grosgrain ribbon chokers adorning the neck of nearly every model.
As expected the fashion crowd was impressed. “Delicate versus dynamic. and the two came together,” O’Connor told us on her way out. “Raf is a message carrier of the modern. You know when you see the models walking on the set—you can envision women wearing these pieces. It’s not showy. We all want to feel beautiful.”
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