Rihanna's Unborn Baby Is a Fashion Icon

In the two weeks since Rihanna’s pregnancy drop, everything has shifted. Rihanna’s maternity-wear isn’t just a force of nature, it’s its own climate. We shouldn’t have known with the Chanel Fall 1996-adorned announcement. But then came a windfall. The second happening of the baby bump’s public appearance came days later in an all black look: Wardrobe.NYC x Carhartt WIP reversible jacket, The Attico ribbed leggings and a Jean Paul Gaultier lace-up cardigan. The cherry on the... bottom? The Jimmy Choo pumps, a wordless confirmation that Mama Ri won’t be ditching the heels.

She stepped out days later in a vintage Roberto Cavalli denim (taste!) and fur coat that she kept open to expose her Plein Sud python bikini and Fendi fur-trimmed top — as one does. Of course, she’s accessorized the look with a Christian Dior vintage tie-dye saddle bag and Tom Ford snakeskin sandals. It is Rihanna after all. Flaunting her assets further, she added a Jacquie Aiche gold Sophia diamond bra and body chain as well as a Patcharavipa diamond necklace. It’d be gauche to mention the retail price, but my jaw did drop when I did a cursory Google.

Then came a custom look from The Attico, inspired by the brand’s Spring 2022 collection, and Manolo Blahnik python sandals for a Fenty Beauty event. Her Jacquie Aiche chain bra stayed on.

Refusing to let up, she finished off the week at her Savage X Fenty LA Store Opening in a custom Alaïa red leather hooded coat-dress. Everybody say thank you, Jahleel Weaver. As @weekdayofficial put it in an inscription on a T-shirt: “Introverted but willing to discuss Rihanna’s pregnancy.”

Adele Fights for Gay Rights

Adele, in a re-up of her now iconic 2019 appearance at Pieces, showed up unannounced at London’s iconic G-A-Y for their Porn Idol event, where the singer proceeded to get up on stage in Fendi’s Cady blazer and pants from the brand’s Spring 2022 collection, styled by Jamie Mizrahi. (She first sported the look earlier in the evening during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show before taking it for a proper twirl for the gays.)

The button broke and Adele was forced to hold it fastened with her hands. A few drinks later she said “fuck it” and finished out the night dancing her ass off in her bra. Still, some remain less than impressed with Adele after a rocky few weeks in the public eye. First, she caught flack for canceling her Vegas residency with little warning. There’s also been unconfirmed reports that she was using non-union musicians for the tour. As if that wasn’t bad enough: Then there were accusations of transphobia following her speech at the BRITs, where she picked up the first ever gender-neutral Artist of the Year trophy.

Was this appearance crisis management or iconic behavior? A little bit of both? I just like the Fendi power suit, to be quite honest.

Steve Buscemi Giving Zaddy for Kith

After posting my excitement about Steve Buscmi of Reservoir Dogs, Steve Buscemi of Fargo, Steve Buscemi of Big Daddy, The Sopranos and Boss Baby, and Steve Buscemi of “how do you do, fellow kids” fame as the new face of Kith, someone responded, “It’s nice to see seniors in campaigns for once.” I was prepared to fight. Seniors? He’s only *checks Wikipedia* 64 years old! Then I Googled “senior citizen” and discovered that Buscemi is less than eight months shy of his senior citizen status. No disrespect to senior citizens, but Buscemi is not one you. Not yet. Not ever. Buscemi defies categorization altogether, especially when it comes to age.

Styled by Kith founder, Ronnie Fieg, the shoot includes Buscemi in a range of looks from the collection, besides and sometimes within a spread of wildflowers courtesy of PlantShed. Put these images in the Museum of Modern Art, the Rijksmuseum and the the Centre Pompidou, for they are far too eternal to simply be one-off campaign images.

The Siriano Front Row Dominates NYFW

As is often the case, the real star of the Christian Siriano runway was the front row. “Without the shows and the glamour and the front row and all my great girls, this business really sucks,” Siriano toldVogue. This season did not disappoint giving us Golden Globe-winner Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Academy Award-winner and meme apologist Susan Sarandon, Scream star Drew Barrymore, Trading Mom star Anna Chlumsky, Sex Education star Hannah Waddington, Drag Race winner The Symone and Drag Race guest judge Ava Max, as well as Siriano front row staples Danielle Brooks, Alicia Silverstone and Slayyyter.

As for the clothes? “It felt like seven collections in one,” PAPER’s own Mario Abad lamented. Other critics dismissed the lack of cohesion, citing the fact that Siriano “has a lot on his plate,” including red carpet season and is doing costumes for an upcoming Susan Sarandon film that’s not currently listed on IMDB (“ he’s making an outfit for the film,” Sarandon toldYahoo front row at the show). It’s true that Siriano, regarded for dressing a faction of Hollywood often ignored by the larger design houses by way of size and shape, likely has a larger plate than most of his peers when it comes to award’s season, but let’s not pretend it’s Siriano himself that makes all his collections (nor should he have to — myriad other designers employee other designers under their named leadership). As the oracle Kimbino put it: “Siriano needs a stern talking to.”

Aquaria Debuts the Breath Of Feathers Living Dress

Drag royalty Aquaria celebrated her birthday by wearing Cameron Hughes' Breath Of Feathers living dress. This was an expansion of a feathered T-shirt he made with Chromatica last season inspired by Lady Gaga’s “1000 Doves.” (I prefer the piano version, for what it’s worth.)

“Sewing it was easy for some reason,” he says of the dress, which includes 1,500 hand-glued feathers and is only the “third or fourth” dress that he’s made. What about the 3D printing and the actual mechanics, which saw the feathers lift off from the dress via a portable remote system. “Easy,” too, he says. Was any part hard? “The coding and the electronics,” he admits, because the dress draws so much power in order to operate. (There’s almost 100 servos and each one needed a wire, and then there were eight controller boards, as well.)

Having designed the dress a few months ago (it was a three month process between waiting for parts, crafting custom wire harnesses, etc.), knowing Aquaria through the club scene and reading comment after comment remarking that people wanted to see the dress on a person, Hughes decided to reach out and bring all the necessary pieces together. The result was a master class in iconography.

Welcome to "Wear Me Out,"a column by pop culture fiend Evan Ross Katz that takes a deep dive into celebrity dressing. From award shows and movie premieres to grocery store runs, he'll keep you up to date on what your favorite celebs have recently worn to the biggest and most inconsequential events.

Photo via Getty