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RiRi’s Naked Couture

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Yesterday’s CFDA Awards were marked by the outstanding appearance of Rihanna’s body—just about all of it. RiRi, who was honored with the Fashion Icon of the Year award, wore a custom Adam Selman dress that was encrusted with more than 230,000 Swarovski crystals with accompanying crystalized headpiece and baby pink fur stole; as a reference, she cited Josephine Baker, the famous exotic dancer and actress who rose to fame in the 1920s with her risqué fashion and sensuality. With this dress, Selman, who has been creating outfits for the pop star since 2011, has produced perhaps the most talked about creation of his career. “The dress is just fishnet and crystals and a couple of fingers crossed. But fashion is about beauty, and the [female] body is part of that,” declared Rihanna’s stylist, Mel Ottenberg, in an exclusive interview with Style.com, before adding, “I don’t know if it’s shocking—I’m with her all the time, so my shock gauge is off, but I told her that I thought she was ready for this dress a while ago, and that I wasn’t. I’m the prude, and I’m just catching up.” Was this Rihanna’s own way of saying that her body is hers to show to the world? Or was it another nod at her Instagram ban (for showing too much skin), which ultimately led to her deleting her account as a sign of protest?

We could go on for hours trying to analyze the meaning behind this nakedness, which, between us, was a particularly ironic move for someone who was heading to a ceremony honoring her for her sense of fashion. A post-modern statement about women’s sexuality and/or clothing preference (or lack thereof) is one thing; the fashion message behind it is another one altogether.

Undoubtedly, the “shock factor” has been instrumental in building music careers, from Madonna, to Britney Spears, to Lady Gaga, to the now grown up (and hyper-sexualized) Miley Cyrus. Closer to home, examples like Haifa Wehbe’s sultry demeanor instantly come to mind. Now, we all know that sex sells; but while sex and fashion had some epic glory days in the hands of Tom Ford and Carine Roitfeld in the ‘90s and early 2000s porn-chic years, what is most notable here is the growing power that pop idols have over the fashion industry. In the words of Tom Ford in a recent interview with Style.com’s Tim Blanks: “Customers don’t care any more about reviews or hard-copy publications. They care what picture Rihanna just Instagrammed while she’s naked in bed, what new shoes she has on, how she’s talking about them. That’s what they respond to.”

I was particularly curious to know how our Middle Eastern audience would react to Rihanna’s red carpet look, so I took it to social media and asked the question on Instagram and Facebook: “#Genius? Or #Inappropriate?” More thumbs down than thumbs ups, as expected, and one pointed comment stating: “Why the thong? Where is the limit? She is naked already. Next time she should bare it all, front and back.”

So, what do you think of this display of crystalized nudity? No doubt, it’s a big no-no for the more modest and conservative of us, but as far as the music industry goes, do our singers have a free pass? Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, and Lady Gaga have all rocked thongs on stage, but as far as fashion goes, if one rule needed to prevail, it would be the one of elegance, be it sensual or conservative. And in this case, as far as we’re concerned, it was a big miss on our side of the pond.

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