Rihanna’s Sexy Lingerie Show Beats Victoria’s Secret, Goes From Fashion Week to Amazon Prime
Celebrity Paradise — and No Smartphones Allowed
BY Clifford Pugh // 09.19.19Models pose onstage during the high-energy Savage X Fenty Show. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Savage X Fenty Show Presented by Amazon Prime Video )
NEW YORK — Goodbye, Victoria’s Secret. Hello, Rihanna.
Amid criticism that the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, with its one-size-only “angels” in feathered wings, was out of touch with the times, the brand’s owner canceled this year’s edition. Rihanna swooped in to fill the void and put her own unique stamp on the proceedings during New York Fashion Week.
With the help of Amazon, the singer/designer/entrepreneur booked the mammoth Barclays Center in Brooklyn and filled it with several thousand of her best friends to unveil her Savage X Fenty lingerie collection in a musical extravaganza featuring performances by Halsey, Migos, Big Sean and A$AP, DJ Khaled, Fat Joe, Fabolous and Tierra Whack.
Those who attended the event had their phones confiscated for the duration of the show, so footage wouldn’t get out before the event is released for streaming on Amazon Prime Video this Friday, September 20. But that seemed to only heighten the sense of excitement, because for one of the few times in their lives, the millennial-dominated audience had to live in the moment instead of observing through a phone lens.
Instead of a traditional fashion show, they took part in a multi-sensory experience that also combined music, dance and art.
Rihanna has succeeded in the fashion world by creating a lingerie line that is body positive and size exclusive. Unlike the Victoria’s Secret show, this one featured models of different ethnicities, shapes, sizes and identities, including a model with prosthetic legs and transgender models, including actress Laverne Cox — all who twerked, stomped, and did intricate dance moves choreographed by Parris Goebel instead of the traditional pageant/showgirl walk.
Rihanna did not sing but opened the show on a box, surrounded by other dancers on boxes as well, all in the latest Savage X Fenty styles, then disappeared until the runway finale, where she received a standing ovation. During the show, Cara Delevingne, 21 Savage, Joan Smalls and Gigi Hadid debuted several lingerie looks as Big Sean and A$AP Ferg performed a medley of “Clique” and “Bezerk.” Other highlights included the debut of Halsey’s new single “Graveyard,” Migos’ performance of “Pure Water,” and a mashup of “All I Do is Win,” “All The Way Up,” “You Be Killin’ Em,” and “Clones” by DJ Khaled, Fat Joe, Fabolous and Tierra Whack.
In one scene, models and dancers performed in separate alcoves like they were on the set of an extravagant Broadway production. The finale had a Carnival theme as models and dancers wore towering headpieces in a lavish dance number.
The collection, which will be on sale on Amazon on Friday, ranges from delicate lace teddies to neon bodysuits and curve-tugging bras and corsets, and emphasizes unexpected color combinations. Bright greens and vibrant reds are mixed with nudes and neutrals, and jewel tones also predominate. Bras range in size from 32A to 46DDD and underwear and sleepwear in sizes XS to 3X to celebrate “fearlessness, confidence and inclusivity,” according to the brand’s tagline. “We want you to feel sexy and have fun doing it.”
Many of the celebrities in the audience — including Vanessa Hudgens, Kacey Musgraves, Ashley Graham and Hailee Steinfeld — wore lingerie as outerwear and looked just as provocative as the models onstage.
Part of the Special Series:
