The timeline of maternity fashion evolution now exists in two parts: Before Rihanna and After Rihanna. Until the superstar multi-hyphenate revealed she was expecting her first child in January 2022, bumps were often seen as unwieldy shapes to be concealed — slimmed down in all-black or obscured with busy prints.
Consciously or subconsciously, pregnant celebrities in the before-times (Before Rihanna, that is) would instinctively opt for more conservative cuts on red carpets and other public events. Grecian-draped column dresses, empire-waistline gowns or tastefully floaty skirts were the pillars upon which maternity fashion was built.
Now, Rihanna’s refusal to alter her high-octane style has caused a seismic shift in our understanding of baby-on-board dressing.
Although she isn’t the first to break the mould — pop culture enthusiasts might recall Demi Moore’s landmark 1991 Vanity Fair cover, for example, or Beyoncé’s Botticelli-inspired pregnancy announcement in 2017 — Rihanna’s sartorial rebellion has been the most consistent.
Now, to celebrate Rihanna’s 35th birthday and the announcement of her second child, we’ve collected some of her most stylish pregnancy looks.
Rihanna chose comfort and style on her way to dinner with A$AP Rocky in an oversized Martine Rose jersey-style top as a minidress that hid her burgeoning bump before the news of her pregnancy was public in January 2022. Credit: Robert Kamau/GC Images/Getty Images
Before a carefully considered photoshoot announced her pregnancy in February 2022, the singer relied on baggy silhouettes to hide the bump. Like this Martin Rose Color-block track jacket and Saint Laurent mini-skirt. Credit: Robert Kamau/GC Images/Getty Images
Once the cat was out of the bag, the bump was front and center — like in this Plein Sud Bikini top, allowing a Jacquie Aiche diamond, reportedly worth nearly $40,000, to peek through. The beauty mogul grounded the look with a tie dye coat and camo cap. Credit: DIGGZY/JESAL/Shutterstock
A few days later, the bump was out in full force again in a leather minidress and shearling coat from Glenn Martens Autumn-Winter 2022 collection. Credit: Marc Piasecki/WireImage/Getty Images
That same month, Rihanna turned heads at a Fenty Beauty Universe Event in a metallic fringe set by The Atitco. She accessorized the curve hugging green halter top and silver purple pants with chopard earrings and gold body jewelry. Credit: Rich Fury/Getty Images
At the Gucci show in February 2022, Rihanna embodied the theme of the night — ‘exquisite’ — with her Gucci lilac faux coat, low-rise silky pants adorned with a dragon, and chain-mail headpiece. Of course, the singer let her bump shine through in a lace and latex crop top. Credit: Jacopo M. Raule/Getty Images for Gucci
In her last trimester, Rihanna donned a lacy black bra and sheer skirt that revealed a tiny black thong while attending Dior’s Fall-Winter 2022 show at Paris Fashion Week last year. Credit: Clotaire Achi/Reuters
Yet again, batting away the convention that style has to be sacrificed when pregnant, Rihanna arrived at the launch of her makeup brand, Fenty Beauty at ULTA in a custom Coperni silver crop top, glittery column skirt, and matching chain wrapped around her torso. Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Fenty Beauty by Rihanna
But the superstar dressed for comfort (sometimes) too. In April 2022 she was photographed in an oversized t-shirt with a photo of Mickey and Minnie Mouse that read “Who Dat Is? Dat’s Jus My Baby Daddy”, holding hands with the baby daddy in question. She complimented the cheeky look with matching caps reading AGWE, A$AP Rocky’s creative agency. Credit: MEGA/GC Images/Getty Images
A month before giving birth to her son, Rihanna attended the birthday party of close friend Melissa Forde in a pastel pink Bottega Veneta bralette and low rise baby pink Vetement jeans. Credit: Diggzy/Shutterstock
Recently, Rihanna made her latest British Vogue cover a family affair. On the cover of the March 2023 issue, the new mother strides powerfully across the beach with her partner A$AP Rocky and baby in tow, pregnant without knowing it. “How crazy both of my babies were in these photos and mommy had no clue,” she wrote on Instagram. (The full feature is in the March issue of British Vogue available via digital download and on newsstands from February 21.) Credit: Inez & Vinoodh
Here comes baby number two! While performing her first Super Bowl halftime show on February 12, Rihanna opted for a firetruck red custom Loewe catsuit and leather corset designed to accentuate her baby bump — announcing to the world she’s expecting once again in the most stylish way. Credit: Jeff Lewis/AP
Top image: Rihanna for British Vogue, March 2023. The full feature is in the March issue of British Vogue available via digital download and on newsstands from February 21.
Source: www.cnn.com