8 of Rihanna’s most iconic red-carpet outfits ever: from the NFL Super Bowl singer’s dazzling Cartier and Louboutins at the Met Gala, to her Balenciaga jacket gown and that theatrical Givenchy dress

Rihanna recently made headlines for her epic comeback when she stunned everyone in an all-red Loewe suit at her Super Bowl half-time performance. Fans of RiRi were glad to see the Barbadian singer back on stage glowing and looking better than ever – not to mention her new baby bump! While Rihanna made a career with her catchy songs, the Fenty Beauty founder is no stranger to fashion too, as she’s always making style statements. Here are eight of the 34-year-old’s most iconic red carpet fashion moments to date. 1. The 2013 Grammys Rihanna swept the 2013 Grammys by wearing a more simple look than her recent loud ones. Dressed in a beautiful bright-red custom-made chiffon gown from Azzedine Alaïa, the singer-actress graced the carpet in her scarlet gown with a dramatic train. She paired her gorgeous dress with Neil Lane diamonds and rubies valued at a staggering US$2 million in total, per People. 2. The 2015 Met Gala One of the biggest history-defining dresses ever to be worn to the galas, RiRi’s yellow gown at the 2015 Met Gala became the talk of the town for weeks. The 2015 Met Gala’s theme was “China: Through the Looking Glass”, and Rihanna made sure she stuck to it by wearing a Chinese-inspired, 25kg (55-pound) and 4.8-metre (16-ft), gigantic yellow train gown made by the famous Chinese designer Guo Pei, states Elle. Although RiRi stunned in her bold and gorgeous dress, she later stated in an interview with Access Hollywood that she was rather nervous to wear the outfit. Not just yoga: inside Gisele Bündchen’s glowing wellness routine She revealed in the interview that she drove past the red carpet three times and was scared to get out of the car because she felt like a “clown” and she was “doing too much”. Rihanna said she had to book a limousine to fit her mega-size dress, but it still proved to be a challenge when she had to exit the vehicle. In the end, the singer said she doesn’t regret going all out in that gorgeous yellow number. 3. The 2017 Met Gala Rihanna took the 2017 Met Gala theme – “Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: The Art of the In-Between” – quite literally, walking the red carpet in a flower outburst of a gown that was from the autumn 2016 collection of the Comme des Garçons label, per Glamour. The sculptural dress was inspired by 18th century “punks” with the floral fabrics layered like blooming flower petals, per Vogue. Netizens appreciated Rihanna for respecting the gala’s theme and doing her homework before making the choice to don the out-of-the-box outfit. 4. Her 2018 Diamond Ball For Rihanna’s 2018 Diamond Ball, a charity event that she organises every year, she donned a glamorous white gown by Alexis Mabille. The creative gown consisted of a white-lace catsuit, a white overskirt and a large oversized bow at the centre of her dress. The statement gown was paired with Jimmy Choo sandals that were the same shade of pearl white as her entire outfit. Deconstructing Miley Cyrus’ new style era of archival fashion looks 5. The 2018 Met Gala By now, we all know that RiRi goes the extra mile to match the Met Gala themes … and only she would take inspiration from the pope’s attire to make her own fashion statement. For the 2018 Met Gala theme “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination”, RiRi made jaws drop by wearing a bedazzled silver gown that consisted of a bishop-styled mitre and cloak from Maison Margiela that John Galliano designed for her. Her robe was completely encrusted with pearls and jewels with an equally glistening papal hat. A bejewelled crucifix necklace, Christian Louboutin heels, hoop earrings by Maria Tash and jewellery by Cartier finished off the look. Rihanna co-hosted the gala with Anna Wintour, Amal Clooney and Donatella Versace that year, so it was no surprise that she showed up with her A-game to really turn some heads. 6. Her 2019 Diamond Ball For her 2019 Diamond Ball, Rihanna showed up in a statement black, turtle-neck velvet mermaid gown with a sheer white bottom from Givenchy’s autumn/winter haute couture collection of the same year. RiRi paired the gown with striking red lipstick and pearl earrings. 7. The 2021 Met Gala The “Shut Up and Drive” singer drew the crowds again at the 2021 Met Gala when she arrived fashionably late in an all-black jacket gown. The musician and business mogul was the last one to arrive to the event. The theme was “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion”. Inside Jeff Bezos’ shiny new US$500 million Koru megayacht and Abeona vessel And like every other time she graced the gala, RiRi honoured the theme by wearing a Balenciaga overcoat gown with a matching hat from Stephen Jones Millinery. But what made her outfit all the more iconic was her “Rebel Black Ring” by Thelma West Diamonds, which is a piece from the label’s first-ever exhibition that was dedicated to black jewellery designers. 8. The 2022 NAACP Image Awards In 2022, the “Take a Bow” singer received her NAACP Image Award amid a standing ovation. She was honoured with the President’s Award for her excellent contributions to charity and philanthropy work through her own non-profit organisation, the Clara Lionel Foundation that she started in 2012. She accepted the award while wearing a stunning purple gown from Givenchy. The singer-fashionista struck quite the figure in her vibrant purple gown while giving an equally vibrant and powerful speech about standing together and helping people of all religions and races. Want more stories like this? Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.