Paris Fashion Week has always been the grand finale of fashion month, and this season it has more than earned the title. While New York, London and Milan came and went, Paris saved its biggest names and boldest ideas for last. Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Saint Laurent and Dior are all on the schedule, crowds have been lining up outside venues just to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars, and the front rows have been some of the most talked about in years.
And then there's Rihanna.
Night one: tinsel, Louboutins and a statement
Rihanna opened her week front row at Matières Fécales, the avant-garde label everyone in fashion is talking about right now. She arrived in a custom gold tinsel two-piece, paired with curved Christian Louboutin pumps from the label’s collaboration with the house. Only Rihanna could wear something that festive on a Monday night in Paris and make it look effortless.
The show itself deserves its own moment. Staged beneath the Monument à la République, it was a bold, political collection walked entirely by models of colour. Rihanna in that front row didn’t just support a young label. It amplified it overnight.
Dior: worth the wait
Rihanna took her seat at Dior, marking the first anniversary of Jonathan Anderson’s arrival at the house. This time she went the other way entirely: a black midi dress, an oversized tie-up jacket and a messy bun. Pared back, quietly luxurious, completely her.
Here’s the thing about Rihanna. When she’s on the guest list, the room adjusts. Some people call that being late. We call it being the moment. Fashion has always understood that certain people aren’t on the schedule, they are the schedule. The cameras wait, the house waits, and when she finally walks in, nobody remembers how long it took. They just remember her.
Why she’s everyone’s muse, including ours
Rihanna built Fenty Beauty on one simple idea: luxury should never make you feel like you don’t belong in the room. She dresses for herself, she takes risks on new designers, and she has never once apologised for taking up space.
That’s the energy behind LAEL. Beauty shouldn’t run on someone else’s clock. Your glam should be ready when you are, whether that’s 7am before a pitch or 2am before a flight. No rushing, no waiting rooms, no compromise. Because when you show up looking and feeling like yourself, you set the time.
And speaking of fashion…
Watching Paris this week has us thinking. Beauty has always been our world, but fashion and beauty have never really been separate. Should LAEL bring fashion into the picture?
Tell us on Instagram. We’re listening.
