The Swarovski crystal see-through dress Rihanna wore to the CFDA awards in 2014 is one of those legendary looks that will go down in the history books akin to the Versace dress Jennifer Lopez wore to the Grammys. It turns out Rih’s dress has a back story, one that changed not only its reception by the public but also her viewpoint on how she wanted to dress from that point forward.
When asked in a recent Vogue interview if the see-through look was meant to celebrate the then popular “Free the Nipple” movement, Rihanna explained, “It was never to get attention. Never sexual. Never in desperation. The bra just fucked up my sheer shirt. I just wanted to be perfect and that’s what I went with and I felt okay with that. And after a while, it became such a scandal and a ‘horrible role model’ thing. It was a topic of discussion, and eventually other girls started defending me. And now there’s this whole ‘Free the Nipple’ movement.” And while she was certain going braless was the move, her pantie choice still haunts her, “Could you imagine the CFDA dress with a bra?” I would slice my throat. I already wanted to for wearing a thong that wasn’t bedazzled.
Rihanna added that even before she hit the red carpet, she let her staff know she would be going in a different direction going forward, saying, “But CFDAs was the last time that I did that. I remember saying that day to my stylist and everybody in the room, hair and makeup, everyone—I was just like, ‘Now you see it. Tomorrow you won’t.’ Because this is the last time. I can’t go any further than this. I’m barely there. So I said, ‘From here on, we’ll be back to clothes. Let’s just put clothes on. Even if I don’t want to. Make sure I put clothes on.’ Because I don’t want people to think that I’m doing this on purpose.”
She was also asked to provide her views on fashion designers Stella McCartney, Alexander Wang, Olivier Rousteing, Raf Simons, Victoria Beckham, as well as buzz-worthy Vetements, about which she said, “Love Vetements. It’s one of those brands that just blows your mind. It’s never going to be all the same thing in my closet. But with a brand like Vetements, you can have a leather skirt, a shirt and jacket to the ground, a T-shirt, a sweatsuit, a tailored skirt suit. You literally can have every occasion of an outfit in one collection.
