Rihanna is nothing if not fashionably late. And you will deal.
That’s the overriding message from the entertainer-turned-beauty-and-fashion mogul; as fans continue to await new music, she strolled into her Tuesday night pop-up party at The Webster in New York City two hours late, according to W magazine (three, according to Page Six).
But that’s only because she knows we’ll wait—and when it comes to next drop for her Fenty fashion line, we haven’t had to wait long. Less than a month after launching her luxury brand, Rihanna revealed the next summer-ready styles in her collection, starting with the shocking pink, shirred and short slipdress she wore to the cocktail event, accessorized with turquoise earrings and nails and a fresh set of waist-length burgundy box braids.
While they waited for the wealthiest woman in music to arrive (h/t CNN), lucky partygoers had a chance to check out Fenty’s latest offerings, which dropped on Wednesday and included more slinky and sensuous silhouettes in a decidedly more vibrant palette than the muted neutral and boxy silhouettes Fenty debuted in May. Japanese woodblock prints of crashing waves and nods to Rihanna’s own Bajan heritage (via a custom tourism tee) both feature heavily in Release 6-19, which pairs black-and-white prints with citron, canary, emerald, red, coral and fuchsia.
“Going from the first release, which was very neutral, we were thinking about how to do something different and speak to a different consumer,” Fenty style director Jahleel Weaver told W. “Just to think about all the things that you want in summer, and you want fun colors. That was a natural progression for us.”
But the fashion that really turned heads on Tuesday night? A tee that read “No More Music” across the back, voicing a common fear of Rihanna fans, as her nonmusical interests and empire have grown. While we haven’t spotted the tee on the Fenty site yet, fans of Rih’s music needn’t worry, as the star confirmed that she was, indeed, just messing with them.
“Please let my fans know that I’m trolling them,” she told W. “You have to get it because it’s a souvenir. That’s the closest you’ll get to music before the album.”
See? Rihanna moves at her own pace—and you will deal.
But if you’re still wondering how involved Rihanna really is with her latest venture, it turns out that she’s active at every level; during her inaugural campaign tease, we caught glimpses of her styling her models. For this drop, the bad gal apparently took on the role of photographer as well, capturing styles for the site on models from size extra-small to extra-large (which reads as a fairly svelte 12, to our eyes, but we appreciate the effort). A peek at her directorial talents was posted to Instagram.
“When it came time to introduce the collection to the public, you’re starting a brand from scratch and building that DNA for people,” the hands-on mogul told W. “[A]nother way to do that was to give them insight into what goes on and how we work behind the scenes, so it was important to show that.”
So, no; still no word on a release date for new music—and we think it’s pretty safe to expect a surprise drop, at this point. But even on the heels of her luxury pop-up, Rihanna does have ideas about what a more permanent outpost for the growing Fenty empire might look like; perhaps one that can incorporate her beauty, lingerie and luxury labels at once, as well as her now-iconic music career.
“I have dreams for a store,” she told W during The Webster launch. “It’s going to be between a spa and a nightclub. I’m not sure how I’m going to work it out. But there’ll be clothes in between.”