It is well known that fashion houses turn a healthier profit from selling things like perfume, make-up and skincare than clothing. I see ’s approach to marketing through the same lens. The musician was yesterday afternoon photographed exiting a blacked-out SUV, dressed in a vintage Pucell Scott jersey and camo pants with a pendulous crystal necklace draped around her neck, while her beauty firm’s new was visibly clasped between her fingers.
The caption could have read: “You can purchase this £23 Fenty lip treatment – and perhaps gain proximity to my lifestyle – but the Briony Raymond diamonds are all mine.” Rihanna’s collection of haute joaillerie is a method to maintain distance from just about everyone else, a not-so-subtle reminder that she is worth a billion dollars and can therefore slipstream between the high and low. When a reporter asked Rihanna how she was feeling at the , she rubbed her fingers and replied: “ ”.
Fans love this sort of thing. She is a vessel for their own luxurious fantasies. See also: the four Suzanne Code necklaces – including three 18-carat cross pendants – she wore to with an AWGE skirt and a shearling bomber from The Attico; the elaborate Jean Paul Gaultier haute couture pearl choker she once wore with wide-legged denim and Puma sneakers for a in Los Angeles; and the Christian Lacroix necklace that framed her bump when she in a Chanel puffer jacket and Vetements jeans.
Rihanna knows that it is impossible for most people to recreate her style, and she understands how that might also be a good thing, because we all need something to aspire towards. Even if that’s a £23 lip balm..
