Rihanna puts the sexy into sweats in NY runway debut
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Barbadian superstar Rihanna, feted as much for her daring style as her vocal chords, closed out day two of New York Fashion Week by unveiling a debut collection for Puma that put the sexy into sweatpants.
Following in the footsteps of music star Kanye West, who on Friday booked out Madison Square Garden to parade his Yeezy Season 3, "RiRi's" first catwalk collaboration with the German brand has been one of the most hotly anticipated celebrity-link up of fashion week.
It was a high-energy catwalk presentation that blended the singer's love of sportswear with sexy: thigh-high black boots, hoodies, thongs and sports jackets turned into strapless dresses zipped down the front. The palette was monochrome: black and white and the music backdrop relatively restrained giving pride of place to the clothes -- marketed as "Fenty X Puma."
Rihanna for Puma
Los Angeles model of the moment Gigi Hadid was transformed into a vampish vision in black, draped in an oversized black textured hoodie as she stomped down the mirrored set adorned with tree trunks. Hoodies were re-imaged as shearling, with oversized baggy boots and shearling backpacks. There was a Gothic twist and at the end, Rihanna appeared for a brief wave.
The catwalk was broadcast simultaneously on her Facebook page, where it was viewed more than half a million times in just two hours. It was a more refined affair over at Jason Wu, the wunderkind best known for dressing Michelle Obama, who presented a sophisticated collection designed to cultivate loyalty from illustrious clients.
The Canadian-Taiwanese designer entitled "immaculate" the collection of his eponymous label at Fashion Week, where he is also making an appearance as artistic director of womenswear at Hugo Boss. There was an impeccably cut navy dress with a round neck, a black dress with plunging decolletage embellished with a blue fur collar and a long-sleeve knit dress with bare shoulders and a plunging neckline. "The idea is about these immaculately dressed women. I wanted to address the idea of the wardrobe and thinking about what she wants and what she covets, and that's really important for me," Wu told AFP.