Rihanna has a deep love for vintage style, and for John Galliano’s designs, as seen during her appearances on red carpets and in street style “off-duty” ensembles. On Saturday, the “Diamonds” singer favored both, choosing a vintage Galliano look in a mink coat and other oversized pieces.
Rihanna seen in New York City on Dec. 28.
The coat was a vintage design from John Galliano. It featured wide lapels and sits wide on the shoulders, giving the piece a sloping effect. She’s been seen in the fur before. Hailing from the designer’s fall 1998 collection, she notably wore the coat on Thanksgiving last year. That collection was themed for Casanova and done in collaboration with Stallion Furs with 1920s inspirations. The presentation was shown at New York’s Metropolitan Club and was the debut for a licensed fur collection. It was also Galliano’s first time showing in New York.
In a previous WWD review, Galliano’s dramatic presentation “raised the bar for future showings,” held in a venue designed to resemble Casanova’s home, complete with 4,000 roses, models in “high-camp drag” and more. “They paraded a spectacular lineup of fur and fur-trimmed coats that reeked of unabashed luxury — chinchillas, broadtails and pastel foxes, all featuring many of Galliano’s favorite themes, from lavish embroideries to ample cocoon shapes and flirtatious shrugs. Of course, Galliano’s showmanship is a double-edged pleasure, and he has sometimes been criticized for letting clothes play second-fiddle to the event.”
The fur is one of numerous Galliano pieces Rihanna owns both from Galliano’s namesake brand as well as from his tenure at Christian Dior. When she launched her hair care line, Fenty Hair, at Selfridges in September she wore a vintage John Galliano ruffled dress from the designer’s spring 2006 collection. She’s also prone to vintage from other designers as well: at the 2024 Fashion Awards she chose a fuzzy blue Christian Lacroix look from 2002.
But on Saturday, she paired the mink coat with a wool-twill zip up jacket from The Attico. In addition she wore black distressed wide-leg jeans from Acne Studios and Bottega Veneta Haddock boots. She also carried the Kalimero Bucket bag from Bottega Veneta as well. That design features the company’s signature Intreccio technique of weaving leather. She accessorized with a vintage diamond cross necklace as well as a medallion necklace.
