Rihanna Accepts Her “Shoe Oscar” with a Look Only She Could Pull Off
With a role as an alien stripper in Valerian and a “Shoe Oscar” under her belt, Rihanna might be well on her way to legendary EGOT status. Or something. In any case, the pop star, actress, and fashion mogul took home Footwear News’s “Shoe of the Year” award Tuesday night for her Puma Fenty creepers, the hot platform shoes that, like her furry slides, can’t stay on the shelves long enough for any mortals to nab a pair. Rihanna Instagrammed a celebratory bouquet of balloons with a lone creeper-clad foot in the foreground, captioning it “mood af.” We had to wait for the FN Achievement Awards red carpet, though, to catch a glimpse of her whole look. It was worth the wait.
Rihanna in Fenty Puma at the Footwear News Achievement Awards in New York, New York, November 2016.
Who: Rihanna.
When: Tuesday, November 29.
Where: The 30th annual Footwear News Achievement Awards in New York City, New York.
What: A Juicy Couture and Vetements Spring 2017 ensemble comprising a “Securité” baseball cap and t-shirt, Juicy rhinestone-embellished opera gloves, and a velvet skirt along with Chopard jewels. She completes the look, of course, with a pair of her own creepers.
Why: With something of a fashion empire at her command — from her thriving Fenty Puma collaboration, whose Marie Antoinette-inspired Spring 2017 show was a highlight of the Paris Fashion Week roster, to her smaller capsules with sock line Stance and shoe designer Manolo Blahnik — we might expect Rihanna to show up to any red carpet clad in her own designs. But instead, the notoriously DGAF pop star opted for Vetements’ Juicy Couture collaboration look from its Spring 2017 show. Vetements has its own streetwear influences — in addition to a collaboration with Juicy, the Spring 2017 runway also featured contributions from Champion, Carhartt, and Levi’s — and Demna Gvasalia’s pioneering blend of high and low at Vetements and Balenciaga (both of which Rihanna has been known to wear) have resonated in Rihanna’s own designs. Her stated inspiration for Fenty Puma Spring 2017, after all, was gym wear for Marie Antoinette, the quintessential high-low combination. So it seems fitting that she pairs Gvasalia’s designs with her own to accept her Oscar.
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