Rihanna’s fashion line for River Island debuted at London Fashion Week – and the reviews were vicious. Why, and who got the gossip? RESCU’s got all the backstage whispers…
River Island, a UK fashion line aimed at teens and young women, thought they had a huge coup on their hands when they hired Rihanna to design a collection for them.
However, all didn’t go well when it was unveiled this week.
The Rihanna For River Island Collection was displayed at London Fashion Week, and apparently there were grumblings from the fashion pack that it was taking attention away from the ‘real’ designers.
However, all would have been forgiven if everybody had loved the clothes. Alas, they were almost universally panned.
Rihanna’s collection focussed heavily on the 90s, navels, jumpsuits and high slits, and even though young buyers may like it, the critics really didn’t.
‘Official’ reviewers like Style.com and Vogue ignored the collection entirely, choosing to interview Rihanna herself or just be silent, while attendees of the show said the line was tacky. One critic even said it was a ‘horror show’.
Rihanna also got into trouble with River Island when, only a few days before the collection was unveiled, she revealed on Twitter that somebody had bought her a huge marijuana plant for Valentine’s Day.
However, the line is pretty much guaranteed to sell well, so it remains to be seen whether Rihanna’s fashion career goes the way of Victoria Beckham or Lindsay Lohan at Ungaro.
Image: Rihanna for River Island ad campaign.
London Fashion Week is in full swing, and although many top labels haven’t yet revealed their new lines, Rescu. has the top tips on the trends emerging as the shows continue.
Prints are huge this season. Mary Katrantzou, who has always been the print queen, went darker this season, with black-and-white photos of Paris on big, geometric Japanese-style coats, and Topshop Unique had black-and-white prints all over their blouses and skirts.
If you want to get in on the action, search for photo-realistic prints in dark tints and nostalgic colours. L’Wren Scott also did prints, but in a much brighter way – she was inspired by the 1920s artist Gustav Klimt, famous for his painting The Kiss, and the abstract designs from his work were everywhere.
Look for gold detailing, sea-inspired embroidery and 1920s design – we predict it will be huge on the red carpet.
Corsets and the 1950s were also huge. The 90s sloppiness of New York Fashion Week was replaced by plenty of nipped waists, flared skirts and demure gloves.
Jonathan Saunders put out a line with a bit of edge, with leather corsetry on tweed dresses – fantastic for a first date with bite. Vivienne Westwood’s Red Label, meanwhile, put on her signature combination of tailoring and punk, with tiny waists and knee-length skirts the dominant look. Expect to see Helena Bonham Carter snap up most of the line immediately.
However, the biggest 1950s-inspired show – and our favourite – was Temperley London, which sent out models with beehives, tiny gloves and lined stockings. The retro flavour carried into the clothes, with lots of cats-eye glasses, fantastic Audrey Hepburn glamour and killer printed dresses.
One trend to take away from Temperley? As the weather gets colder, line a skivvy under your summer dresses and pair with lined stockings for an impeccable up-to-date look.
Image: Temperley London.
Ever wanted the dudes in your life to look more like Matthew McConaughey? Well, at least now they can dress like him.
McConaughey has designed a collection of clothing called JKL, named after his charitable foundation Just Keep Livin’.
The key part of the line? Adaptability. McConaughey initially wrote ‘from jungle to opera’ as a design note, and while he acknowledges that’s a little extreme, he told the press that the line will focus on pieces that can be dressed up or down for occasions, focussing on good tailoring and an ‘active and adventurous’ lifestyle.
It will also be cheap – the most expensive piece will be $US100 – and will appeal to the ‘active’ man.
There will be items that provide UV protection and others that dry quickly or have other protection from the elements, and McConaughey said that was the essence of the design philosophy.
“I like to be able to wear something that is appropriate for wherever the day takes me: to work, on a hike and then out to dinner,” he said.
He’s also keeping out of the spotlight when promoting the brand, insisting that even though he helped conceive the clothes, his name won’t be on the label.
Some of the proceeds from the clothing will go to his charity, and we can guarantee he’ll turn up on the red carpet wearing them.
Male celebrities designing clothing is a fairly new trend – usually, like Brad Pitt, they stick to producing wine or fronting watch brands. We’ll be interested to see if this inspires other celebs to venture into the fashion world.
Image: McConaughey.
