Fashion Favs Black Celebrity Femmes

#1: Rihanna’s Naked Swarovski Crystal Dress at the 2014 Council of Fashion Designers of America

The CFDA Fashion Awards is an annual award show highlighting some of fashion’s most notable designers, their collections and other contributors to the industry. According to FashionABC, “The CFDA Fashion Awards, which acknowledges excellence in fashion design, has been called ‘the Oscars of fashion.’ In the awards show, exceptional contributions made to American fashion from all areas of the industry and related arts are recognized.”

In 2014, iconic pop and R&B star Rihanna attended the event to receive the award for the Style Icon category. The Style Icon category was presented by Anna Wintour. In Wintour’s speech, she praises Rihanna for her use of social media, her overwhelming cluster of talents and how she uses them to make herself heard in the world. Furthermore, she noted how Rihanna uses fashion to be heard as well “as that is what style icons do.”

The rest of Wintour’s speech was beautiful and reflected Rihanna’s impact on the fashion industry. I encourage you to watch the rest of it on Youtube here. At the end of the speech, Wintour invites Rihanna on stage to receive her award. As Rihanna walked from the audience onto the stage to claim her award, people finally saw the full essence of her custom look. She wore a mesh Swarovski crystal durag, a fishnet dress covered with the same Swarovski crystals, paired with matching Swarovski gloves and a pair of open-toed Manolo Blahnik heels. She accessorized with a pink fur shrug and jewelry from Jacob & Co. The look was absolutely stunning and made the Style Icon Award she won that night easily understandable. It was in her award speech that we got the iconic line “Even as a child I remember thinking, ‘She can beat me, but she cannot beat my outfit.’”

#2: Zendaya’s looks for the 2018 and 2019 Met Gala.

You may recognize the name Zendaya from the 2010s Disney show, “Shake It Up,” her role as Rue on “Euphoria,” or the other countless acting roles that she has landed throughout her career. Not only is Zendaya a phenomenal actress, but damn can she dress.

While her style is unique to her, we have her iconic fashion stylist Law Roach to thank. It was his mind and keen sense of taste that brought her the notable Joan of Arc look for the Met Gala theme “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” in 2018. Heavenly Bodies was Zendaya’s fourth appearance at the Met Gala. As described by Teen Vogue, “Known as the Joan of Arc look, Zendaya’s appearance at the Met Gala 2018 really started to cement her status as a fashion icon. With a blunt auburn bob (with micro bangs) and a full-on armor dress by Versace, not only did Z honor the theme, she looked great while doing so.” He also styled princess and fairy godfather look for the 2019’s Met Gala theme “Camp: Notes on Fashion.”

Zendaya’s appearance at the Met the following year continued her streak of showing up to the event fabulously on theme. The theme of camp was a hard concept for lots of celebrities to follow. With many people, including viewers from home, not knowing what to expect. “Everyone just knows that camp is a feeling and knows what camp is not,” said best by Cosmopolitan. However, Zendaya’s outfit seemed to look camp right in the eye. Wearing a princess gown made entirely by Tommy Hilfiger, the garment changed color in the matter of seconds, with the assistance of Roach and his “magic wand.” The gown instantly went from a muted gray to a beautiful, royal blue color. The look was nothing short of camp.

#3: Doja Cat’s look at Schiaparelli Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2023 Show.

Doja Cat, the acclaimed pop star and rapper, is no stranger to attention. She is known for being raw and authentic on her social media platforms and even getting into a bit of controversy here and there, So, there is little surprise that Doja Cat chose to show up to Paris Fashion Week in the most extravagant, attention-seeking, glamorous outfits. The one that took the cake was her look to the Schiaparelli Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2023 Show.

Schiparelli is known for their out-of-the-box looks, and this collection encouraged that idea. Celebrities and others in attendance were encouraged to dress, well, camp, for a lack of better words. Despite this, I don’t think anyone was expecting Doja Cat to show up covered in 30,000 red Swarovski crystals.

Doja stepped out onto the red carpet breaking necks wearing a “‘red silk faille bustier,’ ‘hand-knit skirt of lacquered wooden beads’ and ‘Trompe l’œil toe boots,’” as described by Billboard. Her stylist, Brett Alan Nelson, matched her energy wearing an all red fit as well.
Black British makeup artist Pat McGrath applied the crystals, and even said to Cosmopolitan: “Collaborating with the incomparably talented Doja Cat and Daniel Roseberry was an absolute pleasure. Her patience and dedication as she sat with Team Pat McGrath and I for four hours and 58 minutes to achieve the creation, covered in over 30,000 hand-applied Swarovski crystals, was truly inspiring.”

This look set the theme for how Doja stepped out during the rest of Paris fashion week. All her looks matched the vibe of the Schiaparelli look. Cat looks were avant garde, and she experimented with gender expression by showing up to another show with faux lashes as facial hair. View the rest of Doja Cat’s looks at Paris Fashion week here.