Rihanna's Savage X Fenty Show Celebrated Sexiness in All Its Glorious Forms
Last night, Rihanna put on the show of New York Fashion Week at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn to present Savage X Fenty's Fall/Winter 2019 collection.
If you were disappointed to hear the news that the world's most popular televised lingerie runway show had been canceled, save your tears for Rihanna's Savage X Fenty show, because it is a thing of joy—and, in just nine days, you can stream it for yourself.
Last night, Rihanna put on the show of New York Fashion Week at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, presenting Savage X Fenty's Fall/Winter 2019 collection. But it was much more than a traditional runway show, with armies of lingerie-clad models dancing their hearts out in sync (choreographed by the incredible Parris Goebel, the woman behind Justin Bieber's "Sorry" video), music performances by artists Halsey, Migos, DJ Khaled, and Big Sean, and just like her line, the production was inclusive, sexy, and so much fun.
The audience—which included Kacey Musgraves, Hailee Steinfeld, Vanessa Hudgens, Chanel Iman, Candace Swanepoel, Chris Rock, Diplo, Ashley Graham, Kehlani, and Paris Hilton seated stadium-style—buzzed before the show started, talking amongst themselves in front of the huge stage set up in the center of Barclay's because we were all phoneless. The show will stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video beginning Friday, September 20, so phones were locked away during the performance—all the better to watch the spectacular without trying to capture every second for Instagram. Because there was a lot going on.
The show opened with Rihanna at the center of the stage dressed in a black bodysuit and underwear, surrounded by models in similar styles. As the music started, the singer/actress/designer/goddess moved, danced, gyrated in unison with her models, and from the first note, she sent a clear message: This isn't a fashion show like we've seen before, and these aren't Angels.
Gigi Hadid made the first runway walk in head-to-toe Savage X Fenty, strutting across the stage followed by her own set of models in all-black looks. Cara Delevingne followed as a lime green dominatrix, taking her runway walk as a lineup check of sorts, running a matching green whip across the models before making her way off stage and leaving her girls to break out in dance moves that elicited audible gasps and excited cheers from the crowd.
"Long gone are the one-dimensional days of ‘acceptable’ provocation" reads the press release sent out after the show, and this seems to be Rihanna's refreshing, glorious message.
Another highlight of the performance was Halsey debuting her new single “Graveyard" (which drops Friday, September 13), slithering across the set in a short silk robe, blending right in with the models, and dancing with one of them at the end.
Laverne Cox, Bella Hadid, Joan Smalls, Alek Wek, and Slick Woods all walked Rihanna's stage to cheers from the audience, but the real stars of the show were the dancers. Women that looked like real women—women of different sizes, shapes, colors, and abilities—who performed a real feat keeping up with the choreographing: There wasn't a thigh-high covered foot or thong-bared butt out of sync during the 40-minute performance.
And the underwear itself? Seeing the vibrant red, green, and yellow lingerie sets, mesh catsuits, and delicate teddies on these electric, dynamic women made me feel like, despite my dancing deficiencies, I might be a Savage X Fenty girl.
Rihanna's Savage X Fenty show will air on Amazon Prime starting September 20 (and the clothing will be available to purchase on Amazon the same day)—and despite the fact that I was actually there for the show in person, I'm still excited to stream it.
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