Not a Denim Skirt, Not Jeans—Rihanna's Hybrid Bottoms Are the Best of Both Worlds
Bizarre, but it works.
Summer 2026 was the season of hybrid styles, but turns out, kitten heel wedges, jelly sneakers, and backless Mary Janes have some competition heading into fall. Steering clear of shoe trends entirely, Rihanna dipped her toe into a denim skirt-jeans look for dinner at César, her favorite restaurant in Paris, on August 23.
Less than 24 hours after the pop star's latest sneaker sighting in New York City (she wore the $85 Puma H-Street style in neon green), she resurfaced on the street style scene in France. For her first anti-French girl 'fit of the week, Rihanna zipped up the same black sweatshirt she wore with her Puma trainers in NYC and paired it with jeans... sort of. Because she's RiRi, this wasn't your average straight-leg, mid-wash denim. A sidewalk-sweeping skirt cascaded from the waistband, and toward the back of her silver snakeskin sneakers from Miu Miu.
Since the extra fabric only covered one leg, it wasn't quite in cape territory. In fact, some photographers might've even missed the extra panel if they were snapping photos from the left. Regardless, it Rihanna-ified the otherwise off-duty outfit, which she accessorized with a quilted Dior bag and shield sunglasses.
Rihanna made herself unmissable in Paris with a hybrid pair of jeans.
The Rihanna-approved look proved the skirt-over-pants takeover is nowhere near over. The divisive trend—endorsed by Kendall Jenner, Jennifer Lawrence, Anne Hathaway, and Copenhagen Fashion Week show-goers—might simply be evolving. The "Work" singer's longtime stylist, Jahleel Weaver, hasn't credited the brand behind the jeans. However, the style would've looked right at home on recent 2026 runways.
During the Spring 2026 circuit, Stella McCartney added drapery to the sides of wide-leg jeans. At Dries Van Noten's Fall 2026 fashion show, the slit on a denim maxi skirt stretched so far that it looked like one leg hugged the model's figure, while the other dangled freely.
A model wore divisive denim on the Stella McCartney Spring 2026 runway.
Bermuda short-looking bottoms added visual interest to McCartney's denim.
Is Dries Van Noten style jeans or a skirt? The jury is still out.
Fellow fashion girls with equally impressive denim drawers (think: Jenner, Hailey Bieber, and Kaia Gerber) have yet to sample anything even remotely alike. But the start of a new season is the perfect time to step outside their silhouette comfort zones. Feeling brave? This fall, peruse hybrid denim from Dior, Alaïa, and Agolde (all Rihanna-beloved brands), below.
Shop Skirt-Jeans Inspired by Rihanna
