Just a few days ago, Irina Shayk was walking the runways at Milan Fashion Week; in a chic camel leather trench at Tod’s, a monochromatic, fluffed up skirt set at Blumarine, an XXL fuzzy trucker hat and sheer dress for Dsquared2. Since then, the model has jetted off to Brazil to take part in the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro for 2025, the biggest carnival celebrations in the world.
Shayk got involved in the vibrant carnival proceedings at the Marquês de Sapucaí, joining Beija-Flor De Nilopolis, a famous and renowned samba school from Rio for the parade. She called it a “dream come true” on Instagram.
Her parade look leaned into the drama and dazzle of the event. Shayk’s outfit featured peacock-like wings with black and blue feathers, a bejewelled bikini top with spiked nipple coverings, and a matching choker. A sarong with dangling crystals hung around her waist, with caged jewel-studded bangles encircling her arms. Shayk also wore blue, crystal-encrusted peep-toe gladiator platforms, with caging all the way up her thighs. A spectacular, feather and jewel headpiece finished off the look. It was a maximalist, jubilant call back to her Victoria’s Secret Angel days—Carnival style.
The costume was designed by Henry Filho—someone who was described by a user in Shayk’s Instagram comments as the “Yves Saint Laurent of Carnival costumes.”
A photo carousel on Shayk’s Instagram showed her getting ready and dancing in the massive parade. Another photo showed Shayk posing beside Brazilian actor Giovanna Lancellotti.
A day previous, Shayk was photographed in a more casual—well, still Shayk-esque and elevated—outfit while in Rio and out on a visit to the samba school. She was wearing a sheer, draped and gauzy white dress with a scoopneck bodysuit underneath, accessorizing with silver drop earrings, white pumps, and clear framed sunglasses.
It’s polar opposite to her Milan Fashion Week style on and off the runway—she walked for Dolce Gabbana, Ferrari, and Tod’s, Dsquared2, and opened for Blumarine for creative director David Koma’s debut. On the streets of Milan, she cut an elegant figure in a close-fitting floral dress and knee-high boots, and in another swift sartorial turn, in a more dramatically oversized suit.
Wherever she is in the world, a legendary model like Irina Shayk is going to make it a fashion moment.
