Rihanna’s 25 Best Red Carpet Looks

When Rihanna first emerged on the music scene in 2005, she was a fresh-faced, teenage Barbadian beauty “in faded jeans and embroidered linen blouses.” With her hypnotizing sound and effervescent spirit, it didn’t take long for her to achieve rock star status, and while she was busy churning out hit after hit, her style simultaneously evolved to follow suit. She chopped off her hair off and dyed it jet black, and from that point on, her edgy, ever-changing image was perpetually photographed.

Of course, being a muse wasn’t enough for the star, who quickly set about challenging norms in and out of fashion. On the red carpet that meant experimental dressing that championed emerging designers and outside-the-box talent to create viral moments. Where interest in most celebrity outfits tends to fade in the 24-hour news cycle, Rihanna has mastered the art of the unforgettable look. An irreverent flash of nude underwear at the 2014 CFDA Awards beneath her crystalized Adam Selman dress inspired the creation of her Savage x Fenty lingerie line four years later. At the China “Through the Looking Glass” Met Gala in 2015, she arrived in dazzling Guo Pei couture that launched a million memes and helped to cement her status as a fashion innovator.

Since unveiling her cosmetics brand Fenty Beauty in 2017, Rihanna has become something of a mogul. Naturally, her take on business casual is always arresting: Who needs a power suit when you’ve got frilly Molly Goddard dresses and pinstriped Gareth Pugh? Now a musician, entrepreneur, actress, and a Vogue cover star, she evolves with each appearance, keeping the fashion crowd on its toes as she continues to break new ground.