Rihanna Was The Queen Of Carnival In Head-To-Toe Jewels & Feathers

No matter how packed her calendar gets, Rihanna finds a way to visit her home country of Barbados at least once a year. Ever since her breakthrough in 2009, the A-lister takes a trip back to the Caribbean island — she’s usually on the beach, at a club, or spending time with family. One of RiRi’s favorite Barbados traditions is the annual Crop Over Festival, which celebrates the end of one sugar cane season and the start of another. On August 5, Rihanna delivered her latest Carnival costume — a bejeweled one-piece complete with lots of lavish, colorful adornments — making the star instantly recognizable, even in the crammed crowd.

Given this was Rihanna’s first Carnival look since summer 2019, when she styled a pink ultra-feathery moment from David Laport, it comes as no surprise that the multi-hyphenate took a “go big or go home” approach with her 2024 attire. On Monday afternoon, RiRi took to the streets of St. Michael (her birth city) in a custom creation from Trinidadian designer Lauren Austin. In 2013, 2015, and 2017, Austin designed the “Umbrella” singer’s Crop Over couture — but this summer, the sartorial duo took her ensemble to new heights (literally and figuratively).

For the Grand Kadooment parade, Rihanna was covered in gold and bronze jewels from head-to-toe. The eye-catching bling curved from the catsuit’s high-neck, around her shoulders, bodice, and legs in a coiled, snake-like motif. The shimmer didn’t stop there as she slipped on matching gem-covered fingerless gloves and a larger-than-life headpiece. The icon’s crown featured seven gold and bronze spikes alongside an elongated prong that stretched below her forehead. In true Carnival fashion, Rihanna rounded out her enviable ensemble with an extravagant array of feathers. Two tiers of different-shaped orange, yellow, pink, and brown feathers extended from her shoulders and cascaded down past her Gianvito Rossi metallic gold heels. While the top of RiRi’s wings were slim and sleek, the feathers grew in size and drama behind her legs. In between the one-piece’s various cutouts, the fashion muse added body glitter for extra shimmer (perhaps Fenty Beauty’s Diamond Bomb All-Over highlighter).

Now that Rihanna is officially back home, keep an eye out for her next Barbados-approved look (it could pop up any minute now). In the meantime, join the world in appreciating RiRi’s flamboyant ‘fit.