Rihanna’s bold red Super Bowl look paid homage to a legendary fashion industry figure, the late American Vogue editor-at-large Andre Leon Talley.

Returning to the stage for her first performance in seven years, the star appeared wearing a red Loewe jumpsuit and bustier by Loewe, along with scarlet Maison Margiela x Salomon sneakers and a cropped red puffa by Alaïa.

Later in the show, though, she swapped the shorter coat for a dramatic floor-length puffa, also in crimson. 

The look was a subtle tribute to Talley, who was often photographed wearing a bold red sleeping bag coat by the designer Norma Kamali.

Though some fans on Twitter speculated that RiRi was in fact wearing the coat beloved by Talley, the star’s striking outerwear was actually an Alaïa design (just like her first coat - and her matching gloves). 

Rihanna was a friend of the late fashion icon, who died just over a year ago in January 2022 at the age of 73. The first African American to serve as fashion bible Vogue’s creative director, he was a prominent advocate for diversity in the industry.

His red carpet interviews with Rihanna were often a highlight of the annual Met Gala (where the star could be relied upon to turn up in a seriously head-turning look, like her Guo Pei couture gown or even her bedazzled Pope outfit), and the pair worked together when the singer co-hosted the event in 2018.

Talley’s official Instagram page marked her homage by sharing a photo of the legend himself wearing his beloved Kamali design, along with lyrics from Umbrella: “When the sun shines we’ll shine together. Told you I’ll be here forever… Said I’ll always be your friend.”

Items from Talley’s extensive personal archive are currently on sale at an auction at Christie’s in New York, with pieces ranging from a pair of snakeskin Manolo Blahniks to sketches by Karl Lagerfeld to a gold Hermes bicycle and, yes, the red Kamali coat. 

Images: Getty