Rihanna’s Ultimate Form Is Festival Rihanna

It’s a good day to be a Barbadian. The bad gal herself, Rihanna, just made her return to the Crop Over Festival in her native country on Aug. 5, marking the first time the singer and billionaire has attended since 2019. Her first-ever festival look as a mom didn’t disappoint, with body-hugging gold chains and amber, silver, and gold crystals adorning her head, shoulders, belly, and legs. No festival look is complete without feathers, and Riri’s plumage was an ombré of sunset colors that are fitting for the bad*ss phoenix she is.

The Fenty Beauty founder didn’t play it safe with her beauty look either: Her beat is heavy on the blush and contour, and her chest highlight is as blinding as her crystals. NYLON Managing Editor Chelsea Peng figures she’s wearing Diamond Bomb in How Many Carats?! for that high-visibility “shine bright” glow.

Rihanna is no stranger to turning a look, and her festival looks especially always grab headlines. Costume designer Lauren Austin worked with Riri on her custom look again this year, having designed almost all of the Bajan fashion superstar’s festival pieces. Austin spoke with NYLON in 2018 about creating one-of-a-kind couture for Mrs. Fenty, saying: “Designing for Rihanna is exciting and fun because there are no boundaries. This allows me to experiment with different looks, and I try to incorporate her personality into each costume with my own creative touch.” Even though Rihanna joked in an Instagram caption recently that she “won’t be achieving [her] six pack til next summer,” we’re glad she decided to throw caution to the wind and let Austin show off her sexy figure, abs be damned.