Rihanna Is Redefining Maternity Style With Her Experimental Outfits

Rihanna’s maternity outfits have been a hot topic of late on the WhatsApp group I share with my closest friends. I can’t speak from experience—pregnancy isn’t something I’ve experienced first-hand—but almost all of my friends who have carried a child have told me that one thing they didn’t necessarily expect was how their changing shapes and self-image affected their personal style.

Each confided in me how they didn’t feel like themselves when it came to maternity dressing and subsequently defaulted to elastic-waistband jeans and printed wrap dresses. Let it be known there’s absolutely nothing wrong with elastic-waistband jeans and printed wrap dresses, but if those pieces don’t fit in with your pre-pregnancy aesthetic, I can understand how it might feel as though you’re losing part of your sartorial identity. This is likely why my friends and I share mutual love and respect for Rihanna’s maternity outfits.

Rihanna has been impressing us with her maternity outfits of late. 

"I just love how she’s dressing for herself… Serving up the sort of looks we would ordinarily expect from RiRi,” one of my pals succinctly summarised. Rihanna has never been one to conform to any so-called fashion "rules,” which makes her one of the most exciting celebrity dressers out there. And her maternity looks are peak RiRi. Wearing everything from a sheer black lace-trimmed négligée and vinyl knee boots to Dior’s A/W 22 show to the low-slung jeans and belly chains she chose to announce her news in, Rihanna has chosen maternity outfits consistent with her back-catalogue of directional and bold and looks. While I doubt my expecting friends will reach for sexy lingerie for their next trip to Tesco, I believe that Rihanna’s influence will inspire not just those in my inner circle but anyone grappling with pregnancy dressing to embrace a maternity style that’s more intrinsically "them.”

Scroll on to see all of Rihanna’s epic maternity outfits as she wears them.

RIHANNA’S MATERNITY OUTFITS

Style Notes: The glow is blinding in this Rihanna maternity outfit, featuring a sequin skirt, belly chain, and silver bra top. Her high ponytail and metallic makeup combination is nothing short of perfection. 

Style Notes: Comfort is key whether you’re expecting or not, and what could be comfier than a jersey bodysuit? This, evidently, is how Rihanna does onesies. 

Style Notes: For her most recent outing—to sit front row at Dior’s A/W 22 runway show, no less—Rihanna opted for a sheer babydoll négligée, thong, vinyl coat and knee boots. 

Style Notes: Monochromatic outfits—wearing the same shade top to toe—are favoured by the fashion pack. Rihanna’s apricot iteration, which she wore to Off-White’s A/W 22 show in Milan, is glowy and gorgeous. Featuring a leather Off-White minidress and a floor-length shearling camel coat plucked directly from the Diesel A/W 22 runway, this is a masterclass in monochrome dressing. 

Style Notes: Colour-pop faux fur is a huge trend right now, so naturally, Rihanna has already been wearing it for months. Here she is styling her outerwear, which she wore to Gucci’s earlier runway show (more on that below), pairing it with a sheer, monogrammed minidress from the brand. 

Style Notes: For Gucci’s A/W 22 show during Milan Fashion Week, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky turned out in impeccable style. For the occasion, Rihanna wore a black latex crop top, which she paired with a lilac coat from Gucci’s pre-fall 2022 collection. Completing the look was a pair of black trousers emblazoned with a red dragon down one leg, which came from the same collection. The finishing touch? A bedazzled headdress. 

Style Notes: For her first public appearance since announcing her pregnancy—a Fenty Beauty Universe event—Rihanna chose a metallic fringe set from The Attico.��Featuring a lime-green backless halter top and ombré silver-and-purple trousers, this was just the beginning of Rihanna’s experimental maternity outfits.

Style Notes: Still keeping her pregnancy private with the plan of announcing it in just a matter of days, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky stepped out together. Her legs may be on show, but in lieu of trousers, Rihanna tackled the chill in a weatherproof coat from Balenciaga, which she styled with Miu Miu ski gloves. 

Style Notes: Looking back, it’s easy to now see that Rihanna’s furry scarf—a vintage Prada scarf, no less—was probably used to distract from her baby bump, which, in a matter of days, she’d reveal to the world. 

Style Notes: Bright-orange faux fur, camouflage, and crystal heels? A perfect homage to Y2K fashion if there ever was one. 

Style Notes: Before announcing her pregnancy, Rihanna stepped out in this head-to-toe leather look. 

Next Up, Spring/Summer 2022 Trends: The Only 17 Looks You Need to Know About