CrosswordNewsletters
DAILY BEAST
ALL
  • Cheat Sheet
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Entertainment
  • Media
  • Innovation
  • Covid-19
  • World
  • U.S. News
  • Scouted
  • Travel
CHEAT SHEET
    POLITICS
    • Biden World
    • Elections
    • Opinion
    • National Security
    • Congress
    • Pay Dirt
    • The New Abnormal
    • Right Richter
    • Trumpland
    MEDIA
    • Daytime Talk
    • Late-Night
    • Fox News
    U.S. NEWS
    • Identities
    • Crime
    • Race
    • LGBT
    • Extremism
    • Coronavirus
    WORLD
    • Russia
    • Europe
    • China
    • Middle East
    SCIENCE
    • Hunt for the Cure
    • Rabbit Hole
    TRAVEL
      ENTERTAINMENT
      • TV
      • Movies
      • Music
      • Comedy
      • Sports
      • Sex
      • TDBs Obsessed
      • Awards Shows
      • The Last Laugh
      HALF-FULL
        CULTURE
        • Power Trip
        • Fashion
        • Books
        • Royalist
        TECH
        • Disinformation
        SCOUTED
        • Face Masks
        • Clothing
        • Technology
        • Bedroom
        • Kitchen
        • Home
        • Fitness
        • The Case For
        • I'm Looking For
        • New Kids On the Block
        COUPONS
        • Adidas Promo Codes
        • DoorDash Promo Codes
        • H&M Coupons
        • Hotwire Promo Codes
        • Wine.com Discounts
        • Vitacost Coupons
        • Spanx Promo Codes
        • StubHub Promo Codes
        Products
        NewslettersPodcastsCrosswordsSubscription
        FOLLOW US
        GOT A TIP?

        SEARCH

        HOMEPAGE
        Fashion

        Inside Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty NYFW Show—and a Celebration of Female Power

        Dressed To Thrill

        Rihanna’s New York Fashion Week show had famous guests—Anna Wintour, Laverne Cox, Cara Delevingne, Gigi and Bella Hadid, and Paris Hilton—and a sensual power all its own.

        Alaina Demopoulos

        Brooke Leigh Howard

        Reporter

        Tasia Jensen

        Video Journalist

        Updated Sep. 11, 2019 6:25PM ET / Published Sep. 11, 2019 12:17AM ET 

        Ben Gabbe/Getty

        Rihanna staged her second Savage x Fenty New York Fashion Week event on Tuesday night, and like the first, her lingerie line became an unabashed celebration of girl power.

        The locked-down show, which will air on Amazon Prime later this month, could have also been Rihanna’s audition for the freshly open national security adviser gig. All guests were required to show a photo ID upon entrance, photography was strictly forbidden, with attendees even having to keep their phones in sealed cases for the entire event.

          There would be no leaks in Fenty-land, which began with an experiment resembling Lord of the Flies, where desperate influencers were left with nothing to do with their hands.

          Things were more casual last year, when Rihanna enlisted a diverse cast to strut their stuff at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. (The model Slick Woods, who walked at nine months pregnant, went into labor shortly after leaving the runway.)

          This time around, Amazon ran a tight ship for Rihanna’s fans, the so-called Navy. From the show’s announcement, which came by surprise tweet last month, the Fenty extravaganza was seen in strong contrast against Victoria’s Secret annual show.

          The latter, perennially controversial affair faced renewed contention this past year after former CMO Ed Razek made anti-trans comments to Vogue in November. (CEO Leslie Wexner’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein did not help the brand’s image.) As a result, the future of 2019’s televised VS show is in flux; enter Fenty.

          Before the show started, A-list guests began to trickle in. Country singer Kacey Musgraves fretted over her too-loose waistband in front of a full-length mirror in the women’s room. Anna Wintour arrived, minus her ubiquitous sunglasses, as the lights in the stadium were too low for eyewear.

          Cara Delevingne (L), Puerto-Rican model Joan Smalls (C) and US model Gigi Hadid (R) arrive for the Savage X Fenty Show at Barclays Center on September 10, 2019.

          Angela Weiss/Getty

          Ashley Graham, James Charles, and Paris Hilton were spotted, as well as Normani, Joan Smalls, Vanessa Hudgens, Patrick Schwarzenegger, and Lisa Rinna and her daughters Delilah Belle and Amelia Gray.

          The show was held on a piazza-like stage with winding staircases and arched windows seemingly made for dancers to high-kick through. It started with a chorus of women of all sizes performing choreography by Parris Goebel.

          A view of the stage during Savage X Fenty Show Presented By Amazon Prime Video - Show Sneak Peak at Barclays Center on September 10, 2019 in Brooklyn, New York.

          Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

          Rihanna was among them, thrusting her hips and flexing her wrists like a sexy flamingo. Unlike the Victoria’s Secret show, where models channel innocent “Angels,” the Fenty women looked like praying mantises who devour their mates during sex. Every gyration or back arch seemed to say, “Take your male gaze and shove it.” Sensuality did not equal softness.

          In between the rousing routines were walks from the likes of Gigi and Bella Hadid, Slick Woods, Cara Delevingne, and Laverne Cox. More exciting were the non-famous faces of varying sizes, ethnicities, and abilities. It seemed the only requirement for casting in the show was the ability to twerk with abandon and attitude.

          Cara Delevigne poses onstage for Savage X Fenty Show Presented By Amazon Prime Video - Show Sneak Peak at Barclays Center on September 10, 2019 in Brooklyn, New York.

          Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

          There were performances from Halsey, Big Sean, Migos, and Tierra Whack. DJ Khaled, a man who proudly admits he “never” goes down on women, screamed his name into a microphone over and over again, as he is known to do. 

          These numbers were performed to a camera crew that gamely hopped around the stage after them, which made for a somewhat clunky watch from the risers. Hopefully those viewing from home will feel as if they are up close, seeing the show from inside.

          Rihanna made a final sweep at the end in an off-the-shoulder black leather gown, waving to everyone as her dancers took their bows. Then, as ferociously as it started, the stage went black and everyone rushed out to grab their phones. It was over—at least until Sept. 20, when the whole shebang drops on Amazon Prime. 

          READ THIS LIST

          DAILY BEAST
          • Podcasts
          • Cheat Sheet
          • Politics
          • Crime
          • Entertainment
          • Media
          • Covid-19
          • Half Full
          • U.S. News
          • Scouted
          • Travel
          • Subscription
          • Crossword
          • Newsletters
          • Podcasts
          • About
          • Contact
          • Tips
          • Jobs
          • Advertise
          • Help
          • Privacy
          • Code of Ethics & Standards
          • Diversity
          • Terms & Conditions
          • Copyright & Trademark
          • Sitemap
          • Coupons
          © 2022 The Daily Beast Company LLC