Rihanna is known for her love of fashion and has made a name for herself as an exciting force in the industry. She has worn everything from tiered tulle to a meme-inspiring Geo Pei gown, always celebrating the wonder of style. In 2014, she wore a Swarovski crystal-covered gown to the Council of Fashion Designers of America Fashion Awards in New York, giving a whole new meaning to the term “naked dress.” It was an iconic dress that perfectly suited the occasion, as she received the CFDA Fashion Icon of the Year Award. Surprisingly, there is something about the dress that she regrets. Can you guess what it is? Believe it or not, it’s something unexpected – read on to find out. The custom-made dress by Adam Selman was a see-through fishnet design adorned with 216,000 Swarovski crystals, proving that diamonds truly are a girl’s best friend.
At the 2014 CFDA fashion awards, Rihanna wowed in an outfit that paid homage to the glamour of Old Hollywood. She accessorized with matching crystal-embellished gloves, a sparkling headscarf (her own idea), Manolo Blahnik heels, and jewelry by Paul Morelli and Jacob. To up the glam factor and stay warm, she also wore a pink Pologeorgis fur stole. Her dress was inspired by Josephine Baker, a daring 1920s movie starlet whose birthday happened to fall the day after the awards. The designer behind the look, who had previously created outfits for Lady Gaga and Gwen Stefani, even dyed the dress’s mesh material to match Rihanna’s skin tone, as he revealed in an interview with Elle Magazine.
According to the source, Rihanna chose a sultry smoky eye and nude lip for the event. The designer of her dress stated that it was important to make a statement in the fashion world and that Rihanna looked amazing in every aspect. Despite leaving little to the imagination on the red carpet, Rihanna defended her outfit choice by saying that taking risks is necessary to be stylish. When questioned about the possibility of getting into trouble for her revealing dress, Rihanna made a witty remark about her Swarovski crystal-covered chest.
The iconic R&B group TLC, composed of Tionne ‘T-Boz’ Watkins and Rozonda ‘Chilli’ Thomas, expressed their disapproval of Rihanna’s sparkling sheath dress during an Australian chat show. Tionne bluntly stated that Rihanna did not need to be naked all the time, while Rozonda pointed out that they became the biggest girl selling group of all time without having to sell sex. Rihanna finally responded to the controversy surrounding her dress during an interview with Vogue in 2016.
In a recent interview with a fashion publication, the celebrity explained her decision to go braless for the night, citing her preference for a smoother silhouette. However, she went on to share a humorous regret: not wearing a bedazzled thong to an event in the past. She joked that the thought of pairing the CFDA dress with a bra would have been unbearable and that her only regret was not adding some sparkle to her undergarments.
With a radiance that rivaled a diamond, she was included in Vogue’s Best Dressed List for the year 2014. Although she was already gaining recognition for her fashion choices, it was her daring naked dress at the CFDA that propelled her to become a global style icon. In fact, Marie Claire even drew comparisons between her barely-there dress and the iconic one worn by Kate Moss in 1993.
