Gregory Robinson
Rihanna appeared to pay tribute to a late fashion icon during her outstanding Super Bowl halftime show performance.
The pop icon appeared on a levitating stage at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on Sunday.
And the ‘We Found Love’ singer graced our screens wearing a gorgeous red coat designed by Alaïa.
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Later during her 13-minute spectacle, Rihanna swapped her short red coat for a longer puffer jacket by the same brand.
And fashion fanatics were quick to note that Rihanna’s larger coat resembled the quintessential Norma Kamali blanket coat worn by the late André Leon Talley.
The pioneering Vogue editor died in January 2022 aged 73.
Talley was born and raised in Washington DC and studied French literature before working as an apprentice at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the location of the MET Gala, in 1974.
He was known across the industry for wearing fancy kaftans, his larger than life personality, and because he stood at incredible six feet seven inches.
Talley and Rihanna were naturally friends because of their shared love of fashion.
In 2014, Talley interviewed Rihanna on the red carpet of that year’s Met Gala about winning the CFDA award for her ‘iconic style’.
“I can’t believe it when I think about where I started and where I come from being from the islands and fashion was just became something to play with. It was fun, it was a way for me to express myself in different ways, it was daring and I just fell into it,” she told Talley, who then told the Fenty Beauty mogul that she ‘fell into it [fashion] beautifully’.
What an incredible compliment from the one of the biggest names in fashion.
Rihanna continued her bold fashion choices on Sunday with her nod to Talley, which was later reposted on Talley’s official Instagram page that is currently run by his representatives.
A picture of Talley wearing his iconic red coat with snaps from Rihanna’s halftime show were posted in an Instagram carousel with the caption consisting of lyrics from her chart-topping hit ‘Umbrella’.
It read: ““When the sun shines, we'll shine together. Told you I'll be here forever… said I'll always be your friend”.
The tribute was praised by fans, with one Instagram user commenting: “I knew it! And loved it! Loved that she met Andre in the sky like the diamond he is!”
Another fashion devotee wrote: “Such an icon we all thought of him right away!”
A third gushed: “Thought of him as soon as I saw it!”
And a fourth commented: “Caught that homage from the beginning. Andre would be so pleased.”