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After seven years away from the stage, Rihanna performed her greatest hits at the Super Bowl 2023 Halftime Show while also announcing she was pregnant with her second baby. The superstar took the opportunity to honor the late fashion journalist, stylist, creative director, and editor-at-large of Vogue magazine André Leon Talley, who died in January 2022 at 73.
RiRi kicked off the show with her 2015 song “Bitch better have my money,” wearing a monochromatic ensemble that featured a mechanic-inspired jumpsuit over a skin-tight top with a bustier.
Towards the end of the presentation, the singer, actress, and businesswoman layered the look with a floor-sweeping red leather Alaïa puffer similar to Talley’s signature Norma Kamali sleeping bag coat.
Rihanna wore the look while performing “Umbrella.” Talley’s estate took to Instagram to share the moment alongside the lyrics: “When the sun shines, we’ll shine together. Told you I’ll be here forever… said I’ll always be your friend.”
“This was a beautiful tribute,” stylist June Ambrose wrote, while Patricia Altschul said, “He will be missed by so many of us who loved him… Rihanna’s tribute made me teary.”
Why didn’t Rihanna wear the original coat?
Talley’s Norma Kamali coat is being auctioned at Christie’s with some other well-known items from his collection, including his Louis Vuitton luggage and designer caftans.
The garment is described as “a brick red ‘sleeping bag’ clutch coat” designed by Norma Kamali in the 2000s. It is “reversible, in rip-stop weave nylon with notch lapel and side slit inset pockets.” Bid to secure these items will begin on February 15.
Who was André Leon Talley?
An inspiration to many designers, writers, and everyone involved in the world of fashion, Talley paved the way for many and made an undeniable impact in the industry; he is known as a pioneer, arriving in New York in 1974, quickly surrounding himself and collaborating with iconic figures, such as Andy Warhol and Karl Lagerfeld.
Talley joined Vogue in 1983 as the magazine’s fashion news director, finding success as creative director and Anna Wintour’s right hand. He would later move to Paris in 1995, receiving later in his career the Chevalier de l‘Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government, honoring his contribution to the world of fashion.