- Rihanna’s fashion has evolved quite a bit since she made her debut in 2005.
- Her early style was simple yet chic, often opting for subtle dresses or more casual ensembles.
- She’s since moved on to more high-fashion looks and has become a staple in the industry with her own clothing brands, Fenty and Savage x Fenty.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Rihanna became an instant fan favorite after “Pon de Replay” was released in 2005. Now, 15 years and many musical twists and turns later, one thing has remained constant: Her fashion sense is always on point.
Rihanna has landed on tons of best-dressed lists thanks to the looks she’s worn to the Met Gala, Grammy Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, and many more events. The singer has shown that she can rock an elegant ball gown just as well as a glamorous avant-garde design, and she always makes each look her own.
See her epic style evolution below.
Rihanna stepped on the map at the Teen People Listening Lounge wearing a crop top and low rise boyfriend jeans back in 2005.
It was very similar to her outfit in the “Pon de Replay” video.
At that year's MTV VMAs, she wore another crop top and fitted white jeans.
The ensemble was topped off with a glitter vest and body jewelry.
At one of her many MTV TRL appearances, RiRi wore a sweet halter dress with stars.
She paired the dress with a pair of light green heels.
At Conde Nast's Third Annual Fashion Rocks Concert in 2006, Rihanna shimmered in this metallic dress.
The gorgeous dress was designed by Zac Posen.
She wore this low-cut dress when she took home some of her first big awards at the Billboard Music Awards in 2006.
She won Female Artist of the Year, as well as Female Hot 100 artist of the year and Pop 100 artist of the year.
She took on her next major award show in 2007 when she arrived at the Grammys in a green, backless Roberto Cavalli gown.
Her new haircut was also on point.
At her first ever Met Gala later that year, she donned black gloves with her white hot dress.
The Georges Chakra design featured silver embellishments.
Her hot pink dress stole the show when she accepted her Video of the Year award at the 2007 MTV VMAs.
The Armani Privé dress was one of the best looks of the night.
She started 2008 in a short blue dress at the 2008 Grammy Awards where she won an award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Umbrella."
She went with a design by Zac Posen.
For the Brit Awards that same year, she went short again, this time in a metallic mini.
The Dolce & Gabbana dress had a bow detail at the waist.
She lit up the red carpet in a playful yellow gown at the BET Awards in 2008.
The ruffled design was by Giambattista Valli.
Then she took the stage in an asymmetrical Zac Posen dress at the 2008 American Music Awards.
She received her first American Music Award of the night for Favorite Female Soul/R&B Artist and also won Favorite Female Pop/Rock Artist.
Her puffy sleeves rocked the fashion world at the 2009 Met Gala where they celebrated "The Model As Muse: Embodying Fashion."
Her Dolce & Gabbana suit came complete with a bow tie.
Rihanna accepted her Glamour Woman of the Year award in an intricate white gown by Stephane Rolland.
The gown had an interesting ruffled design.
In 2009, Rihanna hit the American Music Awards in a frilly, laser cut black and white gown.
She paired the Marchesa gown with some white heels for a nice contrast.
In January 2010, she wore a white Elie Saab to the Grammy Awards.
She won awards for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and Best Rap Song.
Rihanna sported a green jumpsuit with extravagant, flowing wings at the 2010 Echo Awards.
The eccentric design was by Alexandre Vauthier.
Then for the MTV Europe Music Awards in November, Rihanna went back to what was clearly a favorite color — white.
The detailed Marchesa gown helped her new red hair pop.
That same month she put on a garnet-colored Elie Saab dress for the American Music Awards.
She opened the show with her hit songs "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)," "What's My Name?," and "Only Girl (In the World)."
She absolutely stunned at the 2011 Grammys in this sheer striped gown by Jean Paul Gaultier.
She also debuted her new lighter auburn locks.
At the Met Gala in May, Rihanna showed up with a long red braid and another semi-sheer gown.
The flowing gown was designed by Stella McCartney.
The next year, she went for a plunging Armani gown.
She picked up an award for Best Music Video.
At the 2013 American Music Awards, she opted for a sleek two-piece set.
The ensemble was designed by Jean Paul Gaultier.
RiRi showed off her casual side at a Roc Nation Brunch in January 2014.
She paired the Altuzarra ensemble with simple accessories.
She shocked the world when she wore her sheerest gown yet at the CFDA Fashion Awards that summer.
She made quite the entrance in the custom Adam Selman fishnet dress, complete with gloves and a headscarf that were all hand embellished with over 216,000 Swarovski crystals, according to Just Jared.
She wore Stella McCartney again at the 2014 Met Gala, which celebrated "Charles James: Beyond Fashion."
It was another impressive Met Gala look.
Rihanna went bold again for amfAR Inspiration in Los Angeles where she wore this revealing Tom Ford creation.
She accessorized this design with some oversized rings.
For her first ever Diamond Ball, the host went for elegance in a silky red gown by Zac Posen.
She paired it with a large red gem pendant decked out with diamonds.
She started 2015 with a bang in a pink Giambattista Valli gown.
It made headlines for days and became the topic of hundreds of memes.
She went all out again that May at the 2015 Met Gala. Her stunning yellow cape by Guo Pei took two year to create.
The gorgeous dress consumed the red carpet, catching the attention of every photographer around.
She decided to go for a classy look yet again for her 2nd Annual Diamond Ball.
Dior helped her pull it off.
She accepted The Video Vanguard Award at the 2016 MTV VMAs in an Alexandre Vauthier haute couture collared gown with a grommet belt.
The ceremony was a busy one for Rihanna - not only did Drake declare his love for her, but she also performed a medley of her greatest hits.
She then took to the 59th Annual Grammy Awards red carpet in a sparkly orange crop top and a billowing black skirt.
The eye-catching ensemble was designed by Armani Privé.
Rihanna wore a dark navy wool coat by Dior while attending the brand's Paris Fashion Week show in March 2017.
She also went with some oversized sunglasses for a dramatic touch.
She then stepped out in this avant-garde sculptural dress by Comme des Garçons for the Met Gala in May 2017.
She also paired the dress with one of her most colorful makeup looks.
Later that month, she took a risk with this oversized tan pantsuit by Matthew Adams Dolan while attending the 69th Annual Parsons Benefit.
She went with some white pumps to add a touch of bright color.
For the premiere of "Valerian" in July 2017, the singer opted for this pale pink Giambattista Valli Couture dress.
The flowing train was the star of the show.
Later that month, the "Valerian" actress wore another Giambattista Valli Couture design to the movie's London premiere— this time in a stunning shade of red.
She also went with a dark red lip.
Rihanna celebrated the release of Fenty Beauty in September 2017 by attending a launch event wearing a lilac tulle dress by Molly Goddard.
She added some strappy sandals to complete the look.
She wore this sparkly fuchsia gown by Adam Selman during her performance of "Wild Thoughts" for the Grammy Awards in February 2018.
She even placed a matching flower in her hair.
Rihanna caused a stir at the Met Gala in May 2018 by arriving in a Pope-inspired ensemble.
Her extremely on-theme outfit and jewel-encrusted robe were designed by Margiela. She finished the outfit with matching Christian Louboutin heels.
Read more: Rihanna is the undisputed queen of Met Gala fashion - here are all her jaw-dropping looks
For the New York premiere of "Ocean's 8" in June 2018, she wore a ruffled design by Givenchy.
The metallic dress featured layers of tiered ruffles and pleats. She paired it with Manolo Blahnik sandals.
She then attended the London premiere of "Ocean's 8" in a head-turning gold dress.
She paired her Poiret design with a matching clutch and a topknot bun hairstyle.
Rihanna wore a sheer lace Alexis Mabille jumpsuit to her fourth annual Diamond Ball in September 2018.
The jumpsuit featured an off-white skirt with a giant bow design at the top.
She then channeled her inner Barbie for a Fenty Beauty event in September 2018.
She wore a ruffled hot-pink design by Calvin Klein to celebrate the one-year anniversary of her successful cosmetics line.
Rihanna wore head-to-toe pink again for a Fenty event in June 2019.
She paired her pink midi dress with turquoise-toned jewelry.
For her Savage x Fenty fashion show in September 2019, she opted for a sparkly mint dress.
Rihanna wore a one-sleeved sequin dress that featured a turtleneck, an asymmetrical hemline, and a front slit.
Rihanna went for a modern glam look at the Diamond Ball in September 2019.
She wore a Givenchy Haute Couture gown that included a sheer white cage skirt at the hem.
In October 2019, Rihanna put her wild side on display at the launch of her first visual autobiography.
She wore a Saint Laurent dress from their Spring 2020 collection.
In October 2019, she brought the heeled flip flips trend back.
Rihanna wore an Alex Perry strapless dress, Fenty T-Heel square sandals, and a white handbag.
Rihanna wore a more sultry look to the "Queen & Slim" premiere in November 2019.
She paired her John Galliano evening dress with Manolo Blahnik sandals, a Jimmy Choo handbag, and lots of jewelry.
She went for head-to-toe mint again at the 2019 Fashion Awards in December.
Rihanna paired her Fenty mint-green minidress with a sheer shawl attached by rows of gemstones, and matching heels.
To celebrate Fenty's new clothing collection in February 2020, Rihanna wore a neon coat and a matching dress from her own brand.
She attended the event wearing a $960 sweater dress with a $1,660 trench coat. Rihanna added another pop of color with a pair of metallic boots, also from Fenty which retail for $670.
