Rihanna Just Weighed In On The Skinny Jeans Debate

For better or worse, fashion trends are cyclical. Typically, a style’s renaissance spans at least a few seasons before interest inevitably wanes. These past couple of years, however, the process was sped up. In 2022, the sartorial millennium bug bit the fashion industry, and early aughts trends like butterflies and cargo pants experienced triumphant comebacks. That is, ’til they were quickly replaced by trends from a different decade: the 2010s.

Style savants traded whale tails et al for “cheugy” looks (see: colored tights, peplums, and graphic tees, among others) that dominated for years. Fashion girls are barely keeping up with this new wave of trends hitting red carpets and shelves, reckoning with their complicated feelings towards old favorites that have since been labeled basic.

Well, on Sunday, Nov. 3, Rihanna entered the “cheugy” chat and revived the most divisive style of all. Behold, her latest look featuring skinny jeans.

Rihanna “Cheugy” ‘Fit

Over the weekend, Rih was spotted in Santa Monica, California, on the way to dinner at her go-to Italian place, Giorgio Baldi. For the meal, the “Diamonds” singer expertly mixed statement pieces with casual staples.

On top, Rihanna donned a fuzzy black-and-white cow-print jacket and paired it with low-key jeans. They weren’t your run-of-the-mill denims, however — they were skinny.

For years in the 2010s, millennials practically cut off blood circulation on the regular by donning the tightest, most tapered jeans. (The itty-bitty ankles were especially difficult to get out of.) It’s one of the controversial relics of the 2010s that Gen Z dubbed passé, sparking a longstanding debate that pits one generation against another.

Well, RiRi just weighed in on the conversation and per the fashion icon, the skinny jean is back. While the hem of her pair wasn’t as tight as pairs of yore, it was still a very tapered pair compared to her typically baggy denim numbers.

Her Animal Print Accessories

Despite the denim look, the Fenty Beauty mogul found a way to be extra with a maximalist take on print on print. She paired her cow-print jacket with another piece in the same animal print: a Fendi Baguette, the famed Carrie Bradshaw favorite. She carried one in yellow pony hair for that extra pop of color.

Meanwhile, she further accessorized with strappy heels, a studded belt, and sunglasses.

So good.