T.Jackson / BACKGRIDUSA
It's 1998 and I vividly remember going to the neighborhood art store to buy all the fabric paint and rhinestones I could get my hands on to paint a pair of distressed jeans I up-cycled with scissors and the dryer after a few washes. I even cut the waist off for that Mariah Carey effect. Flicking my brushes of bold colorful paint onto each leg to create a unique speckled look during that early summer. It was as close as I was going to get to those expensive embellished designer jeans from the department store.
Not until Rihanna and her darling baby bump hit the streets of NYC for a date night with beau A$AP Rocky to get dinner, wearing paint and rhinestone speckled Martine Rose relaxed jeans, the look instantly took me back to those late '90s memories. Except RiRi in her pregnancy glow and all shattered any resemblance to any of my vintage attempts. Here she perfectly paired the studded jeans with crystal bejeweled heeled sandals by Amina Muaddi, an embellished belt and being able to play the fit both up and causally down with a R13 puffer jacker while stylishly being evoking very New York behavior for in a vintage Mets T-shirt.
Rihanna never disappoints in the accessory department with a vintage gold Dior choker, sunglasses and her signature matte power red pout. A$AP Rocky is along for the ride in a pair of embellished cream jeans and a sweet lip print a la Rih on his cheek.
