Rihanna for Harper’s Bazaar

Posted on Jul 9, 2012 in Fashion

Who’s up for a tall, cool glass of Ri right now?

Rihanna is featured in the August 2012 issue of Harper’s Bazaar magazine photographed by Camilla Akrans and styled by Mel Ottenberg.

Balmain Fall 2012 Collection

Tom Ford Fall 2012 Collection

Ralph Lauren Fall 2012 Collection

Dress by Calvin Klein Collection

You forget – or at least, we forget – how beautiful she can be when you peel away some of the artifice and attention-whoring. Not that there isn’t plenty of both on display here, but this is a toned-down Ri, relatively speaking, and it really suits her. She looks great in everything, but she looks absolutely stunning in the Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein dresses, which are the two simplest looks she’s wearing here. We know she loves to wear the cray-cray out in the world, but she really should take note of the fact that a simple, sexy dress can do wonders for her. We don’t love her hair right now but that makeup is dead-perfect. Hand these pictures to every makeup artist who ever works on you, girl.

[Photo Credit: Camilla Akrans forharpersbazaar.com, style.com]

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EEKstl

She looks fab. I’m officially obsessed with that Balmain dress.
- lovelyivy
  
  She does, despite the terrible hair. And agreed, that Balmain is tremendous…
  - terekirkland
    
    Ri is rocking it! Fiercer than the model, for sure, and I think her figure looks better in it.
    - mshesterp
      
      Definitely fiercer than the model. She looks super hot.
Lilithcat

A tall, cool glass of anything would be great right now. (Well, it can’t be alcoholic, but other than that . . .)

The Ralph Lauren gown is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen in my entire life. Too bad I don’t have the figure or money for it!
- kimmeister
  
  I’m in love with that kind of pleating in the moment, and think it looks fabulous on a bodice instead of only in skirts!
Violina23

She’s so tiny, I feel like she gets lost in dresses that are too huge and crazy. I think she looks great here.
BazoDee

She looks amazing in that Calvin Klein -but I’m sort of sorry she does -Normally CK looks good on women with less curves. I’m sorry she’s now in that group.
- Sobaika
  
  Her body’s changed a bit recently, hasn’t it? I preferred it too but oh well. She looked great before and she looks great now.
  - BazoDee
    
    She looks “traditionally” great now.
- lovelyivy
  
  A few blogs had her commenting on how she felt she’d gone too far with her recent weight loss not too long ago. I didn’t understand the sentiment when I read it, but looking at these pictures I totally get it. Curves have been drastically reduced here.
  - YoungSally
    
    I was thinking maybe just a little bit of photoshopping…..those proportions with the snakeskin boots just don’t seem quite right.
    - lovelyivy
      
      That’s possible too (agreed that the legs look kinda out of proportion long), but her body size seems pretty consistent from shot to shot. It might just be the use of a talented photoshop artist here, but the difference is significant IMO.
    - Sobaika
      
      There is some photoshopping (as pointed out, the legs) but she has definitely lost weight. I noticed it first at the Grammys in that scarf masquerading as a dress.
    - Jill Roberts
      
      Yeah, I think ‘shopped some and also with crazy high heels.
  - BazoDee
    
    I’m glad she’s at least thinking about it. I’m not trying to tell her that she’s too skinny -I’m just sort of sad about it.
    - lovelyivy
      
      Me neither- I don’t think you or I are trying to body snark, you were just noticing a clear difference. I was just noting that it was noted.
MarissaLG

She’s gorgeous, the clothes are expensive and pretty (although I really hate those snakeskin boots) and styled well but her hair is a HOT MESS.
RebeccaKW

I have to disagree on the makeup, only in the RL dress. That particular shot, her eye makeup gives her the appearance of puffy eyes, like she has hay fever.

That Balmain was made for her.
- Sobaika
  
  I think it might be just that particular shot or how the makeup works with the dress. You have to be careful with warmer skintones and using neutrals and bronzes.
http://profile.yahoo.com/EJ4VTYPEO76XDX7BVNVUSDF2GE Fuzzy Izmit

She looks amazing… just wish she changed up her expression a little bit.
- krelnick
  
  What? You don’t like the perpetually baked look?
MilaXX

Loving the face, hating the hair. Wish she could have given us a different face in at least one shot.
formerlyAnon

Yup. Agree with you on all points: best dresses, makeup and just how pretty that girl is, underneath all the fashion drama.
SapphoPoet

I love that Ralph Lauren dress. Look forward to seeing it on the Oscar carpet.

Rhianna looks wonderful here–less is more.
http://www.facebook.com/shreya.aren Shreya Aren

Even with all the things that are going on and the ‘edginess’ factor, her face still manages to look soft and pretty. Kudos to the makeup artist.
http://twitter.com/PhDKnitter marlie

This is the best she’s looked in a long time – fantastic!

The toned-down makeup is perfect, as is the “normal” color hair. You can also see that she has a gorgeous figure, which is sometimes hidden or overlooked by all the cray-cray she so often wears.

This also shows that she can wear the complicated (Balmain) and simple (Calvin Klein) and look equally as beautiful.
kingderella

stunning. love the balmain most of all.
http://twitter.com/AllForUSophia AllForUSophia

I absolutely love her in the Tom Ford! She looks fierce as hell!
Jessi03

Love the clothes. She’s not really doing much in terms of modeling them, but her body looks amazing in them, and that’s all you can really ask of a non-model editorial.
kimmeister

I don’t love the hairstyle, but I do like the darker color. At least it’s a color that occurs in nature.
http://theargiehome.blogspot.com/ Gus Casals

I read “toned down” and then I look at the tom Ford. I think the words that fail me are “cognitive” and “ dissonance”
PinkLemon

must…have…those…dresses!!!!
nannypoo

She really is a beautiful woman. Very sexy.
alyce1213

The clothes are great on her. She’s very pretty, and pretty boring.
The hair is atrocious.
kikisayshi

Wow, she really knows how to turn on the Fierce, doesn’t she?
granddelusion

I think theres some photoshopping going on here.
http://www.facebook.com/catherine.kronenwetter Catherine L Kronenwetter

Hate the hair, but she makes all the dresses look better than the models did.
TomBord

SNAKE LEGS? disgusting. seriously, enough w/ the reptile ladies.
or slither on over to the other side of the street.
hooker.
http://twitter.com/SparklyCasanova UglyCasanova

Roadkill hair otherwise very pretty.
guest2visits

She looks great! But she’s almost always beautiful in the pages. Especially the Balmain and Ralph Lauren.
I love those amazing sci-fi/graphic novel snake boots.
holdmewhileimnaked

that blue picture–the one w/ the fabulous snake boots? has to be one of the worst pieces of photoshop i’ve seen in i dont know how long. it’s beyond reminiscent of the travesty done a few weeks back to a model of donna karan’s: same rectangle, same little boxes, same inexplicable stretch, maybe same graphic designer? or production person trying to make his or her mark?

worst of all, of course, is that under almost no circumstances does this person need photoshop. then again, nobody needs it–at least not in the way it’s ordinarily used.
ccm800

wow. She looks fantastic.
TieDye64

She really is beautiful, and the more simple looks do suit her best.
http://profile.yahoo.com/K3O2QNXDJIU3AJINAGNJRYWDZ4 mrspotts66

she’s very pretty, but damn! i hate her hair.
http://profile.yahoo.com/FEP56YB4DUIXBWSLIMSSSGQHWY jimmack

Looks nice but another “star” with only one facial expression. I think her hair needs some “hair crack”.
bitchybitchybitchy

Love the Balmain, but especially that Ralph Lauren! When Ri wants to add some class to the sex appeal, this works.
Warmheartedgirl Seattle

Love the Calvin Klein gown, but the Balmain – superb!! So feminine and intricate. FLOVE that one. RiRi looks gorgeous in every single shot. And I can forgive the fried hair because at least it is a less objectionable than usual color. Beautiful spread.
librarygrrl64

Wow, that gold Lauren gown is gorgeous.
LoveLively

I actually registered just to post this one specific thought. I love this blog and it brings so much happiness to my days

So. The most poignant thing about all of these pictures is just how strikingly natural all of these things are on Rihanna. They look like your typical runway “nobody would ever wear this conceptual crap” styling on the actual models, but on Riri… they just look fine. GODDAMN fine. It’s so completely natural on her without any styling, extreme photo tricks or poses.

That girl could be eating a sandwich in any one of those dresses and you’d be like “Hey, that’s a great dress. Is the bus late?”
http://twitter.com/Jutz Jutz

at least she is wearing clothes!

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Rihanna for Harper’s Bazaar

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