Normani Was the Real Star of the Savage x Fenty Fashion Show
It might be tempting to assume that supermodels would be the stars of a New York Fashion Week runway show. But things at Savage x Fenty were different. As it turns out, the real belle of the burlesque ball happened to be someone who isn’t a supermodel by trade at all: Normani.
As Rihanna says in the mini documentary that premiered on Amazon Prime “there are no limits” when it comes to fashion or lingerie, so why not entertain people while selling them a product that you know they are already going to buy because, well, duh, it’s Rihanna. The entrepreneur stayed true to her ethos of promoting an inclusive brand with the Savage x Fenty fashion show filmed live at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center during New York Fashion Week by casting a variety of supermodels (Gigi Hadid, Bella Hadid, Cara Delevingne, and Paloma Elsesser), dancers, actors (Laverne Cox), and musicians (21 Savage) to model her size-inclusive range of lingerie in what could be the most elaborate and effective commercial fashion week has seen.
The Savage x Fenty show included some on-the-nose music cues while models did their thing (Delevingne dressed as some sort of green laced-up alien and dangled a whip over several dancers in line to the tune of Tweet and Missy Elliott’s “Oops (Oh My),” for example) and live performances from Migos, Big Sean, A$AP Ferg, and Halsey, but it was Normani’s choreography that stole the show.
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 10: Models pose onstage during the Savage X Fenty Show Presented by Amazon Prime Video at Barclays Center on September 10, 2019 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by JP Yim/Getty Images for Savage X Fenty Show Presented by Amazon Prime Video )
As Sean Paul’s “Get Busy” started playing, the lights singled out Normani, who joined the ensemble of Savage x Fenty clad dancers for an entire dancehall routine. She wore pieces from the Savage X Fenty collection dropping in November—a set with a cartoonish kiss print, and matching gloves. On top of that, she did everything in heels.
The former Fifth Harmony member walked the red carpet before the event, but the crowd was shocked to see the singer appear on stage in full Savage x Fenty and dance, too. After her aughts-inspired “Motivation” performance at the 2019 MTV VMAs, and this dance break in Rihanna’s fashion show, Normani could be poised to have a solo career that rivals the other mononymous pop superstar who cast her in the fashion show in the first place. But it still begs the question—could a Normani and Rihanna collaboration be nigh?
Related: Normani’s “Motivation” Pays Tribute To 2000s R&B Classics, From Beyoncé to Ciara
