What's under Rihanna's umbrella? Jeans & lingerie she designed for Armani

MANILA, Philippines - Armani Jeans and Emporio Armani Underwear present their second capsule collections designed in collaboration with Rihanna: a range of new must-have jeans and lingerie items now available in stores worldwide.

Rihanna, an artist who has sold more than 35 million albums and 120 million singles across the globe, and winner of six Grammy Awards, is the face of the advertising campaigns for both Emporio Armani Underwear and Armani Jeans. Extremely talented and highly feminine, Rihanna possesses verve and incredible energy, embodying the young, modern and captivating spirit of Armani Jeans and Emporio Armani Underwear.

Giorgio Armani says, “Rihanna is a great artist. She has personality, charisma and energy, and has been a pleasure to work with. She captures the young and contemporary essence of Emporio Armani Underwear and Armani Jeans perfectly.”

Rihanna says, “I have always really admired Giorgio Armani and his elegant work; I never dreamed I’d be able to collaborate with him to design unique, modern and fun clothing.”

The spirit is classic American denim with a vintage feel and features three pieces of denim, four T-shirts, a leather jacket, and a canvas bag in two sizes.

Given that Rihanna is known for being so feminine and sensual, it may come as a surprise to find the designs boyish. A classic tartan print, a denim romper and a simple tank top all suggest an old-school honesty and durability that is certainly authentic and male in its origins. But when you pull this workwear on, you realize that it can be really sexy — think Fifties-style pin-up and you get the picture. Take, for example, the high-waisted shorts in a vintage wash. Inside, these have a tartan print that is revealed when you roll them up, which makes it very sexy. As is Rihanna’s other favorite, a romper that she loves to wear herself, comes in distressed denim with a few holes and is very soft to the touch. Other notable treatments include the bleach-effect on the skinny jeans, which have had their back pockets removed after the bleaching process, leaving the shadowy marks off where they once were.

The four T-shirts are the stars of the collection: a classic black tank top with a tiny denim pocket featuring Rihanna’s logo pin; a feminine dusty-pink T-shirt featuring her “eagle+R” logo in silver foil; a printed top with cut-outs, displaying the same bird print as can be found on the underwear; and a long maxi T-shirt, with a huge “cloud” print to suggest the airy summer breeze. By contrast, the leather jacket is small, sexy and very feminine. Finally, the two canvas bags are stylishly utilitarian, reinforcing the overall vintage feel of the collection.

Basic, comfortable and feminine, the new items in the Emporio Armani lingerie collection are made of stretch cotton for everyday wear, and come at affordable prices. The tank-top-and-shorts series is available in black or gray, embellished with a rhinestone logo, while the push-up bra and thong or panties combination comes in teal or black with a contrasting glitter logo and personalized elastic. A soft micro-fibre series of styles in sky blue completes the collection, and features micro printing and the inscription “Rihanna for Emporio Armani” across the elastic.

In the Philippines, Emporio Armani is exclusively distributed by Stores Specialists, Inc. (SSI) and is located at Greenbelt 4, Ayala Center.