Rihanna US Elle Editorial Swings from Shaggy Orange Volume to Severe Black Draping

Rihanna shifts between explosive orange texture, elaborate black-and-white layering and severe black draping in the September 2026 US Elle editorial by Inez & Vinoodh.

Rihanna appears in the September 2026 issue of US Elle, photographed by Inez & Vinoodh, across three looks with radically different relationships to volume. One surrounds her in vivid orange texture, another builds outward through black-and-white layers, and the third strips the silhouette back to a dark draped column. The editorial is most interesting when those changes in scale become more dramatic than the individual clothes themselves.

The orange portrait is the most immediate. Rihanna in the vivid orange textured look is surrounded by a thick shaggy surface that covers the shoulders, arms and much of the torso before continuing downward beside the chair. The saturated orange is almost uninterrupted, so texture carries the image. Her dark wet-look waves fall around the face and shoulders, while the bare feet leave the lower edge visually spare beside the exaggerated upper volume.

The black-and-white portrait takes the opposite route and builds complexity through stacked pieces. A dark structured top sits above broad white lace tiers, with dense dark textured sections surrounding the lower legs. High platform shoes introduce another elaborate shape at the floor. Rather than concentrating drama in one oversized element, this look distributes it from the torso through the skirt and footwear.

A third look is far more severe. Rihanna wears a dark strapless draped dress with an asymmetrical line across the upper body and a long section falling behind her. She pairs it with sheer dark socks and polished lace-up shoes. In the accompanying close portrait, the sculptural Dior lettering above her head becomes the dominant accessory, while rings and her hand tattoos enter the frame at much closer range. The US Elle September 2026 fashion editorial therefore moves from maximal clothing volume into a portrait where styling is reduced to dark drape, jewelry and one graphic headpiece.

That progression gives the set its authority. The orange look is almost entirely about tactile scale; the layered monochrome outfit is dense and theatrical; the black dress is controlled and comparatively spare. Rihanna does not need one repeated styling formula to connect the images because her wet-look hair, direct posing and preference for strong silhouettes provide enough continuity across them.

The editorial earns 9/10 for the sharp contrast among its three silhouette strategies and the unusually convincing shift from exaggerated texture to disciplined black draping.