Rihanna makes dramatic Met Gala entrance, arriving fashionably late in custom Valentino


Sophie Prideaux
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Rihanna is often hailed as the queen of the Met Gala, and although she kept fans waiting for her arrival on the red carpet, her look did not disappoint.

The singer arrived at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art fashionably late on Monday evening, ensuring that she had the entire red carpet to herself, save for her partner, rapper A$AP Rocky.

And the singer made sure her outfit was just as dramatic as her late entrance. Dressed in bridal-inspired custom Valentino, she wore a white gown with a five-metre train, paired with a hooded cape covered in 25 giant 3D camellia flowers, an ode to Chanel and the legacy of Karl Lagerfeld, who was the inspiration for this year’s Met Gala theme. She also wore a pair of white rim sunglasses, which featured theatrical false lashes on the lenses, to add some Met-appropriate surrealism to the look.

Rocky, meanwhile, wore a red tartan skirt over crystal-studded jeans with a train of his own, by Gucci.

Rihanna has been one of the Met Gala’s key players over the past decade, providing some of the event’s most memorable looks, such as the dramatic yellow Guo Pei gown she wore in 2015. Never one to be behind the curve, the star debuted a Met-worthy look over the weekend that also paid a not-so-subtle nod to Lagerfeld.

Rihanna's most memorable Met Gala looks - in pictures

On Saturday, Rihanna stepped out for dinner in New York City in a vintage monochrome look from Chanel’s 1994 autumn/winter collection, designed by Lagerfeld. She wore the black-and-white fur two-piece over a fluffy white dress and finished the look with a pair of Chanel logo glasses.

While the heavily pregnant singer was not in attendance during last year’s gala, her presence was still felt inside The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she was honoured with a statue. As part of the surprise, organised by Vogue in collaboration with the museum, the singer was immortalised in marble, modelled on the cover shoot she did for the May 2022 issue of the magazine.

For one night only, the figure was placed where the statue of Eirene (The Personification of Peace) stands. Sharing a video to Instagram, the magazine said: “Eirene is usually the highest-profile marble goddess @themetmuseum Greco-Roman galleries. But now we’ve got @badgalriri, straight off this month’s Vogue cover.”

And Rihanna was clearly thrilled with the honour. Reposting the video, she wrote: “Shut down the Met in marble! What’s more gilded than that? Lol! Thank you @metmuseum and @voguemagazine for this historic tribute! y’all bad for this one!”

Scroll through the gallery to see the best looks from the 2023 Met Gala

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

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Nepotism is the name of the game

Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad. 

The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index

The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index

Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.

The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.

“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.

“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”

Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.

Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.

“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.

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Updated: May 02, 2023, 7:07 AM`