Proof that Rihanna really is the queen of divas: She’s the only star to let the V&A wear her outfits for their ‘Diva’ exhibit, but demands that fans not take photos.
Even in the world of divas, someone has to be a prima donna.
Get up Rihanna.
The star has been labeled “the ultimate diva” after she banned the public from taking photos of her outfits, in an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum dedicated to divas.
While visitors are encouraged to take pictures of clothing that celebrates the likes of Cher, Marilyn Monroe and Dame Shirley Bassey, they could find themselves stopped by security if they attempt to take any of the Rihanna-related material.
The 35-year-old Barbadian, best known for hits including Umbrella, Diamonds and Take A Bow, is believed to have made the ban a condition of providing iconic outfits from her private archive.
Rihanna attending the Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7, 2018 Met Gala
The singer with a black beanie and a Balenciaga coat at the Met Gala 2021
She lent to the museum the Pope-inspired gown she wore to the Met Gala in New York in 2018, and the nude gown embellished with more than 200,000 Swarovski crystals she wore to the Council of Fashion Designers of America awards in 2014.
Visitors can also see the singer’s sheer maternity dress from the 2023 Academy Awards, a black beanie and coat by Balenciaga worn at the 2021 Met Gala and a gray and white ensemble from her world tour of 2016. When a Mail on Sunday reporter visited the £20-a-head ‘Diva’ exhibit last week, she was told by an administrator that photography was prohibited at the singer’s own request.
The curator said: ‘We weren’t given much explanation beyond ‘it’s the artist’s request’, and personally I can’t even think of a possible excuse. These dresses are here because she’s already been photographed wearing them in a million different ways.
‘I would love to know why because I have to explain it to people. I just say, ‘She’s a diva, isn’t she? We’ll leave it at that. Visitors think it’s funny.
Rihanna has made many headlines for her diva claims. According to her reports, she gave her staff a ten-page request document for her world tour in 2013, which included making sure her dressing room was exactly 73F and she had all-white furniture.
Bestselling novelist Kathy Lette said the ban on the singer’s photographs was itself a powerful statement. She said: “This exhibition is a celebration of Divas and what better example of Diva-dom could there be than forbidding museum visitors from taking photos of her outfits?”
The star has been labeled “the ultimate diva” after she banned the public from taking photos of her outfits, in an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum dedicated to divas.
Visitors can see the singer’s sheer maternity dress from the 2023 Academy Awards, a black beanie and coat by Balenciaga worn at the 2021 Met Gala and a gray and white ensemble from her 2016 world tour. .
Alison Jackson, the Bafta-winning photographer and filmmaker, said: “It’s hard to understand the reasons for the ban… is it being contrary to publicity on purpose? Or perhaps the designers of the outfits have stipulated that they can’t be photograph as it can reveal your special design-creating secrets?
The Diva exhibition, which runs until April next year, also features Tina Turner’s Flame dress from 1977 and a Vivienne Westwood dress worn by Adele on the cover of British Vogue in 2021.
A Rihanna spokesperson was contacted for comment.
