Red Is The Color Of The Moment—And These Celebrity Outfits Prove It

Of course Rihanna is leading this trend.

“Barbiecore” became the collective term for the vibrant looks that dominated red carpets and TikTok feeds worldwide last year, fuelled by Pierpaolo Piccioli’s retina-searing hot pink, but in 2023 there is a new fiery shade that is making headlines—a punchy red. Think Pamela Anderson’s iconic Baywatch swimsuit, the shade of Rihanna’s hair on her Loud album or a London bus (or a post-box, a telephone box—you get the gist).

It’s no coincidence that Rih had us all wanting to dye our hair scarlet with her Loud artwork back in 2010—she’s the colour compass of our age. Last January, she was well ahead of the pink hype with the belly-baring vintage Chanel coat she wore to announce her first pregnancy, (for context, Piccioli’s fuchsia-soaked collection arrived in March), and she tapped into the zeitgeist once again with her color choice for this year’s Super Bowl.

All eyes were on the singer as she performed her halftime show in custom Loewe, complete with a resplendent Alaïa cape that called to mind the late, great André Leon Talley. The look not only broke the news of her second pregnancy—it initiated a red fever that hasn’t slowed since.

Siren shades were quietly doing the rounds on the red carpet before Rihanna’s legendary moment, but the look sparked a colour movement on par with Barbiecore. Red was a dominant hue seen at the autumn/winter 2023 collections in February, while some of the most striking Oscars red carpet and after party looks were red gowns worn by the likes of Cara Delevingne, Melissa McCarthy, Gigi Hadid and Ashley Graham. The trend has resonated on Depop, too, where searches for the colour have risen 82 per cent in the past month alone.

Below you’ll find a selection of standout celebrity looks that might just inspire you to wear this season’s hottest colour.

This article was originally published on British Vogue.

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