The white Preen dress, immortalised by Rihanna on the cover of her 2007 album Good Girl Gone Bad, has just sold for $13,310 at auction.
The dress – which was styled for the album shoot by GK Reid and photographed by Roberto D’Este – represents a significant moment in the trajectory of Rihanna’s career, the turning-point when she took ownership of her image and begun making record company exec-defying decisions about her own style. It was sold on the auction site Gotta Have Rock and Roll, known for selling off celebrity memorabilia and collectables.
During the preparations for this particular shoot, Def Jam made their presence felt. W Magazine reported that hairstylist Ursula Stephens recalled a struggle between Rihanna and the record company, who didn’t want her to cut her hair into the bob that became her signature look throughout the early 2000s. Stephens remembers that she initially only dare cut a small amount from Rihanna’s hair, due to the Def Jam representative lurking around. “She was annoying to me, and Rihanna as well, because of her constant hovering,” says Stephens. Then, just before the shoot, they conspired to defiantly cut more off, creating the defining hairstyle of aughties Rihanna.
If you’re kicking yourself for missing out on this auction, then Gotta Have Rock and Roll have two more of Rihanna’s dresses for sale. But if you’d like to purchase a more affordable piece of sartorial Rihanna memorabilia, then the good news is her lingerie line Savage x Fenty launches worldwide on May 11. Fenty forever.