Rihanna's Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show performance was the moment. The iconic singer revealed that she's pregnant to an audience of millions, and she reminded the world how many absolute bangers her catalog has too.
And it seems like one part of Rihanna's outfit — specifically, a huge red coat that she wore for the entirety of the performance — was a special tribute to a close friend of hers who was also a fashion icon.
The icon in question? Fashion journalist and former Vogue editor-at-large André Leon Talley, who passed away in January of last year.
One of the many iconic looks André frequently donned was a red Norma Kamali sleeping bag coat, which you can see him wearing in the picture below.
As previously mentioned, André and Rihanna were friends with an effortless rapport — here's a video of them in conversation at the 2014 Met Gala:
View this video on YouTube
So it's not out of the question to assume that the big red coat Rihanna sported during the performance was a tribute to André — and plenty on Twitter agreed:
André Leon Talley would be loving this red cape. Rihanna is mother.
delusional kanye fans thinking rihanna’s halftime performance outfit was an homage to kanye & not the legend andre leon talley himself …
Everyone who knew André Leon Talley knew he loved him some @rihanna. Im glad she paid homage to him last night with her look. So cute! 🥰
I am very touched Rihanna paid tribute to André Leon Talley. He really did have so much love for her.
Rihanna ended her show wearing one of the late Andre Leon Talley’s recently auctioned iconic @normakamali coats from Christie’s. Fucking ICONIC!!! I’m so emotional. Andre LOVED Rih. Her gaze up at the stars ⭐️ at the end may have been a silent tribute to him 🕊
The Instagram page for André Leon Talley also acknowledged the tribute in a post that featured André wearing the coat. “'When the sun shines, we'll shine together. Told you I'll be here forever… said I'll always be your friend'. @badgalriri 🎈," the caption read.
And that's how history was made.
