Rihanna’s Leggy Zebra Print Look for Girls’ Night Out in NYC

Rihanna put on a leggy display in a fashionable ensemble as she joined her BFF Melissa Forde for a girls’ night out in New York City on Friday.

The Umbrella songstress, 36 – who made history by becoming the top female solo artist with the most diamond-certified hits – stopped by the hotspot, Pergola, to enjoy a tasty dinner.

The mother-of-two dressed for the occasion in a busty minidress that was concealed by a zebra-striped jacket that stopped a few inches above her knees.

She additionally slipped into a pair of closed-toed, black heels to coincide with the color scheme of the outfit, and also added a sparkling anklet on her right leg.

Her locks were styled into a chic up do, easily revealing a pair mini, silver earrings that dazzled under the bright lights.

The Fenty Beauty founder further accessorized the ensemble with glittering necklaces as well as black shades. 

Rihanna also carried a black purse which was draped over her arm to hold a few items she needed during the night. 

Her makeup was glammed up, and comprised of a warm blush and contour to better accentuate her cheekbones. A glossy, nude-colored tint was also worn on her lips for a finishing touch. 

The Love On The Brain hitmaker was seen arriving to the restaurant in the Big Apple, and embraced her best friend who greeted her near the entrance. 

Forde – who is a photographer and boasts nearly 1 million Instagram followers – flashed an excited smile upon seeing Rihanna arrive to the eatery. 

Both Rihanna and Melissa have been close pals for many years, and have also been seen together on various occasions. 

Most recently, the singer notably attended Forde’s birthday bash last month in April which was held at The Nice Guy in Hollywood. 

At the time, she donned a figure-hugging, leopard minidress which was layered with a Dolce & Gabbana coat that flowed down behind her for a dramatic flare. 

And earlier this year in February, Melissa took to her main Instagram page to share a sweet tribute on the Grammy winner’s 36th birthday. 

Along with sharing throwback snaps of the pair, the photographer penned, ‘Happyyy Birthdayyy @badgalriri.’ 

‘From then till now in this lifetime and the next I’m riding for you right by your side through it all! But you already knew that!! Love you faeva evaaa. now back to the bday shenanigans cuz we celebrating till March 20th.’ 

During the nighttime outing in Manhattan, Rihanna was not accompanied by partner A$AP Rocky – whom she was confirmed to be dating in 2021. The couple share sons RZA, two, and Riot, nearly 10 months. 

The star’s outing comes shortly after she achieved a major accomplishment in her career. 

Rihanna made history as she broke another record and was named the top solo female artist with the most diamond-certified hits in her acclaimed discography.

She took to X, formerly Twitter, to humbly brag about the new notch in her belt and wrote: ‘Ain’t no back [and] forth.’

The multihyphenate artist – who said she has ‘a lot of visual ideas’ for a new album – had previously been tied with several other artists with three diamond releases.

However, she has now earned another four diamond certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), leaving her competitors behind as she now has a record-breaking total of seven. 

According to the official RIAA website, her and Jay-Z’s 2007 collaborative hit Umbrella earned a diamond plaque as well as Work, her 2016 release with Drake.

Anti’s Needed Me and Unapologetic’s Stay have also reached diamond-certified status as of May 31.

Very fittingly, the announcement comes shortly after her 2012 single Diamonds also went diamond in April.

Her diamond discography also includes her 2010 collaborative hit song with Eminem, Love the Way You Lie, which was diamond-certified in May 2013.

Her and Calvin Harris’ 2011 single We Found Love also earned her a shining bright plaque in April 2023.

In celebration of the major feat, she tweeted a graphic naming her the ‘Most Diamond Singles for a Female Artist’ as well as ‘Most Diamond Certified Titles for a Female Artist.’

Her music label Roc Nation, which was founded by Jay-Z in 2008, also congratulated her for making music history with her seven diamond plaques.

Her loyal fanbase also joined in on the celebration but pointed out that they are still waiting for R9 as it has been eight years – and four months and one day, to be exact, or 100 months total – since she dropped Anti in 2016.

Although Rihanna has never officially announced her retirement from music, it doesn’t appear to be one of her priorities at the moment.

In recent years, she has remained busy and kept focused on other projects, including her makeup line Fenty Beauty, skincare brand Fenty Skin and lingerie company Savage X Fenty.

However, while talking to Interview Magazine last month in April, Rihanna revealed that she ‘a lot of visual ideas’ for her ninth studio album. 

‘I have a lot of visual ideas. It’s weird. My brain is working backward right now,’ the singer explained to the outlet. 

‘I usually have the music first, and the music leads me into all of these visual opportunities, and now I’m having all of these visuals, and I don’t have the songs for them yet, but maybe that’s the key, this time.’ 

The star added, ‘Maybe the visual ideas are leading me to the songs that I need to make.’ 

In regards to what has inspired the music on the anticipated album, Rihanna stated, ‘Random ideas, quirky ideas, things that have nothing to do with me at all. I mean, I can’t tell you. The opps is watching.’