There is no possibility that fans have missed the message of Rihanna's upcycled Connor Ives T-shirt dress.

The photo surfaced on Thursday,6 May 6, of Rihanna in New York City with her longtime partner,AAPAP Rocky. AAPAP was wearing a modest polo sweater and jeans, while Rihanna was walking in a blue graphic T-shirt dress, making a big declaration in large white letters: "I'm retired."In a smaller font, the sold-out shirt dress continues" This is as much dressed up as I get.That sentiment was translated into Rihanna's pairing of a lime green Bottega Veneta East-West bag and P90 Puma sneakers and a flute skirt dress.

The moment a photo of Rihanna's dress hit the fan account of the website formerly known as the X, fans (mildly speaking) heard that Meltdown Rihanna has not released a new album since 2016's Anti, and that the community known as Rihanna's Navy joke has been a source of controversy. The community almost a decade ago the singer's EP was also her last. The shirt, with "I'm retired" printed with a must-see letter, looked like a confirmation of their fear of their worst Spotify streaming.

"It's not expecting an album," one X user wrote while racking up hundreds of likes. Others were hoping that the shirt could work in fandom's favor: "Y'all relax, that's just the name of her new album," another said.

According to the designer behind her dress, and Rihanna's recent moves, it may not be either of those things.

Connor Ives confirmed that Rihanna's work is the brand's "30s slip Maxi dress" on Instagram. The London-based New York-born designer, who founded his eponymous brand in 2020, uses dead stock and upcycled fabrics exclusively in each piece. The vintage t-shirt used in Rihanna's dress definitely had a reason, but Ives hid the meaning: "Always sending messages

Of course, Rihanna can't actually retire because she's too busy booking otherwise. 13 (Upi)ン the latest instagrammer to announce that he has updated his Instagram page. (Yes, Marie Claire's review is coming soon.Her T-shirt dress says there are limits to the way she dresses, but her street style proves that's not the case.After skipping the 2024 Met Gala, Rihanna is out on everything from vintage outfits and dresses to slinky black leather blazers.

Then there's the music itself: it may be taking a sweet time, but both Rihanna and AAPAP Rocky are on the way, joking that the fresh song is the fact "She's working on it," Rocky told fans on May 2.

Graphic t-shirts with semi-ironic messages written are surging in celebrity street style and across the runway. At New York Fashion Week on May 2 this year, designer Batsheva Hay released a "hug" sweater knitted before in bold white letters. Dior also re-used the words used to derogate women at a recent show in Scotland. On the sidewalk, both Zendaya and Jennifer Lawrence wore Loewe's "I Told Ya" T-shirt featured in this spring's tennis movie Challengers.

As with other celebrity messages, nothing the clothes seem to say is confirmed until the person wearing them makes a statement. Therefore, for now, do not assume that Rihanna is actually "retired"."