Mel Ottenberg styled Rihanna from 2011 to 2018 and now leads Interview. Shop fall coats, knitwear, denim and shoes from designers in his fashion work.
Mel Ottenberg Stylist: Rihanna's Met Gala Looks and Fall Designer Clothing
The stylist behind Rihanna's most discussed fashion moments, with coats, knitwear, denim, bags and shoes from his designer work.
Mel Ottenberg's work moves from Rihanna to Interview
Mel Ottenberg is a fashion stylist and editor in chief of Interview. He styled Rihanna from 2011 to 2018, became 032c's fashion director in 2013, and joined Interview as creative director in 2018 before becoming editor in chief in 2021.
Vogue's account of their Met Gala looks runs from Tom Ford in 2012 and Stella McCartney in 2014 to Guo Pei in 2015 and Maison Margiela in 2018. Daily Front Row named him editor in chief of the year in 2022. I wanted this winter edit to share that mix of strong silhouettes, rich texture and a little risk.
Cold-weather outerwear and tailored wool layers
Double-breasted paneled shearling-trimmed glossed-leather coat
Alaïa
$13,800
Cropped wool-felt blazer
ALAÏA
$3,900
Belted double-breasted wool-felt coat
Balmain
$5,390
Paneled cropped satin jacket
Balmain
$2,990
mireille ruched cotton gabardine trench coat
Calvin Klein Collection
$2,500
Aura wool-twill blazer
Calvin Klein Collection
$680
Belted leather-trimmed wool trench coat
Lanvin
$3,900
Peplum ribbed-trim wool and cashmere-blend midi dress
Lanvin
$2,200
Denim, soft knits and off-duty track pants
Mel Track Pants
RE/DONE
$250
90s High Rise Loose distressed straight-leg jeans
RE/DONE
$177
Horsebit-detailed wool sweater
Gucci
$1,600
Horsebit-detail coated low-rise wide-leg jeans
GUCCI
$1,500
Ribbed alpaca and yak wool-blend zip-up cardigan
Lemaire
$1,850
Five Pockets Twisted coated mid-rise straight-leg jeans
LEMAIRE
$1,290
Paneled Ribbed Wool-Blend Sweater
Stella McCartney
$1,575
High-rise slim-leg jeans
STELLA MCCARTNEY
$790
Designers in Ottenberg's orbit and the Mel by RE/DONE find
In a 2013 Fashionista interview, Ottenberg named Givenchy, Azzedine Alaïa and Lanvin among the labels he and Rihanna liked to pull. BoF also lists campaigns for Gucci, Nike, Tom Ford, Calvin Klein, Dior and Diesel, while a 2019 Interview editorial credits him with styling Saint Laurent.
These four grids pull out coats, knitwear, denim, bags and shoes from designer relationships documented in the press. The official Mel by RE/DONE collection page showed no products, so I included the collaboration's Mel Track Pants from Bloomingdale's, where size L was marked low stock on November 4, 2026.
Suede, plush trim and shearling accessories
Shark Pinch leather over-the-knee boots
Givenchy
$3,190
Pinch leather knee boots
Givenchy
$1,990
Le 5 À 7 Cassandre-embellished suede tote
Saint Laurent
$3,400
Cassandre leather-trimmed shearling shoulder bag
SAINT LAURENT
$2,300
Cropped plush-trimmed wool-blend jacket
Self-Portrait
$740
Cropped frayed wool and cotton-blend knitted jacket
SELF-PORTRAIT
$650
Gathered suede jacket
TOM FORD
$9,980
Cropped mohair and silk-blend sweater
TOM FORD
$2,750
Statement sneakers, suede boots and evening shoes
Air Rift leopard-print leather-trimmed calf-hair split-toe sneakers
NIKE
$135
Moon leather-trimmed shell sneakers
NIKE
$105
suede trimmed leather sneakers
Dries Van Noten
$585
Calf-hair sneakers
Dries Van Noten
$955
Gore 30 suede over-the-knee boots
MANOLO BLAHNIK
$2,150
Maysale 70 buckled suede pumps
MANOLO BLAHNIK
$1,045
Elisawalk 100 buckled shearling-lined leather ankle boots
CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN
$2,395
Miss Z 80 suede ankle boots
CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN
$1,495
Where I would start with Mel Ottenberg's style
Begin with a coat or a plush-trimmed jacket, then keep the rest simple. For a dressier finish, I would choose either a Saint Laurent suede tote or a Manolo Blahnik over-the-knee boot. Ottenberg's work with Rihanna reminds me that one well-considered idea can carry an entire look.
