Rihanna turns a Colts jersey into a chic World Cup look

Rihanna just made the case for the easiest World Cup watch-party outfit: one oversized jersey, one sleek black skirt, and almost nothing else. Her June 7 look in New York City took a chocolate-brown Colts jersey and turned it into something polished enough for fashion people and practical enough for a couch, a bar, or a backyard screen. With the 2026 World Cup now spanning 104 matches, 48 teams, and 16 host cities across Canada, Mexico, and the United States, the formula lands with real-world urgency.

Why Rihanna’s jersey works

The smartest part of the outfit is that it never tries too hard. Rihanna wore a Conner Ives jersey referencing Peyton Manning’s No. 18 Indianapolis Colts shirt, and the shape did the heavy lifting: oversized through the body, but still holding onto the V-neckline and short sleeves that keep a jersey readable as a fashion piece, not a costume. Marie Claire captured the effect neatly when it noted that Ives created “a unique silhouette that is oversized on the upper and fitted on the legs,” which is exactly why the look feels sharp instead of sloppy.

The black skirt is the quiet move that makes the whole thing work. Instead of pairing the jersey with denim or shorts, Rihanna wore it with a fitted black, knee-length skirt in textured shirring, so the top stayed sporty while the bottom read sleek and finished. That contrast, matte jersey on top, glossy texture below, keeps the outfit in fashion territory and gives you a simple rule to follow: if the jersey is loud, the skirt should be clean and body-skimming.

The capsule formula to copy

This is the shortcut: oversized jersey, black skirt, low-key shoe, minimal accessories. The jersey brings the personality, the skirt provides structure, and the shoe should not fight either one. If you want the look to feel expensive rather than themed, keep the styling restrained and let texture do the work. Think polished, not performative.

A few details make the difference between “fashion girl at kickoff” and “I found this in a bin on game day”:

• Choose a jersey with a real neckline and sleeve shape, not a boxy tee disguised as sportswear.
• Anchor it with a black skirt that hits at the knee or just below it, so the silhouette feels intentional.
• Keep accessories small and sharp, then stop. A watch, slim hoops, or one good bag is enough.
• If the shoe is bold, the rest of the outfit should calm down; if the outfit is already textured, choose something discreet underfoot.

Why Conner Ives is the brand to watch

Rihanna’s jersey works because Conner Ives has been building this lane for a while. The brand’s own lineup includes the Reconstituted Shirred US Football Top, the Reconstituted Shirred Basketball Jersey, and the Reconstituted Shirred US Football Dress, which makes the point that jersey-as-fashion is not a one-off celebrity styling trick. On the brand’s site, the football top is made from short-sleeve vintage jerseys that are disassembled and stitched with elastic thread, while Nordstrom describes a shirred soccer jersey as an upcycled, one-of-a-kind piece with a V-neck, short sleeves, and figure-flaunting shirring.

That upcycled language matters because it explains why these pieces feel special even when they are built from familiar sports codes. The Conner Ives football top is listed at £240, while the brand’s shop also shows the Reconstituted Shirred Basketball Jersey at £180 and the Reconstituted Shirred US Football Dress at £420, so the category clearly spans from top to full outfit. In other words, this is a designer answer to fan gear, with construction and rarity doing the luxury work.

How to wear the look beyond the World Cup

The beauty of this outfit is that it scales. A jersey with a skirt can work for a watch party in June, but it can also slide into late-summer dinners, concert nights, and the kind of weekend plans where you want to look styled without being overdressed. Rihanna’s version, seen while she was moving through Governors Ball-related festivities, shows how a sports piece can read elevated when the proportions are precise and the finish is controlled.

If you are building the look from scratch, start with the jersey and treat everything else as support. Choose black for the skirt, keep the shoe understated, and avoid stacking on statement jewelry that pushes the outfit back into costume. The point is not to look like you borrowed from the stadium store; it is to look like you edited sportswear until it became your easiest going-out uniform. With 48 teams and 104 matches ahead, that kind of wardrobe logic will pay off all summer.