If there’s one occasion that A$AP Rocky loves getting all dressed up for even more than going out to dinner at Carbone, it’s going out to dinner at Carbone for his birthday.
On Tuesday, Rocky rang in the big 35 with a celebratory meal at his favorite NYC Italian restaurant alongside Rihanna and friends., The new parents of two did not let the opportunity to pull out some real fashion stops pass them by. Rih wore a frilly all-black ensemble by the Danish brand Cecilie Bahnsen, while the birthday boy layered up in a big, boxy plaid blazer over a gray crewneck sweatshirt, with a white Oxford shirt and gray tie peeking out from underneath. (It was an unseasonable 67°F in New York City last night, far too warm for three torso-covering layers, but if you’re famous that sort of thing is really neither here nor there.) He continued his slouchy layering with Bottega Veneta’s baggy, light-wash trompe l’oeil leather jeans and a pair of thick-soled black derbies, punctuating the ensemble with a truly massive bubblegum-pink, Intrecciato-woven Bottega bag (has Jacob Elordi seen these yet?!). Up top, he sported a scalp full of pearl-covered barrettes that he matched, naturally, with a pair of pearly clip-on earrings.
There was something a little pink polo era about the whole look, feeling both preppy and newfangled at the same time—as though Rocky got dressed both in the past and in the future.
Last year, when A$AP Rocky celebrated turning 34 with a dinner at a different Italian restaurant in Los Angeles, he wore a slinky, double-breasted Celine suit—a classic move that felt strangely forward-thinking. Rocky and Rihanna are especially good at that: making totally normal outfit choices—like wearing a suit out to a nice dinner—feel new and exciting. The next time you have occasion to dress up, don’t hold back: Wear the suit, put on the pearl earrings, carry the humongous pink handbag. Consider it a birthday gift you’re giving to A$AP Rocky, and maybe also to yourself.