Swedish pop icon Robyn just reminded everyone why she’s impossible to pin down—and why that’s exactly the point.
Her performance of “Sexistential” on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Thursday night opened with the singer in a shoulder stand, red leather pants pointed skyward, before rolling into a full-body interpretive dance that defied every expectation of what a late-night TV performance should look like.
The outfit? Equally defiant.
And according to fashion critics, it perfectly encapsulated both the artist wearing it and the designer who created it.
Versace’s Lost Collection Gets Its Spotlight
Robyn wore pieces from Italian designer Dario Vitale’s debut—and only—collection for Versace, created before his unexpected departure from the fashion house in December.
The ensemble featured high-waisted red leather trousers that became the visual anchor of her performance, paired with a white cotton t-shirt and black leather waistcoat embroidered with gold swirling patterns. A single embellished elbow-length glove completed the look, channeling equal parts punk rock and 1980s excess.
Versace’s press materials described Vitale’s collection as “uncomplicated elegance, unbound by inhibition.”
Fashion observers noted the irony: while the “unbound by inhibition” part rang true, the elegance felt anything but uncomplicated. Critics praised the collection as daring, original, and delightfully wacky—a rejection of safe commercial viability in favor of unexpected creative risks.
When Artist Meets Designer Philosophy
Fashion critics pointed out the perfect synergy between Vitale’s design philosophy and Robyn’s personal style evolution.
The Swedish musician has spent decades cultivating what insiders describe as a madcap sense of style that thrives on visual contradictions. Her fashion choices have consistently puzzled newcomers while delighting longtime fans who’ve learned to expect the unexpected.
Her sartorial history reads like a masterclass in clashing:
- A 2011 red carpet appearance featuring a peach-toned kimono, two white leather belts, painted striped capri-length leggings, and green Prada canvas open-toed brogues with wedge platform heels
- A 2016 MoMA garden party look consisting of a sequined ’70s-style jumpsuit by Michael Halpern where one leg featured an entirely different pattern than the rest
- Countless other appearances built on what fashion writers call a “fashion palette built on clashing”
The Outfit That Matched the Music
Thursday’s Versace ensemble started making more sense once viewers heard the song itself.
“Sexistential”—the title track from Robyn’s upcoming March album and her first new music since 2018—proved just as disorienting as her outfit. The lyrics bounce chaotically between struggles with IVF treatments, attraction to actor Adam Driver, and spending habits on Etsy.
Fashion commentators noted that the visual presentation perfectly mirrored the sonic experience: both refuse to be easily categorized or digested.
Those Red Leather Pants Did the Heavy Lifting
While multiple elements contributed to the overall look, critics identified the firetruck-red leather trousers as the outfit’s focal point—what one writer called a “sexual center of gravity.”
Robyn ran her hands over them, thrusted in them, and splayed her legs wide during the performance. Fashion historians drew connections to punk rock icons like Chrissie Hynde, Joan Jett, and Marianne Faithfull, who similarly used leather pants as both armor and statement.
But there was one crucial difference: Robyn’s pants featured a straight leg cut instead of skin-tight.
That design choice wasn’t aesthetic—it was functional, providing the room necessary for her signature interpretive dance movements.
The Michael Jackson Touch
Fashion critics couldn’t help noticing the single glittering glove, an obvious nod to Michael Jackson’s iconic accessory.
Combined with the embroidered waistcoat’s resemblance to Giovanni Versace’s 1980s aesthetic, the look became a time-traveling collision of musical eras and influences. Punk met pop royalty met Italian luxury fashion, all filtered through Robyn’s singular artistic lens.
The styling choices reinforced what longtime observers already knew: Robyn treats fashion like her music—as a space for experimentation, contradiction, and refusing to be boxed into any single category.
Why This Moment Mattered
Fashion industry watchers emphasized the significance of Robyn choosing to showcase Vitale’s brief Versace tenure.
His collection represented a creative risk that major fashion houses rarely take—prioritizing artistic vision over guaranteed commercial success. By wearing these pieces on national television, Robyn gave visibility to a collection that might otherwise have been overshadowed by the designer’s sudden exit.
The performance also demonstrated something critics say gets lost in contemporary pop culture: major artists can still use television appearances as genuine artistic statements rather than just promotional obligations.
Nothing about Thursday’s performance felt calculated for mass appeal. From the shoulder-stand opening to the deliberately challenging outfit to the lyrically chaotic song, Robyn rejected every conventional wisdom about how to introduce new music on late-night television.
Fashion commentators noted that her constrictive leather outfit never limited her movement—she writhed, rolled, and danced exactly how she wanted, proving that authentic artistic expression doesn’t require comfort or conformity.
For both Robyn and Vitale’s Versace collection, the message remained consistent: real creativity thrives in the uncomfortable spaces where elegance gets complicated and inhibitions disappear entirely.