[starttext]
By SARAH BULL
Festive spirit: Rihanna turned on the Christmas lights in London's Westfield Centre this eveningSome people might argue it's too early to start thinking about Christmas.
But Rihanna got into the festive spirit today as she arrived to turn on the Christmas lights in London's Westfield Centre wearing a bright red skirt and quirky headscarf.
The 22-year-old singer teamed her colourful skirt with a chic grey wool bustier top and suede heels.
Quirky Christmas style: Rihanna wore a red skirt teamed with a chic grey wool bustier and suede heels for the eventAnd luckily for her, Rihanna's bright red hair proved the perfect accessory for her festive outfit.
Rihanna was joined by a group of children from the Help A London Child charity as she counted down to illuminate the shopping centre, before performing for 100 lucky fans.
Michael Gutman, managing director of Westfield, said before the event: 'We are incredibly excited that Rihanna is launching Christmas for Westfield London.
'She is a global star and has enormous appeal to our customers. Not only is her music of the moment she is also a fashion icon.'
Thousands of people turned up in a bid to catch a glimpse of their icon, causing Rihanna to tweet: 'Westfield Mall, London! Its BANANAS in here!'
Rihanna's little helpers: The singer was joined on stage by a group of children from Help A London Child
Keen fans: Thousands of people flooded the centre in a bid to catch a glimpse of the pop superstarRihanna had made a mad dash from Barbados, where she had yesterday been paying her respects to the late Prime Minister of Barbados David Thompson at his funeral, to get to the Westfield centre in time for tonight's event.
The Umbrella singer has been working on new music in recent months and will release her new album Loud on November 16.
And as well as collaborating with stars including Eminem on the hit track Love The Way You Lie, Rihanna recently revealed she has started writing with one of her best friends, Katy Perry.
The magic moment: Rihanna is joined by George Lamb and the children as she counts down to the illumination of the centre
Giggles: The singer looked delighted as the lights were turned onShe said: ''We're actually working on some music together - hell yeah.
'I would love to tour with Katy. She's a rock star. And when I see her live, she just brings such a fun vibe, like a colourful rock star.'
Rihanna's revelation comes after she sparked rumours she had fallen out with the I Kissed A Girl singer after missing her wedding to Russell Brand.
Greeting her fans: Rihanna blew a kiss at her fans, and got an adoring glance from one young fanBut Rihanna told Ryan Seacrest she was overcome with guilt that work commitments caused her to miss the ceremony.
She said: 'I will never ever forgive myself for that, it was a crazy time, it was a crazy week, I'm switching management.
'There was no phone service in India and very little-to-no internet service, so it would have been a little irresponsible of me. I'm sad that I missed it.'
Sparkles: The stunning Christmas lights in the centre
source: dailymail [endtext]
