Rihanna lit up the town, literally.  She had the honor of lighting the Empire State Building on the third annual Cartier Declare Your Love Day, Thursday June 19, 2008 in New York City.

For those tourists who could stand the hot, crowded, seemingly endless line to the Empire State Building’s Observation Deck on Thursday afternoon, there was a treat beyond the legendary view. At the top was singer Rihanna, bedecked in a Cartier tiara and a short printed dress.

There to help Cartier North America president and chief executive officer Frédéric de Narp switch on the building’s lights to red in honor of Love Day, Rihanna (who is said to be dating Chris Brown) said that while she is “not in love” at the moment, she is in love with the tiara she loaned from the company for the event.

“My tiara is a little street,” she said of the pricey gemstone studded headpiece which was worn to the side. “Well, the tiara isn’t really street…I moved it to the side so it’s a little rock n’ roll.” De Narp and his team few in from Los Angeles late Wednesday night, where the company threw its third annual love event, which was attended by the likes of Janet Jackson and Fergie.

Source: WWD - View From the Top

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• Video & Photos: Rihanna on MTV TRL 6-17-08 “Take a Bow”
• Rihanna - “Take a Bow” (Music Video)

Photos: Rihanna at Cartier Love Day Empire State Building Lighting 6-19-08