NEW YORK (AP) – Rihanna called off the rainy Met Gala on Monday in a pinstriped look and big hat, showing off her newly announced baby bump after announcing earlier in the day that she was pregnant with her third child.
Her Marc Jacobs look included tied sleeves on a men’s suit, acting as a bustle behind her as she posed for the cameras and ended with her usual walk on the carpet. Her hair fell long behind her like a mermaid.
Men’s suiting and tailoring was the theme of the evening. There was a choir in tuxedos and plenty of women sporting pinstripes and other men’s details. Emma Chamberlain, Zendaya, Teyana Taylor, and many more embraced traditional men’s details.
Chamberlain and Zuri Hall were among those who ascended the Grand Staircase of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in sleek, sexy gowns paired with pinstripe men’s suits. Last year’s co-host Zendaya wore a perfectly tailored white pantsuit with a matching wide-brimmed Louis Vuitton hat.
Janelle Monáe embodied the night’s Black Dandy theme in exaggerated pinstripes by Thom Browne. Lauryn Hill celebrated menswear with an exaggeratedly tailored butter yellow suit that screamed black power.
William Dingle, style director at blackmenswear.com, a cultural influencer focused on the upliftment of black men, said the vibe of menswear for women was often seen and expected. “Women want to respect the theme but still maintain traditionally feminine dress silhouettes.”
Alicia Keys and husband Swizz Beatz rocked red pinstripes. She rocked her bejeweled braided head. He shook the rug.
Always fearless when it comes to fashion, Doja Cat rocked a Marc Jacobs bodysuit with orange and black wildcat detailing and wide shoulder pinstripes. Taylor opted for a stunning zoot suit look with a red top hat adorned with feathers and a matching giant cape dripping with flowers and glitter. She collaborated with famous costume designer Ruth E. Carter.
Zoots became popular in Harlem in the 1940s.
Madonna is “no stranger to gender-bending fashion,” Dingle said, appearing in a black-and-white taupe tuxedo clutching a cigar. The designer who took over after Ford stepped down was Tom Ford by Haider Ackermann.
Kylie Jenner wore Ferragamo and mimicked men’s tailoring in a gray and black corset, while her sister Kim Kardashian looked dandy in embossed black leather, tucked under a tall black hat. Her custom look was by Chrome Hearts. It is hung low, open at the hips, and has wide straps at the back.
Sister Kendall Jenner wore the most subdued and elegant skirt and jacket of the three. The designer is Tricheju Dumi, a British-Nigerian-Brazilian designer.
Colman Domingo and Pharrell Williams celebrate black fashion at the Met Gala
May 7, 2025
Colman Domingo and Pharrell Williams celebrate black fashion at the Met Gala
May 7, 2025
Rihanna debuts new baby bump at Met Gala
And then there was a bombshell statement…
Includes Megan Thee Stallion in Michael Kors and Dua Lipa in black Chanel. Megan’s look featured a high side slit and floral lace embellishments. Lipa wore a flapper with her wings raised high and her hair styled in “S” curls. And Miley Cyrus oozed femininity in a custom cropped black crocodile jacket and long black taffeta skirt by Alaia.
Meanwhile, Diana Ross swallowed the carpet inside a giant white train escorted by her son Evan Ross.
Lizzo debuted her blonde hair with a plunging front in a pink and black Christian Siriano dress. Her legs were so tight that she had trouble walking.
Cardi B, always a big hit at the Met Gala, stunned in a low-cut Burberry pantsuit. She showed off her new hairstyle and eye color, and appeared to be wearing green contacts to match her ivy-colored look.
notable men among men
As for men, co-host A$AP Rocky told The Associated Press that Anna Wintour suggested wearing clothes by black designers.
“That’s why I wore mine,” the musician said of the custom suit designed by his creative agency AWGE, complete with a black hoodie and diamond-emblem umbrella. “Everything is of your own design.”
Rocky, Rihanna’s partner and father of her two children, confirmed to reporters that baby number three is on the way. He spoke out about Rihanna after she was photographed walking in the rain with her baby in a blue crop top and skirt.
“It feels amazing, you know,” Rocky said. “It’s time to show people what we’ve prepared. And I’m happy that everyone is happy for us, because we’re definitely happy.”
“Honestly, it’s still a blessing, because I know people in other situations sometimes envy others. But for the most part, we’ve seen love, and we’ve really embraced it and appreciated it. You know what I mean? It’s love. Love is love.”
Dress code explanation
What exactly was the proposed dress code for the night? “Tailored for You” was inspired by black dandyism. So what exactly is the Met Gala for? To raise funds for the Mets Costume Association. The gala raised a record $31 million before it even began.
Nikki Ogunnaike, editor-in-chief of Marie Claire, noted that several trends are working.
“Top trends of the night: black and white (Zoe Saldaña, Whoopi Goldberg, Gabrielle Union), pinstripes (Alicia Keys, Swizz Beat), suits (Lupita Nyong’o, Ego Nwodim), hats (Lupita Nyong’o, Whoopi Goldberg, Teyana Taylor).”
Learn more about men
Colman Domingo, one of the evening’s hosts, wore a pleated gold-embellished cape over a gray and black suit, his jacket featuring a pearl-studded windowpane with large dots of black flowers. His look, with his cape and dotted black scarf around his neck, was reminiscent of the late fashion icon Andre Leon Talley, who made history as the rare black editor of Vogue magazine.
Domingo, wearing Valentino, arrived with Vogue magazine’s Winter, wearing a pastel blue coat over a sparkling white dress by gala sponsor Louis Vuitton. Co-co-chair Lewis Hamilton wore a classy ivory tuxedo with a cropped jacket, matching beret and cowrie shell embellishments.
There was a deep meaning in Hamilton’s expression.
“The color of the ivory represents purity and status. The majestic belt becomes shamanic as it passes from hand to hand,” he wrote on Instagram.
Claire Stern Milch, digital director at Elle, added: “The F1 star, known for championing black designers, has once again used his platform to celebrate heritage and creativity on one of fashion’s biggest stages.”
Domingo has embodied modern dandyism in a variety of looks over the years.
Another co-host, Pharrell Williams, kept a low profile in a double-breasted beaded evening jacket and dark trousers. He maintained his dark hue while posing for the cameras. Williams walked with his wife, Helen Lasichan, wearing a black bodysuit and matching jacket.
Williams, Louis Vuitton’s menswear creative director, said the jacket took 400 hours to make, with 15,000 pearls arranged in a pinstripe design.
Walton Goggins, this year’s guest along with other members of “The White Lotus,” wore a deconstructed suit look with the seams removed, twirling his pleated skirt for the camera.
NBA superstar LeBron James was named honorary chairman for the night, but resigned at the last minute due to a knee injury.
Other standout Met Gala looks
Monica L. Miller, whose book inspired the evening, wore a bejeweled cropped cape over a cowrie shell-embellished dress by Grace Wales Bonner. This is directly related to the spring exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a partner of the gala, for which Miller was guest curator.
Who else has beaten the menswear competition? Coco Jones wears an ivory tuxedo coat with a train over matching pants, both covered in chunky embellishments.
“Coco Jones was definitely on board,” Dingle said. “I love the pearl and jewel embellishments here, the long coat, and even the necklace. She’s tall, so the long coat makes her legs look even longer. It’s a great look.”
Her look was created by Indian designer Manish Malhotra. She said she wants to do everything in her power to celebrate black excellence.
Gigi Hadid, on the other hand, was completely female. She lifted the Josephine Baker spirit in a shimmering velvet gold halter neck dress by Miu Miu, with hip hugs being a big trend for the ladies’ night.
Once a fashion rebel, Bad Bunny wore a custom black Prada suit. The most detailed detail is his woven hat, which appears to be a reference to the paba, a straw hat related to the jíbaros of Puerto Rico.
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This article has been updated to correct the name of Marie Claire Editor-in-Chief Nikki Ogunnaike and Elle Digital Director Claire Stern Milch.
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Associated Press writers Gary Hamilton, Beatrice Dupuis, Jocelyn Noveck and Maria Sherman contributed to this article.
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For complete coverage of the Met Gala, visit https://apnews.com/hub/met-gala.
