If the Met Gala is a celebrity fashion Olympics, these stars are looking for money.
The annual fashion festival, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, returned on May 5th with a theme paying homage to the cultural influence of black menswear, as seen through the lens of dandyism. Defined as a “man who is overly devoted to style,” the black “dandy” is a term associated with black men in 18th century Europe, with smartly dressed servants appearing.
Together with this theme, this year’s Gala co-chairs are Fashionista Farrell Williams, Colmandomingo, A$AP Rocky and Lewis Hamilton.
Meanwhile, the star-studded host committee features Usher, Regina King, Spike Lee, Simone Biles, husbands Jonathan Owens, Janelle Monae, Dokii and Ayo Edebili.
Follow the USA Today picks to see celebrities dressed in the best outfits of the night (in a specific order).
Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill is gently killing us in her fashion game.
The R&B-Soul icon stole the show in a bold canary tuxedo featuring the Queen’s hood and cascade trains. Showwoman Hill posed confidently in a pair of dark sunglasses, with the crowned attendees pinning a bright yellow umbrella between the singer.
Mindy Kaling
The power suit dress has that moment, and we are grateful to Mindy Kaling.
The Emmy-nominated actress and producer ordered the red carpet in a glowing trim blazer and matching skirt with the help of several decorative gold buckles. The masculine aesthetic of the appearance is elegantly softened with a red and white cape.
Doechii
“Swamp Princess” should be crowned the queen of fashion.
The rap star’s dokiy was a breath of fresh air on the red carpet with a suitable ensemble that pushed the boundaries of traditional menswear. Louis Vuitton’s numbers briefly juxtaposed contrast patterns, but silky burgundy bowtie and matching socks provided a preppy swagger.
Alicia Keys and Swiz Beats
For Alica Keys and Swizz Beatz, the couple dressed together will be together.
The R&B singer-songwriter and rapper producer made a big swing in roughly the same scarlet pinstripe suits. Key enhanced her appearance with a pillow-like shawl and beaded wig, while Beats coolly chose streetwear with red marsh and black sunglasses.
Shaboozy
Shaboozey is dumping the rules book for the music and fashion department.
The genre-bending rapper and singer were hermaphrodite dreams in black and turquoise suits. The trimmed blazer and beaded tops were infused with feminine accents to create a look.
Lewis Hamilton
The British race car driver was an ivory vision wearing an elegant suit, paired it with a white collared shirt and matching bowtie.
Hamilton concluded the look with a chic news boy cap and a pair of gold and silver pendants.
The Oscar-nominated actor pretended to be a service scene with a two-part appearance that exudes the fashion whimsicality that made Domingo a red carpet beloved.
Domingo was wearing a gorgeous royal blue gown on the red carpet and boasted an enlarged sparkly collar. The actor tracked the appearance in an ensemble featuring a more modest but equally great – a pearl-weathered blazer, a polka dot handkerchief tie and a flower brooch.
Earlier that day, in a media preview of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute’s Spring Exhibition, “Superfin: Black Style Tailoring, Domingo recalls his brother, stepfather, biological father and three men who shaped his sense of fashion.
Perhaps the flashiest of the three was his father, Colman, also named, whose wardrobe ranged from “white, very tight, Italian flare pants” to “a preacher’s robe that showed another part of him representing the Lord.”
Emma Chamberlain
Chamberlain may break the internet with this dapper flock.
Social media personality was surprised by the red carpet wearing sophisticated pinstripe dresses that reflected the vivid tailoring of menswear suits. The dress’s halter collar and the flowing train feature a refreshing, feminine twist on the black dandy theme.
Zedaya
Zendaya, aka The Met Gala Diva, is working on it again.
The Emmy-winning actress and fashion icon, who co-chaired the 2024 Met Gala, has returned in a sharp cream suit and matching hat. The large wave headpiece couldn’t hide the intensely smoldering Zendaya she showed as she posed on the red carpet.
Jeremy O. Harris
Harris has proven that nostalgia can be timeless.
The actor and playwright jumped into the navy blue and white Balmain suits, paying homage to black jockey James Winkfield and the black dandy culture of the early 1900s. The expanded Lavallière Bowtie and Red Fabergé Egg Ring showed a touch of Campi’s talent.
Zoe Saldanya
Saldaña works together in her own way to take names.
The Oscar-winning actress was surprised by Tom Brown’s beaded pinstripe dress. The refined black and white patterns sparkled the Frock’s carved bodice room, while the delicate skirt gave the suit a feminine contrast.
Diana Ross
Ross is something that “comes out” and the fashion world certainly knows that.
Wearing a white gown decorated with jewels from her personal archives, the pop icon created a spectacular entrance on an 18-foot train and a cape with white feathers. Ross was pinched by his son, actor and singer Evan Ross, and helped him adjust her oversized feathered hat.
Bad Bunny
You can remove El Conejo from Puerto Rico, but you can’t retrieve PR from Bad Bunny.
The Reggaeton superstar and former co-chair of Met Gala have given a playful Puerto Rican twist to the black dandy theme in a crisp espresso brown suit. He paired it with a custom-made Prada ensemble and a nasty hat similar to Pava, a traditional straw hat made from the palm leaves of a Puerto Rican hat.
Sabrina Carpenter
That carpenter’s espresso is still a hot pipe.
The Grammy-winning pop star baked a red carpet in a Merlot pinstripe bodysuit and a Louis Vuitton cropped blazer. Carpenter showed us a pinup girl Zhuzh on a faint train.
Cynthia Eribo
Erivo “reverses gravity” in one or more ways.
The Oscar-nominated actress and “evil” stars were radiated in black flower-adored dresses. The ensemble’s notable shoulder pads showed a man’s edge, but the vast skirts supported by red carpet staff were rented out for an etheric finish.
Contribution: Anika Reed, USA Today
