Fashion’s biggest night comes out to play annually in New York City on the first Monday of May, where the biggest names in art, culture, fashion, film, theatre, music, sports, technology and more gather to celebrate the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute’s spring exhibition.
This year, the institute’s theme was ‘Superfine: Tailoring Black Style’ and the gala’s dress code was ‘tailored for you’. With a significant theme filled with so much potential for drama and flair, it was perhaps no surprise that several celebrities arrived in outfits that none of us will forget in a hurry.
Here are seven of the most memorable we saw.
André 3000
The Grammy-award-winning musician and rapper showed up rocking a baby grand piano on his back while dressed in a custom workwear-inspired Burberry look and a single gold vintage bangle on his wrist. To add to his musically out-there outfit, André also surprise released a new EP titled ‘7 Piano Sketches‘ while arriving at the Met.
Teyana Taylor
Talk about exuberance to the max – the amazing Teyana Taylor – who was one of the first to arrive at the Met steps – came to show everyone she was not playing games.
Draped in a fabulous red cape and gray, red and black pinstriped suit created in collaboration by American costume designer Ruth E. Carter and Marc Jacobs, Taylor embodied the idea of Black dandyism with aplomb. As well as this incredible outfit, she adorned it with a glorious David Yurman 18k white gold necklace fit for a queen – and some sparkling brooches that adorned her shoulder. It’s a look we will never forget.
Diljit Dosanjh
Indian actor and musician Diljit Dosanjh arrived in a showstopping regal ensemble designed by Prabal Gurung. The outfit was based on archival images of the maharaja.
Speaking to The New York Times, Dosanjh’s stylist, Abhilasha Devnani, shared that she tried to borrow the maharaja’s luxurious Cartier-commissioned 1,000-carat diamond necklace — the largest necklace the French jeweller has ever made. Sadly, the necklace is currently housed in a museum, so Devani commissioned the Indian jeweller Golecha’s to create both a necklace and turban brooch inspired by the maharaja’s opulent Cartier piece.
Natasha Poonawalla
The Indian businesswoman, philanthropist, and fashion icon arrived dripping in pearls wearing one of the most interesting outfits of the night.
Her lavish gown was created by South Asian designer Manish Malhotra and featured an extravagant fishtail skirt with two vintage Gara sarees that were hand-sewn onto the ensemble. Alongside this, there were layers of pearls and a stunning dress ring all from Poonawalla’s personal collection.
Halle Bailey
Grammy-nominated singer and actress Halle Bailey arrived sporting a custom Coach mini dress, which featured a peak-lapel pinstripe evening jacket in navy and cream wool crafted with dramatic hourglass proportions. The look correlated to the night’s theme by honouring the legacy of American tailoring and Coach’s enduring heritage of craftsmanship, authenticity and self-expression.
Bailey also sported a black beaded veil with her outfit and accessorised in Zales jewellery including rings that were made with marquise-cut lab-grown diamonds and earrings made with emerald lab-grown diamonds.
Joey King
Making her stunning Met Gala debut, actress Joey King wore a custom Miu Miu suit which was adorned head to toe with shimmering, mirror-like patches.
The eccentric suit was paired with clashing patterns – a checkerboard shirt, swirling neck tie and triangle-patterned neckscarf. She also paired the outfit with glorious bijou in the form of a pair of white gold and diamond earrings and several statement rings from New York jeweller Gabriel & Co. The look worked beautifully, making this one of the best looks of the night and certainly one of the best Met debut outfits so far.
Janelle Monáe
The fabulous Janelle Monáe stunned everyone on the carpet in her usual idiosyncratic style. The singer, songwriter, rapper, producer, and actor sported a Thom Browne custom-made surreal trompe l’oiel cape that featured an image of a dandy style suit along with a bowler hat with a functioning clock monocle.
The real showstopper of her outfit was the reveal of her black and red fitted suit with exaggerated shoulders and sinched waist, which was accessorised with a massive 5.5-carat emerald-cut stone brooch that was crafted by jewellery designer Jonathan Raksha out of actual liquid 1800 Cristalino tequila.
Like this? Take a closer look at Pharrell Williams’ custom pearl jacket and check out all of the best jewellery looks from the Met Gala 2025 red carpet.
