On 5 May 2025, fashion’s power players mounted the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s storied staircase for the Met Gala, an evening that banked a record Dhs114 million for the Costume Institute and baptised New York in flashbulbs. Co‑chairs Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, Pharrell Williams, A$AP Rocky and the indefatigable Anna Wintour marshalled a crowd—from Rihanna’s late‑night bump reveal to Zendaya’s couture theatrics—under the banner “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” with a “Tailored for You” dress code honouring Black dandyism and razor‑sharp suiting. Here are the most demure looks fresh off the blue carpet.
Zendaya
Zendaya glided up the Met steps in a chalk‑white, three‑piece Louis Vuitton suit cut to razor‑sharp neatness, its elongated jacket and generous trousers nodding to 1940s zoot‑suit panache and Black dandyism. A sweeping ivory homburg, pearl boutonnière and pewter manicure completed a look that whispered bridal bravado with archival swagger.
Rihanna
Rihanna arrived fashionably last, debuting her third‑pregnancy glow in a custom Marc Jacobs suit‑inspired gown: a cropped tuxedo jacket skimming a sculpted corset, puddle‑length satin skirt, and dove‑grey knee boots. A tilted wide‑brim hat and long braids sealed a bump‑forward homage to Black dandy elegance, with minimalist jewelry.
TEMS
Tems interpreted the brief in Ozwald Boateng’s custom deep‑navy shirt‑dress traced with jade pinstripes, cinched by a matching necktie and waist corsetry. A coordinating ribbon threaded her up‑do, while a lacquered parasol accented the look’s Harlem‑Renaissance nod to Black dandy finesse.
Imaan Hammam
Magnetic as ever, the Dutch‑Egyptian‑Moroccan supermodel Imaan Hammam stunned in Magda Butrym’s milk‑white power suit—nipped waist, ballroom‑broad shoulders, sweeping palazzo legs—anchored by an inky shirt, polka‑dot tie, silver‑tipped cane and flower‑strewn feather headpiece that fluttered like improvised millinery poetry on cue.
Priyanka Chopra
Hold on to your polka dots: Priyanka Chopra Jonas appeared in Olivier Rousteing’s halter column, freckles of midnight beads orbiting pure‑white crepe, cinched by a sculptural belt, topped with a jet‑black topper and emerald Bulgari glaciers—pure, high‑fashion drama.
Lana Del Rey
Lana Del Rey channelled gothic romance in Valentino couture: a black velvet bodice melting into tobacco‑satin skirts, the back laced with floral tulle. An oversized feather‑spiked bow fanned like wings, gilded alligator hairpins and oxblood lips sealed her swamp‑sirene mystique.
Yara Shahidi
Yara Shahidi donned Jerry Lorenzo’s Fear of God tailoring: a cocoa‑brown suit—elongated jacket, kicked‑flare trousers—draped under a sable faux‑fur opera coat. Mulberry silk tie, dagger‑toe pumps, dark manicure and wet curls pushed her demure power dressing into quietly cinematic territory.
Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway flipped dandy codes in Carolina Herrera: an oversized white dress shirt framing shoulders tucked into a bead‑striped black‑silver column skirt. Sky‑scraper patent pumps, a Bulgari diamond‑sapphire showstopper necklace and a bow‑tied power ponytail sealed her polished, gender‑spliced panache.
Mona Patel
Tech entrepreneur Mona Patel ascended the Met steps in Thom Browne’s avant‑tux: sculpted corset, sweeping cape stitched with a kinetic spine, topped by Miodrag Gubernic’s hat. A 1,000‑carat emerald bowl necklace, diamond‑leashed robot dog “Vector,” and striking Rene Caovilla pumps completed her tech‑couture spectacle.
Madonna
Madonna subverted tuxedo tropes in Haider Ackermann for Tom Ford: a roomy antique‑white dinner jacket, satin bow tie, loose trousers, and a single white carnation. She wielded a cheeky unlit cigar, sheer embroidered gloves and undone ponytail, adding rakish, age‑defying swagger.
