The Powerful Hidden Meanings Behind All These Met Gala Looks Tell a Deeper Story You Missed

From start to finish, actor Damson Idris’ grand reveal at the Met Gala was something special. Not only did he drive to the Met in a race car, but after the actor’s fashionably late arrival wearing a custom Tommy Hilfiger race suit, there was more. Two attendants ripped off the white suit and revealed a second look: a red three-piece tuxedo, also custom Hilfiger. Of course, the entire performance was a nod to his upcoming film with Brad Pitt, “F1.” But what many didn’t know is his jewelry, including that emerald brooch he was wearing, is from his own line, DIDRIS, which pays homage to his mother, he said.

Janelle Monáe was practically born for this year’s gala theme. The actress and singer is known for their daring fashion moments and twists on traditional suits. “I think this theme, Black dandyism, is just a part of my lived experience and of my DNA,” they told Harper’s Bazaar. For Monáe, dandyism is about owning individuality and honoring your heritage. At the Met, they showed up in a custom illusory coat, which revealed a separate suit ensemble underneath.

The disco legend shut down the blue carpet with elegance and style. She was dressed in a silver gown with a feathered hat, but it was Ross’ cape, which took five red carpet attendants to position, that got everyone’s attention. The cape’s 18-foot train was hand-embroidered with the names of her five children and eight grandchildren, she said in an interview.

Despite being absent from the rap scene, André 3000 is still carrying the music industry on his back... literally! The musician pulled up wearing a stylish boiler suit and a red hat, styled by Law Roach. But what caught most people’s eyes was the baby grand piano strapped to his back. This was an obvious nod to his new EP, “7 piano sketches.”

While most people were expecting country singer Shaboozey to show up to the Met in some type of cowboy themed outfit, he turned the tables and gave the people a fashion look that will go down in history. From the 3,000 beads draped on his body to his matching turquoise grill, Shaboozey made the look his own. “I just love how it all works together. When I saw the sketches I was like, ‘Man, I haven’t done anything like this before.’ But it came together,” he told Vanity Fair.

You can’t mention Dandyism without also mentioning André Leon Talley, the late fashion icon and former editor at Vogue. On the Met carpet, actor Colman Domingo, who was also a co-chair for the event, paid tribute with his first look of the night. Domingo wore a blue Valentino cape, inspired by Talley’s signature look.

One of the best looks of the evening came from British race car driver, Lewis Hamilton. The Met Gala co-chair arrived to the blue carpet with Domingo wearing a perfectly tailored white suit. On Instagram, he talked about the meaning behind the outfit. “This year’s theme speaks to royalty, spirituality, and the sacred power of adornment. Materials like ivory and cowrie aren’t just beautiful — they carry ancestral memory. They are markers of identity, protection, and reverence.”

Ayo Edebiri channeled her own heritage to honor the Met’s dandyism theme. In an interview, the actress called her Nigerian father “one of the dandiest men I know.” So to honor him, she wore a leather tailcoat, referencing when her father wore “leather trousers and tuxedo tails” to marry her mother. “Which is pretty iconic,” Edebiri added. If that wasn’t enough, the red glass beads in her dress and the beads in her hair were inspired by her Bajan and Nigerian cultures.

The music icon paid tribute to his father with his Met Gala suit. Questlove wore a black suit stitched with more than 30,000 pearls, added by hand, according to Vogue. “It’s very heavy. I feel royal,” he said. “Coming from a family of uncles and a dad who wore nothing but tailored zoot suits in the 1950s and 1960s—I used to make fun of their photos hanging in my grandma’s house all the time—the irony isn’t lost on me that now I get to follow in their footsteps and having fun while doing it,” Questlove continued.

The “Fashion Killa” rapper lived up to the hype! A$AP Rocky was another co-chair for the gala, and what better way to make an entrance than wearing a custom look... you designed yourself. Rocky was wearing AWGE, the creative agency founded by the rapper himself. To go with his sporty black suit, he also wore jewelry by Bvlgari. To make the look even better, Rocky had an umbrella, which had a handle designed as a gun. This was a reference to him recently being found not guilty over a gun case.

Arguably the best-dressed at the Met, Teyana Taylor channeled her hometown of Harlem for her blue carpet look. She was dressed in a burgundy and grey zoot suit that reportedly took six months to complete. Taylor was fully on theme, but the “Rose in Harlem” singer added her own touch with a red durag. The full look celebrated fashion greats like Dapper Dan and Harlem, where dandyism originated.

Even though Brian Tyree Henry is one of the most underrated fashion icons today, he did not disappoint at the Met Gala this year. He showed up wearing an ensemble from Nigerian house Orange Culture. The burgundy suit and wrap was one of the many nods to fashion icon André Leon Talley, who famously wore capes, scarves, wraps and overcoats.

Dandyism is all about channeling individual style, so for tennis icon Venus Williams, what better way to express herself than by combining her favorite sport with fashion? Williams took to the Met Gala wearing an emerald green tennis skirt with a matching sporty top and dramatic emerald coat. The elaborate cape was in tribute to the dandy himself, André Leon Talley.

Regina King’s look was directly inspired by the achievements of women, especially Black women. “The woman is— I feel like— the pulse of the earth. Everything has to come through us... to be here,” she said on the blue carpet. The hand sown design in the center of the actress’ suit embodies the Garden of Eden, paying tribute to Black women. It was designed by Who Decides War.

The married couple wore coordinating pin striped suits, but what’s more interesting is the design choices behind their outfits. In Swizz’ case, adding a red durag to the look only emphasized the dandy theme of individuality. Keys’ took a slightly different route, wearing a beaded headdress reminiscent of the 1920s and even ancient Eygpt. “When I saw a more contextualized photo of her with her husband Swizz Beats... they kind of reminded me of an era in the 1970s where you would see the Black man and woman standing together with this ‘Black is Beautiful’ look,” Kimberly Jenkins, a cultural scholar, told Today. “They’re suiting, however, seemed to solidly reference the Harlem Renaissance once again.”