Met Gala pays tribute to black fashion and designers

Let the year's biggest fashion party begin! A rainy Met Gala got underway Monday (May 5) with a tuxedoed choir and a trend true to the menswear theme: Emma Chamberlain, Zendaya, Teyana Taylor and many other women in pinstripes and other traditional men's detailing.

Chamberlain and Zuri Hall were among those who wore sleek, sexy gowns that play on men’s suiting in pinstripes as they walked up the grand steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Zendaya, a co-host last year, wore a perfectly tailored white trouser suit with a matching wide-brim hat.

The menswear vibe for women was frequent and expected, "women wanting to maintain a traditionally feminine dress silhouette while still respecting the theme”, said William Dingle, director of style for blackmenswear.com, a cultural impact agency that focuses on uplifting black men.

Alicia Keys and her husband, Swizz Beatz, leaned WAY in on the pinstripes in red. She rocked a head of bejewelled braids. He rocked a do-rag.

Doja Cat, always fearless when it comes to fashion, donned a Marc Jacobs bodysuit look with orange and black wildcat detailing and broad-shouldered pinstripes. Taylor went for a stunning Zoot Suit look with a red, feather-adorned top hat and a huge matching cape dripping with flowers and bling. She collaborated with famed costumer designer Ruth E Carter.

The Zoot was popularised in Harlem in the 1940s.

Madonna, “no stranger to gender-bending fashion,” Dingle said, showed up in a monochrome taupe tuxedo clutching a cigar. It was Tom Ford by Haider Ackermann, the designer who took over when Ford stepped aside.

AND THEN THERE WERE THE BOMBSHELLS...

Diana Ross, meanwhile, swallowed the carpet in a huge white train, escorted by her son, Evan Ross.

Lizzo debuted blonde hair to go with her pink and black Christian Siriano gown with a plunge at the front. It was so tight at the legs she struggled to walk.

THE STANDOUTS AMONG THE MEN

As for the men, co-host A$AP Rocky told The Associated Press that Anna Wintour suggested he wear a black designer.

“So I wore myself,” the musician said of his custom suit designed by his creative agency, AWGE, complete with a black parka and diamond-crested umbrella. “Everything is designed by yours truly.”

Rocky, Rihanna's partner and dad to their two kids, confirmed to reporters that baby No 3 in on the way. He spoke about it after Rihanna was photographed walking in the rain with her baby bump out in a blue crop top and skirt.

“It feels amazing, you know,” Rocky said. “It’s time that we show the people what we was cooking up. And I’m glad everybody’s happy for us ’cause we definitely happy, you know.”

He added: “Honestly, it’s a blessing nonetheless. Because you know how like some people in other situations at times can be envious of other people. But we’ve been seeing love for the most part. And we real receptive to that and appreciate that, you know what I mean? That’s love. Love is love.”

THE DRESS CODE EXPLAINED

What, exactly, was the suggested dress code of the night, “Tailored for You”, is inspired by black dandyism. And what, exactly, is the Met Gala for? To raise money for the Met's Costume Institute. The gala raised a record US$31 million (S$40 million) before it began.

Marie Claire, editor in chief of Marie Claire, noted a few trends done well.

“Top trends from the night: Black and white (Zoe Saldaña, Whoopi Goldberg, Gabrielle Union), pinstripes (Alicia Keys and Swizz Beats), suiting (Lupita Nyong’o, Ego Nwodim), hats (Lupita Nyong’o, Whoopi Goldberg and Teyana Taylor).”

MORE ON THE MEN

Colman Domingo, one of the evening's hosts, wore a pleated, gold adorned cape over a gray and black suit, his jacket a pearled windowpane design with a huge dotted black flower. His look, including his cape and a dotted black scarf at his neck, evoked the late André Leon Talley, the fashion icon who made history as a rare black editor at Vogue.

Domingo, in Valentino, arrived with Vogue’s Anna Wintour, dressed in a baby blue coat over a shimmery white gown by Louis Vuitton, a gala sponsor.

Fellow co-chair Lewis Hamilton donned a jaunty ivory tuxedo with a cropped jacket, a matching beret and cowrie shell embellishment.

Hamilton's look carried deep meaning.

“The color of ivory denotes purity and status; cowries pass from hand to hand, the regal sash turns shamanic,” he wrote on Instagram.

Claire Stern, Elle digital director added: “Known for championing black designers, the F1 star once again used his platform to celebrate heritage and creativity on one of fashion’s biggest stages.”

Colman has epitomised contemporary dandyism in a variety of looks over the years.

Pharrell Williams, another co-host, was demure in a double-breasted, beaded evening jacket and dark trousers. He kept his dark shades on while posing for the cameras. Williams walked with his wife, Helen Lasichanh, in a black bodysuit and matching jacket.

Williams, the Louis Vuitton menswear creative director, said his 15,000 pearls were arranged in a pinstripe design and the jacket took 400 hours to construct.

Walton Goggins, a guest this year with others from The White Lotus, wore a deconstructed suit look with seams out and a pleated skirt he twirled for the cameras.

LeBron James, the NBA superstar, was named honorary chair of the evening but bowed out at the last minute due to a knee injury.

OTHER MET GALA LOOKS THAT STOOD OUT

Monica L Miller, whose book inspired the evening, wore a bejewelled cropped cape over a dress adorned with cowrie shells by Grace Wales Bonner. It's a direct connection to a piece in the gala's companion Metropolitan Museum of Art spring exhibit that Miller guest curated.

What other women killed the menswear game? Coco Jones in an ivory tuxedo coat with a train over matching trousers, both covered in chunky embellishment.

“Coco Jones absolutely leaned in,” Dingle said. “I love the pearl and gem embellishments here, as well as the long coat, and even the necklace. Because she’s taller, the long coat even further elongates her legs. This is a fantastic look.”

Her look was by Indian designer Manish Malhotra. She said she wanted to honour black excellence by going all out.

Sarah Snook of Succession fame and fresh off a Tony nomination for The Picture Of Dorian Gray, was successfully on theme as well.

“She's in a two-button, double-breasted jacket fashioned into a tailcoat-like train in satin fabric for luster, plus crimson lining for a pop of colour,” Dingle said. “I like the multiple brooches on the wide lapel.”

Gigi Hadid, on the other hand, went all woman. She pulled up the spirit of Josephine Baker in a shimmery velvet gold halter gown by Miu Miu that hugged her hips, hip hugging being a big trend of the night for the women.

Bad Bunny, ever a fashion rebel, wore a custom black Prada suit. The best detail: His woven hat, which appeared to be a reference to the pava, a straw hat associated with the Puerto Rican jíbaro.