The 2025 Met Gala for all its promise, left rather more to be desired than delivered . Titled “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”. A celebration of Black dandyism, sartorial excellence and the art of dressing with intention. The concept had everything it needed to be legendary. And while the night had its moments — some truly breathtaking, some that made us sit up straight — it was not quite the all out fashion spectacle we were hoping for. A good night. A meaningful night. But not every Met Gala can be a phenomenon. What it did give us however were a handful of looks so considered, so deliberate and so stunning that we are still thinking about them a year later. So before Monday’s 2026 Met Gala gets its chance to either redeem the steps or raise the bar entirely — we are going back and rank our best looks from the red carpet. The ones that got it right deserve their flowers.
1.Teyana Taylor
Teyana Taylor arrived in a three piece pinstripe zoot suit paired with a burgundy cape, rose and crystal detailing, styled by two time Academy Award winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter — a direct homage to the zoot suits that rose to prominence during the Harlem Renaissance. A burgundy top hat crowned with a large ostrich feather sat atop a perfectly colour matched durag, completed with leather gloves, a walking cane and David Yurman jewelry studded with red and black stones. Every element of the look carried deliberate cultural weight — nothing worn for decoration alone. The most thoroughly researched and theme committed look of the entire evening.
2.Ugbad Abdi
Ugbad Abdi wore a crystal pinstripe flannel trouser suit paired with a pewter and silver paisley brocade cape trimmed in silver faux fur. Structured, commanding and deeply considered. The combination of the crisp tailored suit beneath the dramatic cape created a silhouette that balanced precision with grandeur — speaking directly to the theme of Black dandyism and the art of dressing with intention. A look that deserved far more conversation than it received.
3. Zendaya
Zendaya wore a head to toe white three piece suit — fitted blazer, wide leg trousers, vest, tie and a wide brimmed floppy hat. The look drew its references from Diana Ross and Bianca Jagger — two figures synonymous with a particular brand of effortless commanding style. A small white snake placed on the back of the blazer was the detail that anchored the whole look — subtle enough to reward a closer look, deliberate enough to confirm that nothing about this outfit was
4. Rihanna
Rihanna closed the entire 2025 Met Gala red carpet in a black bonded barathea wool Spencer jacket, a grey morning stripe wool bustier bodysuit, a black pinstripe wool V tailored skirt with a tied jacket bustle and a polka dot satin cravat with pique collar. She finished the look with a custom Marc Jacobs x Stephen Jones hat. The moment that defined the evening however was not the tailoring — it was what the look revealed. Standing on those steps Rihanna announced her third pregnancy, shouting “I brought the kid” on the red carpet. The look was designed to honour the theme while placing her baby bump front and centre — and it did both with complete precision.
5. Doja Cat
Doja Cat wore a pinstripe bodysuit with a velvet ocelot print bustier, dramatic shoulder pads, black tights and black leather platform boots. The silhouette was bold and deliberately theatrical — the shoulder construction in particular pushing the look into something closer to costume than conventional fashion. She committed to the dramatic exaggeration of the brief completely and the result was one of the most visually striking looks of the night.
6. Imaan Hammam
Imaan Hammam wore a white tailored Magda Butrym suit with a fitted waist, structured shoulders and wide leg trousers, paired with a black shirt, polka dot tie, a black cane with a silver handle and a black floral feather headpiece. The contrast between the white suiting and the black accessories created a look that felt both classic and considered. The feather headpiece added the right amount of drama without overwhelming the tailoring beneath it. Precise and well executed from every angle.
7. Janelle Monáe
Janelle Monáe wore a custom Thom Browne coat featuring bold black and white pinstripes on one side and red with white geometric patterns on the other, with exaggerated shoulders and a rectangular silhouette that created a surreal almost cartoonish effect. Midway up the steps she removed the coat entirely to reveal a complete second look underneath. The reveal was theatrical and deliberate — a performance as much as a fashion moment. Two looks in one evening, both considered, both entirely on theme.
9. Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill made her first ever Met Gala appearance in a pale yellow suit by Cheney Chan featuring a standing collar that draped down into a train. Her debut at fashion’s biggest night was significant in itself — notoriously private and rarely seen on red carpets, she attended as a guest of co-chair Pharrell Williams. The look featured intricate embroidery, a burgundy tie, gold jewelry and a regal sash reflecting themes of Black spirituality and royalty. An umbrella was held above her on the steps as a direct homage to the Ghanaian tradition of shading chiefs and royalty with a Benkyinie umbrella. Her jewelry was by designer Emefa Cole, crafted from single mine origin gold celebrating Ghanaian royalty. A look built entirely around cultural meaning — every element deliberate, every reference earned. For a first Met Gala appearance it was a statement of intention.
10. Bad Bunny
Bad Bunny arrived in a custom chocolate brown Prada suit paired with white boots, leather gloves and a retro handbag. The defining element of the look was his headpiece — a modern interpretation of the pava, a traditional Puerto Rican headpiece worn as a direct tribute to his heritage. In a room full of looks referencing Black dandyism and the Harlem Renaissance, Bad Bunny used the brief as an opportunity to bring his own cultural identity to the steps. A look rooted in personal meaning.
11. Cardi B
Cardi B arrived in a sumptuous green velvet Burberry suit — the tailoring razor sharp, the silhouette structured with authority and yet still carrying the sensuality she brings to everything she wears. She chose restraint over spectacle and it paid off completely. The fit was impeccable and the hair and makeup worked as one complete thought alongside the garment rather than competing with it. A more considered Cardi B than the red carpet is accustomed to — and all the more powerful for it.
12. Hunter Schafer
Hunter Schäfer wore a ribbed white turtleneck, white shirt, double breasted white jacket and a black blazer draped over her shoulders — playing with proportion and silhouette throughout. White beret and white leather gloves completed the look. The monochrome restraint was the point — every element working within the same considered framework. On the carpet she told Vogue “I feel like I knew what a Prada girl was, but I found her inside of myself.” The look reflected exactly that.
13. Kendall Jenner
Kendall Jenner wore a custom grey Torishéju skirt suit with a plunging neckline, structured shoulders and a mini train. The look was a deliberate homage to Gladys Bentley — a prominent queer figure and celebrated performer of the Harlem Renaissance known for her defiant style of wearing men’s suits at a time when it was deeply controversial. A considered and quietly meaningful reference for a theme rooted in the cultural significance of Black dandyism.
14. Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton wore an ivory suit by Wales Bonner — a cropped jacket, high waisted trousers with a tuxedo stripe, coattails, a white bow tie and an embroidered ivory sash. A Stephen Jones beret completed the look. Nothing about this look was decorative for the sake of it. The sash was lined with cowrie shells as a protective talisman in African culture, while his cufflinks and baobab inspired brooches contained garnets as a nod to his birth month alongside white and amber emerald cut diamonds. The look took three months of research and two months to construct. As co-chair of the evening Hamilton did not just host the theme — he embodied it with complete conviction. GQ named him the best dressed man of the night.
15. Angel Reece
Angel Reese wore an all black Thom Browne dress with a white collar — structured and precise at first glance but revealing a peek a boo midriff cutout and corset that cascaded into a lengthy train. The restraint of the look was its strength. Clean tailoring, a sharp silhouette and details that only revealed themselves on a closer look — which is exactly what the theme asked for. She finished with a deep maroon lip, an elevated short bob with a retro hair flip and dangling diamond earrings. As a member of the host committee and one of the most prominent athletes currently crossing over into fashion, Reese wore the brief with the kind of quiet confidence that her presence in any room already commands.