220: On the 2025 Met Gala

Summary

Podcast Summary: Every Outfit - Episode 220: On the 2025 Met Gala

Release Date: May 8, 2025

In Episode 220 of Every Outfit, hosts Chelsea Fairless and Lauren Garroni, joined by guests Morty and Colman Domingo, delve into a comprehensive analysis of the 2025 Met Gala. This episode offers insightful critiques, highlights standout fashion moments, and discusses the overarching themes and trends observed during the event.

---

1. Initial Impressions of the 2025 Met Gala

The discussion kicks off with Morty and Colman Domingo sharing their overall impressions of the gala. While acknowledging that the year had its highs and lows, they agree that the event leaned towards a cautious approach in honoring the theme.

• Morty (03:12): “I personally thought that the red carpet was more coherent than last year. The theme is more focused...”
• Colman Domingo (03:16): “Overall, I don't think it was the best year, but I don't think it was the worst year either.”

They note that fears of cultural insensitivity led many attendees to opt for safer fashion choices, impacting the diversity and creativity typically expected at the Met Gala.

---

2. The Rise of the "Guxedo" Trend

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to the emergence of the "Guxedo"—a fusion of tuxedo and gown—dominating the red carpet.

• Colman Domingo (13:02): “I think the fear of cancellation did lead some people down a safer path.”
• Morty (16:38): “I do think that fear of cancellation did lead some people down a safer path.”

Notable Examples:

• Rihanna: Celebrated for her impeccably executed Marc Jacobs-designed guxedo, blending dramatic elements like corsetry and a distinctive hat.
  • Colman Domingo (14:12): “If anyone else wore it, I think I would hate it. But I think that speaks to the level of fashion that Rihanna can pull off.”
• Zendaya and Anna Sawai: Praised for their classic and timeless interpretations of the tuxedo, avoiding overly flamboyant accessories.
  • Morty (27:08): “Zendaya, who wore Louis Vuitton...”

The hosts categorize guxedos into various styles, including gowns with lapels and hybrid garments that balance between traditional tuxedos and contemporary gowns.

---

3. Prop Usage on the Red Carpet

Props played a pivotal role in adding depth and personal expression to attendees' outfits. The hosts highlight several prominent uses of accessories:

• Cigars and Canes:

  • Colman Domingo (36:44): “The smoking props are the most sort of exciting. Madonna brought a cigar. Dochi also brought a cigar.”
  • Morty (39:22): “The predominant prop of the evening, the cane.”

• Musical Instruments:

  • Morty (38:29): “Jon Batiste brought his saxophone, which he played.”

These props not only complemented the ensembles but also added layers of meaning and homage to fashion histories.

---

4. Controversial and Ambiguous Looks

The episode addresses certain controversial outfits that sparked debates regarding cultural sensitivity and thematic relevance.

• Lisa’s Louis Vuitton Bodysuit:
  • Morty (23:04): “To be fair, she is wearing a bodysuit, but she's wearing a jacket on top of the bodysuit. It just looks like she's wearing panties that have embroidered faces.”
  • Colman Domingo (24:05): “Louis Vuitton should comment on this because it's gotten so out of control.”

The ambiguity of the embroidered figures led to speculation about their references, with mentions of Rosa Parks and other historical figures, raising questions about intent and interpretation.

---

5. Best Dressed Highlights

Morty and Colman nominate standout attendees who epitomized the theme and showcased exceptional style.

• Al Sharpton:

  • Morty (63:54): “My best dressed is Al Sharpton. His suiting wasn't even that extravagant, but something about the billowy sleeves spoke to me.”
  • Colman Domingo (64:16): “You could tell that he was having fun based on the photos.”

• IOGA's Ferragamo Ensemble:

  • Morty (64:35): “Iowa Debris and her stylist Danielle Goldberg... a custom Ferragamo dress with intricate coral beading.”
  • Colman Domingo (65:50): “Ferragamo also did a really great look for Paloma...”

These selections highlight the hosts' appreciation for creativity, adherence to the theme, and personal expression.

---

6. Worst Dressed Critiques

The conversation shifts to outfits that missed the mark, either through poor thematic execution or lack of cohesion.

• Holly Berry in Laquan Smith:

  • Colman Domingo (70:10): “Nothing about it works. The jacket doesn't work. The neckline doesn't work... It does not look like a bespoke look for the Met Gala.”

• Bebe Rexha in Christian Siriano:

  • Morty (70:24): “It looks like the most extra working woman whose nursing bra is jutting out.”
  • Colman Domingo (71:07): “I would think that he hates her.”

These critiques emphasize the importance of balance between daring fashion choices and maintaining elegance and thematic relevance.

---

7. Menswear and Dandyism

Exploring beyond women's fashion, the hosts discuss menswear representations and the embodiment of dandyism.

• Lewis Hamilton in Prada:

  • Morty (61:55): “Bad Bunny and Prada looking like Leon the Professional.”
  • Colman Domingo (62:15): “Bad Bunny can wear the craziest assortment...”

• Spike Lee's Casual Elegance:

  • Morty (53:27): “He wore a suit down to his Knicks hat... feels like it just came from his own personal closet.”

The hosts appreciate how menswear can blend traditional dandy elements with modern flair, maintaining sophistication while pushing boundaries.

---

8. Final Thoughts and Conclusions

Concluding the episode, Morty and Colman reflect on the overall success of the Met Gala, acknowledging both its triumphs and shortcomings. They express anticipation for future events, hinting at more in-depth analyses and discussions.

• Morty (73:09): “Until the next first Monday in May.”
• Colman Domingo (73:13): “Bye.”

The episode underscores the Met Gala's role as a platform for bold fashion statements, cultural dialogue, and personal expression, while also highlighting areas for improvement in thematic adherence and cultural sensitivity.

---

Notable Quotes:

• Colman Domingo (03:16): “Overall, I don't think it was the best year, but I don't think it was the worst year either.”
• Morty (13:28): “Rihanna’s Guxedo was the most well executed, hands down.”
• Morty (39:22): “The predominant prop of the evening, the cane.”
• Colman Domingo (70:10): “Nothing about it works. It does not look like a bespoke look for the Met Gala.”

This episode of Every Outfit offers a thorough and engaging exploration of the 2025 Met Gala, providing listeners with both critical insights and celebratory highlights of this iconic fashion event.

Transcript

[Sarah]

This podcast is supported by the RealReal.

[Chelsea Fairless]

People always stop and ask me, where'd you find that Gucci bag, that vintage dress, that outfit? And I'm like the RealReal.

[Sarah]

Meet Sarah. She's an expert pattern mixer, a Prada collector and a big fan of the RealReal.

[Chelsea Fairless]

I think personal style is the ultimate self expression. So it matters to me to find one of a kind designer items or vintage pieces that fit my style. That's why I love shopping on the RealReal.

[Sarah]

The RealReal is the world's largest and most trusted resource for authenticated luxury resale. And right now you can get $25 off your first purchase when you visit.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Therealreal.Com I love the peace of mind I get knowing that everything is authentic. The best part about shopping on the RealReal, I can find the perfect dress, the perfect bag that makes me feel like me.

[Sarah]

With up to 90% off retail. No one does resale like TheRealReal. And right now you can get $25 off your first purchase at TheRealReal.com go to TheRealReal.com to get your $25 off that's TheRealReal.com hi guys.

[Lauren Garoni]

Lauren jumping in before our Met episode starts to ask you, have you ever wanted to see the looks that we are talking about while we're talking about them? Well, if you join our Patreon at the Anthony Marantino level or above, you can access our Met Gala episode in video form.

[Morty]

No, no. Chelsea and I are not on camera.

[Lauren Garoni]

But you can see every single outfit and visual reference that we talk about in this episode. There's also a host of other great stuff that we have on the Patre Patreon.

[Morty]

We just did a all Sex and.

[Lauren Garoni]

The City hotline episode. We did a deep dive on the Kim Cattrall Sarah Jessica Parker feud. We talk about your favorite movies and TV shows at the $10 level and above. We send you quarterly stickers. It's a great time. Tired of all of these ads. For just $5 a month you get access to our ad free weekly episodes. If this is of interest to you, go down to our episode description. We will have a link to our Patreon and Without further ado, Met Gala episode.

[Colman Domingo]

I spent $40,000 on shoes.

[Morty]

What's the matter, Morty?

[Colman Domingo]

Great gowns.

[Sarah]

Beautiful gowns.

[Morty]

Fashion has changed. No, it hasn't. Hi, I'm Lauren Garoni.

[Colman Domingo]

And I'm Chelsea Fairless.

[Morty]

And welcome back to another episode of the Every Outfit podcast. We are back here today to talk about that truly astonishing episode of the rehearsal last Sunday. Right, of course.

[Colman Domingo]

What else? Oh, no, we are talking about the Met Gala, and I am so sad that I don't have a top hat for this occasion.

[Morty]

Oh, I left my cane in the car. Oh, that's what I forgot. I have been talking about the Met Gala in my own head all day. That I feel like we've already recorded this podcast. I have no new thoughts.

[Colman Domingo]

Same. We actually haven't talked at all, but it really feels like we have somehow.

[Morty]

All right, let's begin with did we think this was a good year or a bad year?

[Colman Domingo]

Overall, I don't think it was the best year, but I don't think it was the worst year either. There were people that looked really fantastic, of course, but I feel like many of these interpretations of black dandyism ultimately looked very circus ringleader, which was a little concerning for me. That said, not as culturally insensitive as many had feared, which is, of course, a positive thing.

[Morty]

I agree. I think it was, overall, a good year. I personally thought that the red carpet was more coherent than last year. I think in part because the theme is more focused. Super fine tailoring. Black style is easier to metabolize than Sleeping Beauty's reawakening fashion inspired by a J.G. ballard short story. I think there was this expectation, as we spoke about at length prior to the Met, that people were going to fuck up the theme by being culturally insensitive. And if anything, I think that that perception led people to rather safe choices, either in silhouette and certainly in color palette, the Magic Castle looks notwithstanding, which we will get into.

[Colman Domingo]

I think that you're right. I do think that fear of cancellation did lead some people down a safer path.

[Morty]

Kendall Jenner. There was a wealth of information that was very difficult for us to process. But what I have gleaned is that there were a select group of designers who had a very big night, Marc Jacobs being one of them.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah, if you dress Rihanna, you've won.

[Morty]

Thom Brown, who always has a table at the Met.

[Colman Domingo]

Actually, he must have more than one table. Like, he always dresses so many people.

[Morty]

It certainly spills over to another table, for sure.

[Colman Domingo]

It also feels like Valentino dressed a lot of people this year. And Wales Bonner, which is a new one. We don't usually see a ton of her at the Met.

[Morty]

This is true.

[Colman Domingo]

All high body count brands this year.

[Morty]

Another disconnect that I see in the online discourse. And it's almost like backseat quarterbacking, which is people who go, well, why wasn't so and so featured more you know, why weren't people wearing Schiaparelli? The exaggerated silhouettes Daniel Roseberry did would have been perfect. And it's like babes. He didn't buy a table this year. I don't know what to tell you.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah, there's always a lot of brands that opt out and it's different every single year. But last year felt very Galliano, Loewe heavy. So we got none of that this year. We got no Gucci, we got no ysl, despite the suiting that they've been doing lately.

[Morty]

I know that was tough to see missing on the red carpet for sure.

[Colman Domingo]

No Bottega. But it makes sense, right? A lot of these luxury brands are between creative directors right now. So why would they participate?

[Morty]

But it was surprising not to see any Telfar on the red carpet.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah, there is no Telfar, no Martine Rose. Although I can only assume that they declined to participate because they don't think that the Met is cool and that it makes sense for their brands, which is very cool of them. I think people think about it as this huge opportunity for every single designer. But like maybe being at this very mass Vogue sponsored event isn't what Telfar wants to project. And I get that we're going to.

[Morty]

Get into what was on the red carpet, but I do want to speak about what we did not see reflected on the red carpet. And I do feel like this is a symptom of the Met gala theme being interpreted on the red carpet where it's like, like last year people heard Garden of Time and they were like, got it. I'll wear flowers. Say no more. They heard tailoring this year were like, ah, a tux. Got it. Like I do find a general lack of curiosity happens every year. Given the Met theme.

[Colman Domingo]

It was especially upsetting this year because everyone did just wear tuxedos or do something that was a deconstructed version of a tuxedo, when in fact dandyism is a 24 hour lifestyle. It's not just about dressing black tie. It's about what you wear to bed. It's about what you wear to play tennis. It's, it's all of that. And I wish we had seen a few more upscale sort of interpretations of more casual looks or even just like some guy in a Louis vuitton tracksuit carrying 10,000 Louis Vuitton bags.

[Morty]

I mean there's always things that we call out that are low hanging fruit that no one ever picks up. Like pretty much no one did. Andre Leon Talley Cosplay, which We were convinced many people were going to do.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah. We didn't get one giant taffeta caftan, which I was sure Whoopi Goldberg or Law Roach was going to do. We did get references to Andre. They just didn't actually happen on the carpet. It was like Paloma wearing a leather jacket with his face on it. The day before, it was Laura Harrier wearing a Gap dress with a photo of him on it to one of the after parties. It's all this stuff around the event. Although who wore. Someone had an Andre Leoneli fan.

[Morty]

That was Tessa Thompson.

[Colman Domingo]

That was the most literal Andre thing we saw at the actual event.

[Morty]

Yeah. And I've seen people make the point that Colman Domingo's first look, that cape, was a reference to Andre Leon Talley, which sort of. I don't know. It was more giving Sly and the Family Stone to me.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah. It also reminded me of the sort of costume you would see at an opera or something.

[Morty]

Speaking of which, I was surprised also at the lack of 1970s interpretation of Dandyism.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah. I thought we would get more disco looks, more Sylvester. I thought we would get more Blaxploitation type looks. Like we didn't even get that much fur at a time and fashion, where there's fur all over the runways, that was completely shocking to me.

[Morty]

The other thing I was surprised by was the lack of what I'll call zoot suit proportions. Other than Willy Shabira, who literally dressed in a zoot suit, there wasn't a lot of volume, specifically in the pants or the blazers that I saw that I was surprised. I thought I would have seen more of that silhouette.

[Colman Domingo]

No, I agree. I think a lot of the suiting silhouettes actually felt quite outdated for many of the guys in attendance.

[Morty]

I mean, the whole point of zoot suits and the zoot suit riot, it is quite a political thing that does have reverberations even now, especially with Trump and the tariffs. The idea that you are creating something with a ton of fabric at this very moment does feel very political, and it seems like no one took that up.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah, you're so right. Now I'm even more annoyed that we didn't get a giant Andre Leone Talley caftan. Speaking of which, he's been mentioned so much around this. This exhibition, and there are a few pieces of his clothes in the exhibition. I just couldn't help but feel a little sad watching the Vogue coverage, thinking about the fact that these same motherfuckers fired him not even that long ago when he was still alive and replaced him with some random YouTube chick whose name escapes me.

[Morty]

Not Emma Chamberlain, because we did research this. Literally the person they replaced Andre Leon Talley with that following year. I defy you to figure out who she was.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah, I've never heard of her in my life. It sucks that he had to be gone for this to happen to be appreciated.

[Morty]

Yeah, of course.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah.

[Morty]

Compared to last year, I do feel like there were actual trends that we can kind of go by and figure out what was going on in the red carpet, which doesn't always happen.

[Lauren Garoni]

This episode is brought to you by IQ Bar, our exclusive snack sponsor. IQ Bar is the Better for you Plant protein based snacks made with brain boosting nutrients to refuel, nourish and satisfy.

[Morty]

Hunger without the sugar crash.

[Lauren Garoni]

I like to think of myself as a protein bar aficionado. I've really tried them all and I've hated pretty much all of them. That's why I was excited to try IQ Bar. IQ Bar's Plant Protein bars are packed with high quality ingredients to help keep you physically and mentally fit. They have 12 grams of plant protein with only 1 gram of sugar and totally free from gluten, dairy, soy GMOs and artificial sweeteners. For a natural anytime snack. I was lucky enough to get sent a sampler pack and I have been throwing a bar in my bag whenever I leave the house as I am often ravenous when I am stuck in traffic and I'm trying to eat better. Better if not for me then for Baby Morty. They taste great, keep me filled and unlike other protein bars are actually good for you. They have nine delicious flavors including Mint Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Sea Salt, Banana Nut, Toasted Coconut Chip, Lemon Blueberry and my personal favorite Almond Butter Chip. But don't take my word for it. With over 20,000 5 star reviews and counting, more people than ever are starting their days on the right foot with IQ Bars, Brain and Body Boosting Bars, Hydration mixes and and Mushroom Coffees. And right now IQ Bar is offering our podcast listeners 20% off all IQ bar products plus free shipping. To get your 20% off text outfit to 64,000. Text outfit to 64,000. That's outfit to 64,000. Message and data rates may apply. See terms for details.

[Colman Domingo]

No and I think we should start with what I am dubbing the Guxedo.

[Morty]

Excuse me now.

[Colman Domingo]

The Guxedo. It is a term that I have been forced to invent to describe a garment that is a hybrid of a tuxedo and a gown you previously may have seen a guxedo worn by someone like Janelle Monae or designed by someone like Thom Brown. But at the Met Gala, everyone was wearing Guxitos, the best one being Rihanna. Of everyone that did these weird hybrid looks, this was the most well executed, hands down.

[Morty]

Is that why she was the last person to show up on the red carpet?

[Colman Domingo]

No, she's the last person to show up on the red carpet because she is chronically late and thinks that it is acceptable to keep 100 photographers waiting for two hours just for one outfit.

[Morty]

And to be fair, the look was so good, I would say it was worth it. We have yet to mention her best accessory, which would be her third pregnancy.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah. We also should note that Marc Jacobs designed this ensemble. It's interesting because so many of his collections as of late have been all about these sort of extreme, bulbous proportions. So it's funny to see him dress a pregnant woman where that kind of shape is just, like, built in already.

[Morty]

Absolutely.

[Colman Domingo]

But it was pretty wild. Like, when I actually look at this outfit, if anyone else wore it, I think I would hate it. But I think that speaks to the level of fashion that Rihanna can pull off because there is a lot going on here.

[Morty]

It's a lot of hat, it's a lot of bustle. It's a lot of corsetry.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah, it's a bustle that's basically made out of a deconstructed jacket, which is.

[Morty]

Also the skirt and a little cropped blazer. Who saw that cropped blazer coming?

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah. And she's wearing a cravat like Stanford Blatch on his wedding day. But I feel like it's the hat that actually ties all of this together.

[Morty]

Yes. Which seems incongruous to the time period she's trying to reference. And yet it works.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah, it really does. And I'm truly happy for Marc Jacobs that he had this moment and not.

[Morty]

Rihanna, because it means we're never getting R9.

[Colman Domingo]

Oh, that ship has sailed.

[Morty]

Chelsea, I'm just gonna tell you, if and just like that gets renewed for another season, I might suddenly find myself pregnant with Irish twins.

[Colman Domingo]

Okay, so there are four styles of guxedos that I observed, the first category being guxedos that are gowns with lapels.

[Morty]

Essentially, they are only tuxedo in lapel. Only if they did not have these lapels, they would just be dresses.

[Colman Domingo]

Exactly. They're like 80% gown, 20% tuxedo. And in this category, I would include Suki Waterhouse and Michael Kors. Gayle King in Chuck Collins, Nicole Scherzinger. Not sure who she was wearing. Emma Chamberlain in Korege. And Kiki Palmer and Vera Wang. This dress was apparently inspired by Dorothy Dandridge, but I don't see how. I'm sorry. Dorothy Dandridge was a very chic woman.

[Morty]

I think Keke Palmer's Vera Wang look, her guxedo is the rare guxita with pants.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah, it was a guxito, but it was also an open front gown with, like, skinny little trousers underneath. A very hard look for anyone to pull off.

[Morty]

Did not love it.

[Colman Domingo]

Most guxedos I found, though, were actually just jackets with capes or trains. And in this category, I would include Lupita Nyong' o in Chanel, Mona Patel in Thom Browne, Sarah Snook in An Only Child. Not sure what that brand is. Sam Smith and Christian Cohen. There's also a lot of men in guxedos like this, but I kind of lost track of them.

[Morty]

It was 70% guxedo on the red carpet.

[Colman Domingo]

Also, this kind of guxedo has been at the Met Gala for a while. Like, we've seen guys with jackets with huge trains for the past few years.

[Morty]

You're right. That does seem to be a popular genre of Met Gala red carpet wear, especially post camp. I think a lot of people were just like, I got to wear a cape. That's what the first Monday in May means to me.

[Colman Domingo]

And then there's the scariest kind of guxedo, which I am dubbing the 5050 guxedo. This is basically a hybrid garment that is 50% tuxedo and 50% gown.

[Morty]

So the Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde of Guxedos.

[Colman Domingo]

Yes. I think the best example was La La Anthony and off white.

[Morty]

Okay.

[Colman Domingo]

Although Amy Lou would also wore one of these. Whoopi Goldberg and Tom Brown. Although I think Whoopi can pull off Tom Brown better than most because she actually has the correct gender presentation for something like this.

[Morty]

Very true. And it feels like she was being encased in an outerwear of a waistcoat.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah.

[Morty]

If I may add a genre of a guxedo. There was the cumberbund centric tuxedo.

[Colman Domingo]

Yes. This is the kind of guxedo where a designer wonders, what if a cumberbund also had a long, flowing train or, like, was more like a sash in.

[Morty]

Lorde's case, in Tom Brown, what if I just was a cummerbund?

[Colman Domingo]

Of all of the designers that took these menswear influences and abstracted them and turned them into women's wear, I feel like this was One of the more.

[Morty]

Successful examples, a really successful example of this was Tracee Ellis Ross. I would say it was a loose interpretation of a cummerbund in her Marc Jacobs outfit. It took inspiration from, as you were saying earlier, the bulbous Marc Jacobs looks that he's been doing recently. And fun.

[Colman Domingo]

Color, color. So little color. Who would have thought that's actually crazy? When you think about how little color.

[Morty]

There was, people hear tailoring, and they're like, tuxedo, got it. I'll just wear black and white. And it's like, no.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah. The people that actually did wear color really stood out. I think Tracy looked good.

[Morty]

Well, Tracee Ellis Ross is also someone who has a very strong sense of personal style, and I think you can see that when you see her on the red carpet. This was in her mind, and you can tell she contacted Marc Jacobs and they worked on this together.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah, I agree. She has enough personal style to begin with to pull off something this batshit crazy, but good for her. Goddess bless.

[Morty]

Although we'll get into it later. Her mother did overshadow her, but hard not to be overshadowed by Diana Ro.

[Colman Domingo]

I think that's probably the theme of her entire life. And, yeah, Mindy Kalian also had one of those cummerbunds that just had a train. That one was less successful.

[Morty]

I think it didn't feel genuine. Although I now fear that in the years to come, more people will just be wearing cummerbunds as trains. They'll stop wearing the capes and move into this.

[Colman Domingo]

I honestly hope everyone got this out of their system this year. I really think we need to move on from whatever this look is.

[Morty]

You want to know what? I also hope people got out of the system. Never in my wildest dreams did I think people were going to interpret black dandyism. As magician. Magician assistant.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah, literally. Why did everyone look like a magician? Everyone.

[Morty]

As someone who just went to the Magic Castle over the weekend, this was very upsetting to be confronted with.

[Colman Domingo]

I feel like Jodie Turner Smith, excellent magician. She wore Burberry. It looked really extreme. She wore red, which was one of the few colors that people actually did wear, although it was all red head to toe, so it was a bit more dramatic. And I suppose Tiana Taylor, also giving magician dressed by Ruth Carter, which is a fascinating choice.

[Morty]

Oscar winning costume designer for Black Panther. Yes.

[Colman Domingo]

Tessa Thompson was giving magician.

[Morty]

Yeah. But she did have the Andre Leon Talley fan, and she was not exclusively in black and white. That was buttercream.

[Colman Domingo]

It was still magician. Jordan Roth, definitely giving magician I think he wore Laquan Smith, but the hat was really amazing. I think the hat was Stephen Jones, and it was like three top hats inside each other.

[Morty]

A hat on a hat on a hat.

[Colman Domingo]

Whoopi also was giving magician and Guxedo. That look contained multitudes.

[Morty]

Now we are defining magician's assistant as any person, and there were many of them who were not wearing pants on the red carpet.

[Colman Domingo]

It's a combination of no pants and then in many cases, like a coat with tails.

[Morty]

I would say Sabrina Carpenter in Vuitton was the biggest offender of this. I love that when she was being interviewed, I believe, jokingly, she said that Pharrell was like, you're short, so you don't get pants. But I've noticed everyone has run with that as if it's a fact, and I'm like, I pretty sure she was joking, guys. But it is astounding that pretty much every woman that was in Vuitton was not wearing pants.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah. Pharrell's wife also wasn't wearing pants. Although I feel like her style is quite cool. Like, whenever I see her on a red carpet, I'm into it, I guess it doesn't feel as manufactured as other people. It feels like she actually just put on these clothes and, like, is a cool girl.

[Morty]

Right.

[Colman Domingo]

Doja Cat, also in Marc Jacobs. Very magician assistant.

[Morty]

Y. Yeah. But that's actually a magic show that I would want to see. You also had Emilia Gray and Valentino. Definitely the Alessandra Michelli version of a magician's assistant.

[Colman Domingo]

I was not into that.

[Morty]

Was she wearing a durag? Was she not? We don't know if she was.

[Colman Domingo]

That wasn't even the most problematic thing about this outfit. How could we forget Lisa in Louis Vuitton? The most talked about look of the night.

[Morty]

All right, so shall we get into this? Did she have Rosa Parks on her panties, or did she nod? For those who have not seen this look, to be fair, she is wearing a bodysuit, but she's wearing a jacket on top of the bodysuit. So it just looks like she's wearing panties that has embroidered faces all over it that some pervert at the Cut or on Twitter zoomed in on. And notice that some of the faces. One of the faces looks a lot like Rosa Parks. Or does it?

[Colman Domingo]

This piece was designed in collaboration with Henry Taylor, who did do the portraits that were embroidered on the bodice and on. And there were also some on the jacket as well. It was just. Just harder to see on the jacket. Much easier to see on the Crotch. To me, the drawing style is so non specific. Like I could see how it could be Rosa Parks, but I also don't think that it's definitely Rosa Parks. Like there is some reasonable doubt here.

[Morty]

It is kind of a Rorschach test, because at times there's a figure wearing glasses where you're like, is that Ruth Bader Ginsburg? Is that a young Malcolm X?

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah, I think it's. It's too ambiguous and no one has been able to confirm that it actually is her. Although I kind of feel like Louis Vuitton should comment on this because it's gotten so out of control. Like, either say, no, this is not Rosa Parks, you guys are crazy, or yes, this was based on an image of Rosa Parks and here's why we chose to do this. But. But I get it. Recently, a video of Lisa and some of her bandmates leaked where they were all singing the N word. So I can understand why a lot of people are critical of this particular direction for her Met Gala look.

[Morty]

When you are beholden to a brand and you're one their ambassador or you're lucky enough to get invited, do you speak up and go, maybe I shouldn't be wearing this, guys?

[Colman Domingo]

Okay, but do you think Lisa would really look at this and be like, like, excuse me, is that Rosa Parks?

[Morty]

You have a point.

[Colman Domingo]

You know, like, I feel like when you're a non black person working with a black designer for an event like this, I think it would be natural to kind of defer to the black designer.

[Morty]

Very fair.

[Colman Domingo]

And also, I feel like it's not really my place as a white person to critique this look based on potential racial insensitivity, especially because it's, it's so ambiguous.

[Morty]

And there you go. That's every outfit statement on this controversy.

[Sarah]

This podcast is supported by the RealReal.

[Chelsea Fairless]

People always stop and ask me, where'd you find that Gucci bag, that vintage dress, that outfit? And I'm like, the real, real.

[Sarah]

Meet Sarah. She's an expert pattern mixer, a Prada collector, and a big fan of the RealReal.

[Chelsea Fairless]

I think personal style is the ultimate self expression. So it matters to me to find one of a kind designer items or vintage pieces that fit my sty. That's why I love shopping on the RealReal.

[Sarah]

The RealReal is the world's largest and most trusted resource for authenticated luxury resale. And right now you can get $25 off your first purchase when you visit.

[Chelsea Fairless]

Therealreal.Com I love the peace of mind I get knowing that everything is authentic. The best part about shopping on the RealReal, I can find the perfect dress, the perfect bag that makes me feel like me.

[Sarah]

With up to 90% off retail, no one does resale like the RealReal. And right now you can get $25 off your first purchase at therealreal.com go to therealreal.com to get your $25 off. That's therealreal.com.

[Morty]

Moving on. We knew that there were going to be a lot of women in tuxedos, so it feels a little redundant to say this was a trend on the red carpet, but indeed, a lot of fabulous women wore tuxedos.

[Colman Domingo]

I feel like more people wore Guxedos than anything. That's why I respect Zendaya, who wore Louis Vuitton. No Rosa Parks in sight, and she just wore a classic white suit, which.

[Morty]

A lot of people said was inspired by Bianca Jagger. There are certainly two reference photos when it comes to the had Bianca Jagger when she got married to Mick Jagger. And then there's that infamous photo of Bianca Jagger, I think, heading to Studio 54 maybe in a fabulous exaggerated white tuxedo. Although she's wearing a cane, I noticed Zendaya, no cane.

[Colman Domingo]

I like that she kept it simple, didn't pull out any props. Especially after last year where she did these two just like insanely over the top couture gowns. I think it's so smart that she pulled it back because this will always look good. A lot of people at this Met Gala will look crazy in 10 years or 20 years or 50 years or whatever, but this will always look good.

[Morty]

And I thought it was smart of her to show up on the red carpet early so that when Anna SW showed up in almost the identical white tuxedo, there wasn't a Samantha Jones Miley Cyrus in Sex and the City 2 moment.

[Colman Domingo]

It's deeply upsetting that they didn't get a photo together.

[Morty]

At what point do you think they realized they were in the same look?

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah, it's so crazy because both of these looks were styled by two of the most prominent celebrity stylists. Law Roach did Zendaya, of course, Carla Welch did Anna Sawai. And sure, Bianca's the obvious reference, right? But you could also see this as a combination of John and Yoko's wedding.

[Morty]

Outfits, which to us makes sense because Anna Sawai has been cast as Yoko Ono in that Beatles film that we can't stop talking about. However, when we were researching this episode, we've come to find out she has not officially been announced as Yoko Ono in this Beatles biopic. And dare I say, Chelsea? I feel like this is Carla Welch trying to influence the producers of the Beatles film. Like, come on, who else is gonna play Yoko Ono?

[Colman Domingo]

It's truly crazy because it's the hat from Yoko's wedding look and the suit from John's. Although Yoko has worn white suits over the years later in her life, certainly.

[Morty]

It looks very good when Zendaya and Anna Sway caught each other. It's like that moment in Never Been Kiss where it's like, wait, you're all dressed as Malibu Barbie. And it's like, I'm not Malibu Barbie, I'm Disco Barbie. It's like, excuse me, I am Bianca Jagger inspired white tuxedo. And I'm obviously John and Yoko Ono inspired white tuxedo and floppy hat.

[Colman Domingo]

So crazy. Well, whether this was a bid to get that Yoko role or not, we can safely say that Barry Keoghan's Ringo Starr era has begun. He wore Valentino, very dramatic, mandarin collar ensemble.

[Morty]

It was giving magical mystery to her for sure.

[Colman Domingo]

The hair also is getting increasingly Ringo.

[Morty]

This is true. He's just missing a little. A little mustache.

[Colman Domingo]

It's coming.

[Morty]

I would say that the predominant trend of women in tuxedos was very Marlena Dietrich influenced, which I was not expecting. Was not on my bingo card, for sure.

[Colman Domingo]

And that very much describes what both Hunter Schaefer and Madonna were wearing. Hunter Schaefer wore Prada. Madonna wore Tom Ford designed by Heider Ackerman. Both just. Just heaven.

[Morty]

It also speaks to. In Madonna's case because she's not been seen on the Met red carpet since 2018. An absence can do you good.

[Colman Domingo]

Oh, for sure. It's also been a really long time since she's killed it at the Met. And this was so good because it's. It's referencing Marlena Dietrich. You could also say that it references black women like Gladys Bentley, who had a strong, butch, dandy look and also wore white tuxedos. But it also is referencing Madonna's own past and specifically the erotica era and the Girly show tour and that whole time in her career, which is such a fun throwback, especially with the cigar.

[Morty]

There were props on this red carpet. And then Melody Lucas, who is the wife of George Lucas, who knew about that.

[Colman Domingo]

This woman is fabulous.

[Morty]

I loved on. Was it the Vogue or the E. Red carpet. They kept panning back to the holding area before people got onto the steps. And I sent you this screenshot and I was like, George Lucas, jump scare.

[Colman Domingo]

She looked so cool, though. She wore a straight tie and a double breasted suit and a bunch of like watch chains and brooches and stuff. But it didn't look costumey. It looked really natural, looked really Chicago.

[Morty]

And George was just there and.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah, he was just there.

[Morty]

So. Chelsea, every year there are a handful of a list guests who do not dress on theme, but pretend that they did. And their justifications and reasonings have really become an art form. So if you'll indulge me, I'd love to go through some of my favorites. Starting off strong, Chelsea. We have Anne Hathaway and Carolina Herrera stating that she dressed to impress the dearly departed Andre Leon Talley. Saying, we wanted to make Andre Leon Talley scream with joy in heaven. It's pretty unimpeachable, right? Because it's like, are you the ghost of Andre Leon Talley? No. Then you can't say that. I'm not on scene.

[Colman Domingo]

Okay? To be fair, I actually do think he would have liked this look, probably. And I'm sure he has some relationship with Carolina Herrera. They both lived in New York forever, so I feel like that actually makes sense. That's not the worst excuse.

[Morty]

We have Jennie from blackpink, which again, it wasn't on my bingo card that I was gonna have beef with Jenny from blackpink. But she said that her look was inspired by Coco Chanel's personal style, which is weird because her own fan page clocked that it was a recreation of a 1987 Karl Lagerfeld era Chanel tuxedo dress. So I get it.

[Colman Domingo]

Still shannel, but it screams Lagerfeld for sure. Nice try, though.

[Morty]

The reasonings only get crazier from here, Chelsea, because we've got Shakira stating that her Prabhul Gurung made pink gown, which had a gigantic train to it, fit her like a glove, and that the polka dot glove she was wearing was her nod to dandyism, which really just feels like code for, I'm Shakira, you're lucky I'm even here. What do you care if I'm dressed on theme or not?

[Colman Domingo]

This was a low point for both of them. Of all of the Met gala looks that did not address the theme in any way, this felt the most random by far.

[Morty]

And I hate to include Nicole Kidman. She is the high priestess of the Met. But I did catch her speaking to a really befuddled Lala Anthony that her outfit was dandy. Because to her, dandy is all about where you take a black suit and put a beautiful different button and then she makes a noise where she goes where it's completely individual. It's worth noting that Nicole Kidman was not in a black suit and her Balenciaga gown did not feature any buttons either.

[Colman Domingo]

Okay. She looks really good, though. And I love the new hair. Did you like the look?

[Morty]

Not everyone needs to be on theme. I just love the increasingly insane bending over backwards reasoning of how certain looks are on theme. Hilarious.

[Colman Domingo]

No, it's crazy. Although I did think of a better look for her, which is basically a couture version of the AMC jumpsuit, where it's like they turn that into a tuxedo with a matching jacket with a fur with an angled fedora.

[Morty]

I see it.

[Colman Domingo]

I would have screamed.

[Morty]

I think no one can top Sydney Sweeney, who posted a photo of Kim novak from the 1968 film the Legend of Lilaclair, which her Miu Miu gown was inspired by. However, what she doesn't explain is that she will be starring as Kim Novak in a film directed by Met co chair Colman Domingo about Novak's romance with Sammy Davis Jr. So that's a really long ellipses that, I guess is her way of explaining how she's on theme.

[Colman Domingo]

That's a lot of lore for this dress. I don't know if it's on theme to dress as someone that once dated a famous black person who the co.

[Morty]

Chair of the Met will be directing her in.

[Colman Domingo]

Look, it makes sense that more people are going to start to use the Met Gala as part of their PR rollout for whatever they're working on a la Barry Keoghan.

[Morty]

Oh, you think he was platforming his Ringo Starr performance?

[Colman Domingo]

Absolutely.

[Morty]

I think next we need to get into another predominant trend which was props. So many props.

[Colman Domingo]

I feel like the smoking props are the most sort of exciting. Madonna brought a cigar. Dochi also brought a cigar. Lizzo brought a cigarette in a cigarette holder. Whitney Peak just brought a straight up cigarette.

[Morty]

Whitney Peak, who was in Chanel and unlike Jenny from blackpink, actually was embodying Coco Chanel's personal style. Down to the cigarette. Yeah, I gotta give it to the women that were rocking cigars. Madonna and Dochi. It filled me with some mid-90s nostalgia for cigar aficionado when they used to put like, Demi Moore, Linda Evangelista on.

[Colman Domingo]

The COVID For sure. It was part of the whole lesbian chic thing. We, of course had cigar smoking on the poster for the First Wives Club. That was really a moment in time. But I just love that now because vaping is the thing that's really a threat to young people that no one cares about smoking anymore, like smoking cigars and cigarettes. Because I feel like if these people had attempted this a decade ago, they would have been fully canceled.

[Morty]

Well, yeah, there's something nostalgic about smoking. I was thinking about that infamous year where the actual donors to the Costume Institute were complaining to Anna Wintour that all the influencers and celebrities were smoking in the bathroom. And I realized that that was such a specific moment in time because it was pre vaping.

[Colman Domingo]

Now they're all just vaping.

[Morty]

Now they're all just vaping in front of the million dollar art.

[Colman Domingo]

We also got a lot of musical instruments as props. Jon Batiste brought his saxophone, which he played. Don't know if we needed that.

[Morty]

But also, if anyone is going to play a saxophone on the red carpet, it would be him.

[Colman Domingo]

What was cooler to me was Andre 3000's look, because it was so crazy. He basically had a piano strapped to his back. A fake piano, of course. Apparently it only weighed 30 pounds.

[Morty]

That's still pretty heavy to carry up all of those stairs.

[Colman Domingo]

True.

[Morty]

He was also holding what appeared to be a GLAAD trash bag. I couldn't find any reasoning for that. But what is even cooler is that same night he dropped a new EP where the artwork is his outfit that he wore on on the Met red carpet.

[Colman Domingo]

See, this is what I'm saying. People are going to turn this into more of a self promotion thing. Kind of like Taylor Swift did when she announced her album during the Grammys and like upstaged everyone. And Rihanna basically did that by announcing her pregnancy.

[Morty]

I would say the predominant prop of the evening, the cane. If you had asked me going into this, what was the accessory that most people would be wearing? I'd say hat. I could have never predicted cane. So many canes. I can't even tell you all of the people who had canes with them.

[Colman Domingo]

No, I lost track of canes, But I remember Angela Bassett having a cane. Teyana Taylor had a cane. Taraji had a cane. But I'm sure there were lots of canes in the show. You know, that's one of the more literal references. We also saw 10,000 brooches on this carpet.

[Morty]

And flowers. A lot of flowers.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah. Willy Chavarria carried a literal bouquet of roses. That sinister billionaire.

[Morty]

Oh, the Norwegian fish farming guy. I will attempt to say his name. Gustav Widzo.

[Colman Domingo]

Good enough for me. This man is always at the Met gala.

[Morty]

Well, this is a man that clearly has the money to buy a ticket like, that man is like $75,000 good enough for me. I'm gonna come with a briefcase of roses.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah, it was like a purse back briefcase of rose petals. So weird. Have no idea what the significance behind that was.

[Morty]

I don't know. But I love that he comes every year and he's bringing looks.

[Colman Domingo]

Are there Norwegian fuckettes out there? And if so, do you guys fuck with this guy? I'm guessing no. But, like, we don't have a gay billionaire. I assume he's gay. He has to be gay.

[Morty]

A straight man can't have that much style, Chelsea.

[Colman Domingo]

Wow. A straight man can't have that many rose petals in a pan. A Perspex briefcase.

[Morty]

There were other props that I would say do not really fill any other category. We've talked about Tessa Thompson's Andre Leon Tally fan. We have asap Rocky's umbrella, which the handle looked like a gun, which is obviously a reference to his recent gun charges trial.

[Colman Domingo]

Oh, I didn't even put that together.

[Morty]

And that's what people are saying.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah, he looked good. Like, he always looked good. But I feel like it wasn't that exciting. And no one's really talking about it.

[Morty]

People are talking about it. It's hard when you are the co chair to not be on the best dress list. But I thought it was relatively tame.

[Colman Domingo]

And I get it. That's cooler. Especially in this year where everyone is dressing so flamboyantly. It's way cooler to sort of pull it back and look like you don't care so much than to show up with 10,000 brooches all over you. But I don't know, I kind of thought he would win the whole night.

[Morty]

I'm with you. I have the same feeling about Colman Domingo, but we'll get into him in a little bit.

[Colman Domingo]

Also, did you see Olivier Roustein's sewing machine?

[Morty]

I did.

[Colman Domingo]

I was into that. He was like, I am the tailor.

[Morty]

His. Yes. Singer style sewing machine, which I imagine was hollowed out because the. Those old timey sewing machines are very heavy.

[Colman Domingo]

Well, it probably was heavy just because there was so much metal involved.

[Morty]

All right, Chelsea, the time has come to talk about the Kardashians.

[Colman Domingo]

I can't believe we've managed to not talk about them for this long. Although I feel like they didn't have as big of an impact this year as in past years.

[Morty]

Again, going back to this glee that people had online that people were going to fuck up the theme. These three, Kim, Kendall and Kylie were definitely the ones that people were hoping were going to mess up and they didn't. If anything, they dressed quite conservatively.

[Colman Domingo]

Well, Kendall and Kim also hired black stylists that they don't normally work with.

[Morty]

Very true. So Kim was in a chrome hearts look. I think her ability to continue to wear things that make it impossible to walk up the met stairs should be commendable at this point.

[Colman Domingo]

She wore chrome hearts, but to me it had a Galliano for Dior quality to it. He definitely flirted with some of those blaxploitation themes back in the day. I don't know. Something didn't add up for me. I didn't love it. I didn't hate it. I guess I'm just kind of indifferent.

[Morty]

It was pretty down the middle. I think for me in regards to Kim, it's hard to beat her camp look. I think that is her best look. It'll be remembered as her best Met look. It's hard to top.

[Colman Domingo]

I did enjoy the memes comparing this to Countess Luann.

[Morty]

The fedora was giving Countess Luann.

[Colman Domingo]

Yes. I don't know. I'm also just not a big chrome hearts person. I've gone on record before about this. I don't get it. I'll never get it. That's it.

[Morty]

I think this would fall in line with our superlative. Sure, why not?

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah, fine.

[Morty]

So then you have Kendall in Tori Shaju, who is a young black British designer. I've seen a lot of people knocking this look, like, well, alright, she's highlighting a young black designer, but the look is boring. And I went back and I looked at this designer spring summer collection and there are definitely more interesting silhouettes that Kendall could have selected. Like there's this very cool coral bloomers with an oversized white tailcoat. She also did this recurring theme of like, like mesh dresses or mesh skirts that look like they had a duvet was shoved underneath it. But can you blame her for being safe? Guys, they look at the Internet. Stop bullying them. They knew that they could mess this up horribly so they chose not to. Same goes with Kylie and Ferragamo. I feel like people were like kind of boring. So it sucks.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah, it wasn't my all time favorite Kylie look, but I feel like it's cute that she went with Ferragamo. Her body looks nuts. Like she picked a cool brand. It's crazy how all of them match though, like all of the sisters.

[Morty]

Well, Kendall and Kylie are both went.

[Colman Domingo]

With gray looks and Kim and Kendall both have similar kind of jewelry happening. The Kendall to me was also a Little Galliano.

[Morty]

Yeah, or McQueen. I wasn't sure who she was wearing at first. Next, I think we should get into the divas. How I look at this category is a group of women usually of a certain age, who maybe didn't dress on theme, but they can get away with it.

[Colman Domingo]

Shall we start with Lana? Not a woman of a certain age. A woman with an alligator hair clip. I love that for her. She wore Valentino. It was perfect. It was stunning. It was another great example of the full skirt and long sleeved gown trend that we've been seeing more of, mostly because of Alessandro Michelli.

[Morty]

And she walked with Alessandro on the red carpet, which she has done before.

[Colman Domingo]

We don't need Lana to dress on theme. We all remember her hip hop phase and we don't need that.

[Morty]

Again, another person that I don't necessarily need to dress on theme would be Demi Moore and Thom Brown.

[Colman Domingo]

Did you like okay, that face says no. Well, she's beautiful and we love her. I didn't love this look. I thought it was Harris Reed at first, but it was Thom Brown.

[Morty]

It was another person who defaulted to black and white when they could have worn a pop of color. I do feel since the camp show, speaking of like genres of things you see on the red carpet, whatever that sculptural element that went from her shoulders above her head, I feel like people think that that's what the Met red carpet needs and I'm not sure.

[Colman Domingo]

No, I'm so over that. Kind of avant garde. If you look at a dress and if you ask yourself, can I imagine Lady Gaga wearing this 10 plus years ago and the answer is yes, you probably shouldn't wear it.

[Morty]

A little more wordy than Coco Chanel's. Look at yourself in the mirror and take off the first thing you see. But yeah, that also works.

[Colman Domingo]

I feel like there were several looks that actually fit that criteria at this Met Gala, but not Diana Ross in 1116, designed by a Nigerian designer named Ugo Mozzie.

[Morty]

Yes. After a 22 year absence from the Met Gala red carpet, Diana Ross returned. And I think she had the entrance of the night. Although it's hard not to when you are walking with an 18 foot train that is embroidered with the names of your children and grandchildren.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah, I was watching the Vogue livestream and the E Live stream simultaneously, as you have to do. But that was one of the more exciting moments just to watch on tv.

[Morty]

It certainly was. It was very much a moment.

[Colman Domingo]

And normally I think these sort of massive trains are annoying at the Met Gala Rihanna already did this. She did it the best. No one else should try. But I think we need to make an exception for Diana Ross because she is the og the ultimate diva. She's on the mood board for a lot of people at the Met Gala, so let her have her moment.

[Morty]

We didn't even mention her furry hat.

[Colman Domingo]

The furry hat was great.

[Morty]

I love a furry hat.

[Colman Domingo]

I mean, it was feathers, it wasn't fur, but you get the drift.

[Morty]

What did we think of Miley Cyrus in Alaia?

[Colman Domingo]

Should have been great, but wasn't like, I feel like they would have been better off putting her in a giant fur coat or something.

[Morty]

Like Megan Thee Stallion and Michael Kors.

[Colman Domingo]

See, that was a cute pairing of person and designer. But to me, the hair was so amazing that it, like, upstaged the outfit completely.

[Morty]

Even though she's in a very sparkly dress with a giant fur coat. I agree with you. That really didn't make the look. It was the hair, which she was channeling Josephine Baker.

[Colman Domingo]

She looked good. It was just that, to me, it wasn't the most exciting thing we could have seen from her, but whatever, it worked.

[Morty]

She said she was also trying to channel Eartha Kitt. Sure, why not?

[Colman Domingo]

Could also be Diana Ross. You know, she loves a white fur coat.

[Morty]

And then we had Nicki Minaj also in Thom Browne.

[Colman Domingo]

I didn't love this. In fact, it made me sad.

[Morty]

I didn't even see this until the next day.

[Colman Domingo]

It saw Sucks because it should be major because Law Roach styled her. Nicki Minaj is incredible. I just don't know why this happened. It's like, we did the 3D flowers thing last year. Who would want to do it again this year, right? Also, Azealia Banks did point out on Twitter that it does kind of look like she's nursing. Like, the way the bra is peeking out.

[Morty]

It looks like the most extra working woman whose nursing bra is jutting out of her. Her pinstripe suit. She's certainly not the. The worst dress, but it's just sort of like, huh, okay.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah, it sucks. I just, like, want her to kill it. Shall we move on to some literal dandies?

[Lauren Garoni]

Yeah.

[Morty]

Is it messed up of us that it took us this long to get to menswear?

[Colman Domingo]

It's fine. So shall we start with Colman Domingo?

[Morty]

I hate to say it, I was expecting more.

[Colman Domingo]

See, I thought he did a good job.

[Morty]

He did a good job. But his. His style, especially coming off of his award season run, was so impeccable. And especially he was exclusively wearing Valentino that I was expecting so much more. He entered the red carpet with this blue cape that people have said I've yet to see Colman Domingo reference. This was a nod to Andre Leon Talley. He then took it off and he was wearing a suit. But it's a suit that you would see him at any press event. I guess that was the decision disappointment for me.

[Colman Domingo]

I don't know. I feel like he gave us two looks. It was dramatic. He gave us like the over the top Met gala look. And also the look where he's just going to feel comfortable being at the party and not looking like a full blown freak. Like I think about that with some people, like once they're off the stairs and just walking around, do they start to get a little self conscious? Like, wait, actually, what the fuck am I wearing right now?

[Morty]

Here's the tea that I need from stylists, makeup artists, hairstylists. How many of these people are wearing Depends? Honestly, because I've seen many interviews where many actresses and female celebrities talk about how they don't pee all night. You taking a UTI for the Met Gala? I don't think so. You're wearing Depends.

[Colman Domingo]

Although I don't think there's a lot of room for Depends under those dresses. Maybe for Lana Del Rey. Maybe Lana's in Depends.

[Morty]

Fair enough. Fair enough.

[Colman Domingo]

I guess we could get into the Wels Bonner people. Tyler Mitchell, Lewis Hamilton, Jeff Goldblum.

[Morty]

Who saw that coming.

[Colman Domingo]

Just when we thought he would never stray from Prada, he picked the other perfect brand for him in this moment.

[Morty]

A white man who can get away with being a dandy. In this day and age, for an.

[Colman Domingo]

Actor, he's more of a dandy than 99% of them.

[Morty]

And we should say that for the most part in this category, we're speaking about actors, directors, celebrities who embody a dandy lifestyle in their personal style already, such as Chelsea, the Reverend Al Sharpton.

[Colman Domingo]

Okay, that was so exciting. It did give magician, but in a chic way.

[Morty]

Yeah, it's funny because what he's wearing isn't even that exaggerated. I mean, he has like billowy sleeves. But there was something about it that was so incredibly delightful.

[Colman Domingo]

Of course. And we've seen him dress over the years like he's always very polished. Everything is very considered.

[Morty]

I also love seeing Spike Lee on the red carpet. Spike Lee, who we could not find an outfit credit for, mostly because everything he was wearing, from his suit down to his Knicks hat, down to that Remova bag, feels like it just Came from his own personal closet. Like, no one dressed him, Chelsea.

[Colman Domingo]

Definitely no one dressed him. I was shocked that Louis Vuitton didn't get their hands on him, because I was just expecting a full checkerboard situation with this man who's known to do a very colorful, monochromatic look. But, see, we didn't even get color from Spike Lee, really.

[Morty]

He let his nicks hat do the do the talking.

[Colman Domingo]

More color than from most, but still, I was expecting him to be the one to show up in something purple or something orange or whatever.

[Morty]

Pharrell even had a very toned down look.

[Colman Domingo]

Well, I think Pharrell anticipated what the carpet would be and was like, I don't want to dress like that. Pharrell's look did feel very Eddie Slimane esque in a lot of ways, in the proportion, in the simplicity. His jacket was entirely made of pearls, but yet it wasn't flashy.

[Morty]

Somehow I feel like the same goes for La Roach in Burberry.

[Colman Domingo]

See, I didn't love that, and I was expecting him to win.

[Morty]

I think maybe Both Pharrell and LaRoche were focused on the many clients that they had that were going to walk the red carpet. But it's not to say that his outfit didn't have flair, but sort of a toned down look.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah, I thought he was gonna go for volume. I thought he was maybe gonna have, like, really long hair, like, down the stairs long hair. But he did the opposite. He had short blonde hair. That was such a subversion of my expectations. So I'm kind of into that, actually.

[Morty]

He was like, the statement's gonna be this blonde wig, so everything needs to be toned down compared to that.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah, he wore Burberry, but made sure to say on the carpet that his accessories were from Amazon, and I truly need to know how much he got paid for that.

[Morty]

Well, did you not get the ad on the Vogue livestream for the La Roach styled ebay ads?

[Colman Domingo]

No.

[Morty]

Oh, yes. Also, Emma Chamberlain, she made sure to shout out the fact that she was wearing vintage ebay accessories, which is a funny phrase in and of itself.

[Colman Domingo]

This is giving us doing Etsy spawn.

[Morty]

Which brings us to today's sponsor.

[Colman Domingo]

No, see, that doesn't even make me mad, because at least, like, I enjoy ebay. I would love to see Law Roach's ebay edit or whatever this is, Although.

[Morty]

We know from experience the limitations probably that comes with it. Which would explain why Emma Chamberlain's vintage accessories are described as ebay vintage accessories, as if that is a designer. We gotta talk About Jeremy O. Harris.

[Colman Domingo]

Of course he wore Bald Man. And this is a rare example of total commitment to historical cosplay. This is like an OG 19th century kind of dandy look with the tail coat and the breeches and the whole ass thing.

[Morty]

Well, yeah, he was referencing. Beau brummel was an 18th century British man who's one of the central OG figures of dandyism. He was known for his personal motto, don't talk about your clothes. Let your clothes do the talking.

[Colman Domingo]

Do the talking.

[Morty]

Do the talking.

[Colman Domingo]

See, I think this speaks to the fact that, like, sometimes it's not about modernizing everything unnecessarily. Sometimes it's way more subversive to be traditional.

[Morty]

Going back to references that we felt were low hanging fruit dressing, historical would have been on my short list of what people would do. And very few people did it. So when Jeremy O. Harris wears a look like this, it makes a much larger impact compared to Lewis Hamilton, who did a very modern, minimalist idea of a Cab Calloway silhouette.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah, Jeremy O. Harris is cool. I love that. And I love that he went with Bald Man. It's cute.

[Morty]

But we have one more designer, Mark Jacobs. Not in Marc Jacobs, but in Ralph Fitzgerald, who is his guy.

[Colman Domingo]

He's some sort of Savile Row expat, because that's where Marc Jacobs is always getting his suits. He's never making them himself, and that's cool. And it's one of the best suit silhouettes that we saw, because it was a wide leg, a peaked shoulder, tailored.

[Morty]

To perfection, and yet all I could look at was Marc Jacobs permission.

[Colman Domingo]

Okay, but that was kind of major.

[Morty]

That was insane.

[Colman Domingo]

Like, it was kind of crazy between the perm, the nails, and the fact that he was wearing, like, women's platform satin sandals underneath the suit. But for me, it all came together for sure.

[Morty]

I mean, my eyes were glued to his curly, curly hair. Being like. It would be like Marc Jacobs to get a perm, but could also be a wig. I don't know.

[Colman Domingo]

I support him. I feel like he always looks so good at the Met Gala, and he just had a good night overall. I also really love the suit that he made for J. Balvin.

[Morty]

Very strong night for Marc Jacobs, for sure. Can we discuss some freaky little perverts on the red carpet?

[Colman Domingo]

Okay, who specifically? Walton Goggins.

[Morty]

I love Walton Goggins. I've loved him since the show Justified. I even remember when he showed up on Sons of Anarchy. And I get it. He's having the time of his life on the Red carpet. But when he opened up that Thom Browne coat and he twirled around to reveal that there was a skirt, I was like, I love it. But, like, please go away for six months.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah, it's a lot of Thom Browne for a straight man. I feel like they could have maybe dialed it back, like, 30%.

[Morty]

Or is he soft, launching his bisexual arc? I don't know.

[Colman Domingo]

See, I'm not mad at him wearing a skirt. I feel like he can actually pull off the skirt.

[Morty]

Absolutely.

[Colman Domingo]

It's just like a skirt and this very dramatic long jacket with a very extreme shoulder. It's just like a lot of fashion for a straight guy of a certain age.

[Morty]

That's why you gotta leave these things to a Cola Scola.

[Colman Domingo]

Ugh, I love Cola Scola.

[Morty]

Not in Tom Brown this year.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah, they wore Thom Browne last year. This year was Christopher John Rogers. Did Christopher John Rogers dress anyone else? House?

[Morty]

I don't think so. I thought Anne Hathaway's look was initially Christopher John Rogers because she's been known to wear him, but I don't think so.

[Colman Domingo]

I just thought, like, some woman would wear Christopher John Rogers, like, even, like, Anna Wintour or something.

[Morty]

She wore Louis Vuitton, which had a stain. Did you see that?

[Colman Domingo]

No.

[Morty]

Very controversial. It seemed to be a lipstick or something.

[Colman Domingo]

Who did that to Anna Wintour? Can you imagine if you got lipstick on Anna Wintour's dress? You'd just have to kill yourself.

[Morty]

I mean, firing would be getting off easy.

[Colman Domingo]

I wonder if her assistants just have to have, like, shout wipes and stuff on them at all times. See, Cola Scola looked so good because this was such a good example of the tailored for you theme. It felt very specific to their look. It's one of the few looks where there was print and color like this. No one else was doing, like, a psychedelic 60s floral in this way with like a. A Twiggy slash Liza Minnelli eye makeup situation.

[Morty]

And I would say that, per my previous annoyance, the closest we got, other than Willy Shaharria, to a zoot suit proportion.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah, it was almost like the pant was almost kind of like a cargo pant or something. Yet it looked cool.

[Morty]

Also, the makeup was on point. The hair was on point.

[Colman Domingo]

Very cool individual. Also, we don't have him on the list, but I thought Hamish Bowles looked amazing too. And Hamish Bowles is someone that is like a literal dandy, like, by the most old timey definition of the word.

[Morty]

Yes.

[Colman Domingo]

He also wore a floral print, which looked to be like, lilac or Something to that effect.

[Morty]

Sorry. This is the first time I'm seeing the look. We wouldn't define this as a guxedo. Right. Because he seems to be wearing a blazer, but then there's. There's a long shawl of some sort that he's just holding.

[Colman Domingo]

I didn't ever see him with that on, but I think it's just an overcoat.

[Morty]

All right. You had Bad Bunny and Prada looking like Leon the Professional to me.

[Colman Domingo]

I don't know about this. Like, I like the hat and the gloves and the giant bowling bag separately, but together, I don't know. He's so cool. He can pull anything off. And I will say the bags that Prada is making for men right now are exceptional.

[Morty]

Well, Bad Bunny can wear the craziest assortment, a Carrie Bradshaw level, eccentric assortment of items, because he pulls it together with the tiniest sunglasses.

[Colman Domingo]

It is cool that he is wearing a giant designer bag, though. That is very dandy. And I thought we would get more of that. Actually. There was a bunch of people with Louis Vuitton handbags, but I didn't see a huge range of brands or trunks. Yeah, I would love to see someone just come up the steps with a full set of luggage. So chic.

[Morty]

Especially because that is featured in the show. Speaking of someone who did sort of a deconstructed idea of the theme, I loved Jeremy Pope in archival Margiela. I think that was from the 1997.

[Colman Domingo]

Collection, also styled by La Roach. Very good, very literal interpretation of the tailored for you theme, as that is referencing a dress form. But that was another twinning moment because Paloma wore that to an after party, and Bianca Censori wore it pretty recently. Also worth noting, how many of these exist, I have no idea. But they have to be very, very expensive, I would imagine, because to me, that's, like, the craziest piece that you could own.

[Morty]

Now, there are many people we didn't mention. We just don't have the time. I'm sure there are literally dozens of looks that neither Chelsea nor myself have even seen. But these are all the looks we feel compelled to speak about, which I think has brought us to our best and worst dressed.

[Colman Domingo]

Can you go first?

[Morty]

Sure. My best dressed. Did I think that I would crown this person Best dress when the Met red carpet started? Nope. My best dress is Al Sharpton. Yeah, his suiting wasn't even that extravagant, but something about the billowy sleeves that spoke to me. It also looked like he was having the time of his life 10 out of 10 look.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah. You could tell that he was having fun based on the photos. And I can't say that for many other people.

[Morty]

When I was doing research for this, I was like, well, clearly this is the first time he's gone to the Met. No, Chelsea. No, it isn't.

[Colman Domingo]

Does he go regularly?

[Morty]

He's been at least one other time.

[Colman Domingo]

That's cool. Well, this was his year. Good for him.

[Morty]

My second best dress is not someone that we've mentioned thus far, but Iowa Debris and Ferragamo. I think Iowa Debris and her stylist Danielle Goldberg, they never miss when it comes to the red carpet. And I think the mixture of IO's aesthetics and Maximilian Davis, I knew that it was not going to disappoint. She wore a custom Ferragamo dress with intricate coral beading that paid tribute to traditional Edo attire from Nigeria, which was a nod to her father's Nigerian background. But for me, it was the mixture of the floor length shirt dress, which, for a focus on tailoring and suiting, no one really played into the idea of a shirt dress that much.

[Colman Domingo]

Wait, there aren't pants under this, are there?

[Morty]

No.

[Colman Domingo]

No. Okay, good.

[Morty]

It is a floor length shirt dress accented with a tail coat made out of black leather, which I thought was exquisite. Again, a lot of people did very literal tail coats, waistcoats, but to make it out of a different fabric, I think really elevated this look.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah. Ferragamo also did a really great look for Paloma. Very chic and a look that I do think Andre, Leo, and Tali would approve of. Love from Heaven.

[Morty]

All Red Spark. Joy, certainly. And then lastly, another look that we have not spoken of. Zoe Saldana in Thom Browne. I feel like in the Thom Browne metapocalypse, her look kind of got drowned out, but it was one of my favorite interpretations of suiting. Or I guess the suit dress that we saw a lot of.

[Colman Domingo]

The bodice was beautiful.

[Morty]

Yes.

[Colman Domingo]

I was kind of indifferent about this one, but Tat really loved it.

[Morty]

I think it plays in the wheelhouse of what. What Thom Browne is known for while still honoring the theme. Is it a guxedo?

[Colman Domingo]

Maybe it's not a full guxedo.

[Morty]

Also, I love the excessive amount of buttons. Not enough button representation at this Met.

[Colman Domingo]

Yeah. Considering that the theme is tailored for you, we could have done with more buttons. You're right.

[Morty]

And that's all I got.

[Colman Domingo]

My best dressed beyond Rihanna, because that's boring. Is once again fashion designers Willie Chavarria, Marc Jacobs, and Andre Walker, who we didn't talk about who looked really amazing and chic in just a simple black fear of God overcoat. Trousers, brown do rag. Really nice to see someone do something more subdued in a year that's all about opulence. And I feel like Dev Hynes also looked really amazing. He wore Valentino. He wore this very chic, boxy gray jacket in these flared trousers. And yeah, dandyism is about attention to detail. And I don't think that minimalism is necessarily the antithesis of that. So I feel like I was into the guys that were a little more pared down. As for my other faves, I've already talked about them, but Madonna, Zendaya, Hunter.

[Morty]

Schaefer, the women in tuxedos.

[Colman Domingo]

Women in tuxedos. Sometimes it's best to not overthink it. Don't do a take on something. Just wear the actual thing and look hot doing it.

[Morty]

If you could smoke a cigar in addition to that, all the better.

[Colman Domingo]

Exactly.

[Morty]

All right, is it time to get into worst dressed?

[Colman Domingo]

It's now or never.

[Morty]

I'm gonna go with Tyla and Jacques Moose.

[Colman Domingo]

Okay. She did not look that bad. She didn't even look bad.

[Morty]

Here's my thing about worst dressed is they're not exactly worst dressed. I just think that compared to her show stopping Balmain look from last year, this was a bit of a letdown. And I do appreciate the nod to Andre Leon Talley, although I don't exactly see it. I just think she had such a stellar debut last year, for sure.

[Colman Domingo]

And it's also weird that Rosalia's dress was so similar to the dress that they made for Tyla last year. The bald man dress. Very similar sort of silhouette and vibe, very sculptural.

[Morty]

Wasn't worst dressed. I just think, you know, least improved from last year.

[Colman Domingo]

Let's say, see, my worst dressed are literally the worst dressed. But who else do you have?

[Morty]

I have Emilia Gray in Valentino. I feel like she wore the outfit people thought Kylie Jenner would show up in. Is it a durag? Is it a veil? It doesn't matter.

[Colman Domingo]

Is it a pirate situation? Is it a magician?

[Morty]

The combination of the worst Hot Topic subcultures in one outfit. It's emo, it's pirate, it's magician, it's.

[Colman Domingo]

Too much and it's too costumey. And I feel like Emilia Gray is the kind of person that like, would do well, just like, like no bra in a slip dress, looking like Angelina Jolie in 1995 kind of vibes. And she doesn't need to do all that. Like some people actually need to do all that to make themselves more interesting looking, but she really doesn't.

[Morty]

If she had showed up in leather pants and a beautifully tailored exaggerated shoulder blazer with nothing underneath it. Probably best dressed.

[Colman Domingo]

Once again, just wear a suit, you'll look great.

[Morty]

What are your worst dress?

[Colman Domingo]

I really hate to say this, I have two, and this first one really hurts me because it is Holly Berry in Laquan Smith. She is a legend, and Laquan Smith did her dirty with this look.

[Morty]

She is a legend. She is also someone that excels in very revealing red carpet looks. But this was absolutely a miss.

[Colman Domingo]

Nothing about it works. The jacket doesn't work. The neckline doesn't work. The sheer panels in the dress definitely do not work. It looks like a VMAs look from a scary downtown LA showroom. It looks kind of Lady Marmalade adjacent. It does not look like a bespoke look for the Met Gala. I'm so sorry, Halle. I don't vibe with this.

[Morty]

It is giving thoughty Beetlejuice, I think, is the issue.

[Colman Domingo]

My other worst dress, Bebe Rexha in Christian Siriano, a look that begs the question why the jacket does not look like it was tailored for her. If anything, the jacket looks like it's actively at war with her body and the jacket is winning.

[Morty]

Now, are we considering this a guxedo?

[Colman Domingo]

I don't think this is a guxedo because it is a jacket. In a skirt.

[Morty]

I. I think it's hard to tell where the jacket starts and the skirt begins, though.

[Colman Domingo]

And I generally think that a tuxedo jacket and a skirt, like, whether it's just something more casual, like a black silk, like, slip dress type skirt, or like something more formal, like a big tulle skirt, I think that's a timeless and fabulous look. How this went so wrong is really anyone's guess. I mean, I didn't even know that tulle could look like this. It sucks, because I feel like one of Christian Siriano's biggest strengths as a designer is his ability and frankly, his desire to dress women of all sizes. But I would never know that based on this look. I would think that he hates her.

[Morty]

I mean, he might. I've never seen tulle be applied in this way, where it's like, somehow shredded, but also so much volume at the same time. We've said it all. We actually haven't said it all. But as I've previously said, I'm sure there's dozens of looks we have to.

[Colman Domingo]

Stop talking about it. I've seen too much. I feel like we need to run off and join the circus.

[Morty]

I mean, just prepare yourself for next year. Every outfit studios will be ready. We'll have no choice but to do a fashion police esque show the next day about this.

[Colman Domingo]

Oh God. We'll have to be on camera. That's horrible. I look like right now also you're going to have a baby. Crazy.

[Morty]

I mean, the baby doesn't need to be on camera. I mean, I'm looking forward to being on camera next year versus this year as I currently look like in my last month of pregnancy. I would say I generally have the silhouette of Danny DeVito in Batman Returns.

[Colman Domingo]

That's hot.

[Morty]

All right, guys, we'll be back next week. Or will we? Can we give ourselves the week off?

[Colman Domingo]

No, we'll be back next week to talk about something. All right, guys, until next year.

[Morty]

Until the next first Monday in May.

[Colman Domingo]

Bye.

[Morty]

Bye.

[Colman Domingo]

Sam.