It’s almost a tradition at this point—Rihanna rocking up to the Met Gala after the cameras have turned off. She’s arguably the Met Gala’s biggest get, The One we all look forward to seeing…and she’s always late.
Is she trolling Anna Wintour? If so, I love it. If not, I still love it. It adds intrigue to the event. Will Rihanna make it on time? Will she make it all? She was late again last night, turning up after the official livestream, but in a buy one/get one surprise deal, it wasn’t just her presence she surprised us with, no, it’s also the existence of her third child with A$AP Rocky.
She was seen earlier in the day, too, revealing her pregnancy via street style.
These photos, by the way, were taken by celebrity photographer Miles Diggs, a paparazzo in the vein of Ron Galella and Weegee, street photographers who elevated their subjects beyond typical paparazzi fare.
Diggs, or Diggzy, was the photographer who captured Rihanna’s pregnancy reveal with her first child, RZA. Now he’s turning her walk through the New York rain into a styled maternity shoot. This is good old fashioned street photography brought into 21st century celebrity, and I love it, especially on a night when we’re talking about Black style and contributions to culture. Rihanna is the culture! Miles Diggs is documenting the culture in real time!
Meanwhile, Rihanna’s partner, A$AP Rocky, was a co-chair for the Met Gala this year. He was on time, posing on the carpet and giving interviews, as expected of a co-chair. He designed his look as an homage to Harlem nights.
A lot of people were rocking canes and walking sticks, and I think Rocky’s embellished umbrella is one of the best accessories of the night. First of all, it’s practical, it was a rainy night. And it’s an elevated take on a classic dapper gentleman’s accessory. Overall, I liked his look a lot. And while it’s not perfectly coordinated, I can see how his look would pair well with Rihanna’s (by Marc Jacobs).
Picturing them together, they look like a couple on a stroll, one that could be painted by Georges Seurat. And we must picture them together because Rihanna really said “Tell Anna I’ll be late” again. I love her.
There were other couples at the gala, though, including Simone Biles and her husband, Jonathan Owens. I’ll be honest, on the spreadsheet I made for assignments, I put them down as “Simone Biles + him”. For them, it was an early anniversary celebration, as their wedding anniversary is later this week. They were also on the host committee for the gala. I like the bustle/train of Simone’s dress, but I wish rather than a miniskirt, this outfit had pants. That’s just so much back volume for a miniskirt to carry. But the color is amazing on her. He also looks nice.
Another sports power couple and Met Gala regulars are Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade. They look beautiful, because they ARE, but this is a pretty tame showing from them. The sports couple that actually took my breath away were Ciara and Russell Wilson. Well, honestly, Ciara took my breath away. She looks so stunning and sexy.
A lot of men in these couplings are giving “he was also present”. Speaking of, Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra Jonas turned up, too. He looks like the cabin boy serving her on a transatlantic cruise in 1914. I was somewhat distracted by Priyanka’s hair, which looks undone in a way I’m not convinced is on purpose. She was fussing with it on the carpet like she wasn’t happy with it, either. But I LOVE the hat. That’s the hat of a woman who just poisoned her husband. Which is why she’s on the cruise seducing the cabin boy—she’s fleeing her crimes and starting anew. I’ve written a whole story based on her hat and his jaunty neckerchief.
Finally, Usher and his wife, Jennifer Raymond, made a coordinated, black-and-white appearance. Jennifer’s outfit is GREAT, Usher’s is pretty standard, but I am cutting him slack because he flew to New York just for the night in between stops on his European tour. We stan a man devoted to fashion!
Also, Jennifer’s ensemble is sort of how I’m picturing Simone’s but with pants. See how the pants balance the draping? It just needs balance!
