I have only one negative thing to say about Teyana Taylor’s ensemble last night, which is that we were very rarely able to see it head on:
Most of the time, we saw her co-hosting the blue carpet, so we got the chains on the pants (which originally I thought were pearls; this way is better), the kisscurls and hair scarf, and of course, the demanding big toe that protested from inside the architectural marvels that were those boots.
Obviously, this look is doing the most. It’s excessive and over the top… it’s all the trends and all the looks, not just one. It’s less cohesive than it is cumulative. More is more is more. You can’t take it in all at once. There is, in at least one permutation of this ensemble, literally a hat on a hat. It’s probably even worthy of that dreaded label, too much.
But that ‘too much’ is what makes it full of utter joy!
This look was co-designed with famed costume designer Ruth E. Carter, who explained to Vogue that the theme was so resonant because, historically, Black people only had themselves and their bodies as talismans for who they were, and for telling stories. Why not, if you’re in the position of celebrating those stories, celebrate ALL of them, all the excesses and frills and layers and stripes? Why not put on as much joy and dopamine as you possibly can?
Nobody could hold a candle to Teyana, who knew how good she looked all night – seen here posing as a malevolent but deeply emotionally complex Captain Hook.
But she did have an assist from her carpet co-host and, based on how much fun they had together, I assume new best friend Ego Nwodim. I pointed out last night during our live chat at The Squawk that Ego’s live TV skills kept the rhythms of those interviews upbeat – but if Ego, seen here in her look by Christopher John Rogers, was the straight woman, Teyana was her goofy sidekick (and La La Anthony held down the top-of-the-stairs position all by herself, which is no joke).
The only problem with Ego’s outfit, of course, is that in order to see the charming rainbows of buttons, she has to do this:
Technically works, but far from natural.
Then again, who needs natural? If the theme of the 2025 Met Gala taught us anything, it’s that there’s no detail too small to be delightful.
Unless of course that detail is your feather-bedecked fedora which has tumbled off, and you’ve been propped up on your shoes with strict instructions not to lean.
But even then, the point is not to fit in seamlessly without anyone knowing. More is more. More is joy. Happy Met Gala to all!
