…the met gala…

new york, may 5 2025

exceptional talents join thom browne to spotlight the highest form of tailoring, the foundation of fashion, a canvas for transformation. tradition morphs into something new. something surreal, sublime…

on the first monday in may, the steps of the metropolitan museum unveil the history, artistry and heritage potential of tailoring. classic codes of black tie dressing are sublimated. the tuxedo metamorphoses. every seam reveals a reverence for both the wearer and the culture that shaped its beginning. presence and distinction is in the air…

…demi moore…

…a new take on black tie…

cross the left side of the fabric over the right side, pull it under and then over through the loop, repeat and knot to perfection. the tie, a fundamental part of the suit brought to life in exaggerated proportions, at new heights…

embroidered with over 1,400,000 beads, including 222,000 pieces of black rectangle sequins, 1,093,500 pieces of black bugle beads, and 103,500 pieces of black cut beads, demi wears a custom thom browne sculptural black and white tie dress, a creation brought together with 7,600 hours of handwork, with shiny bugle and cut beads, and pom pom block-heel opera pumps in black patent leather and suede…

...angel reese...

…all that meets the eye…

everything is in the details, the stitches demanding attention… on closer inspection, all is not what it seems … the sharp lines of a collar… or a tuxedo disguised in a dress…

angel wears a custom thom browne black duchess satin trompe l’oeil cropped jacket with silk satin lacing and contrasting 3-ply mohair cups, an exaggerated hip corset and a matching drop-waist skirt with an extended train. the skirt, embroidered with a shiny black bugle bead tuxedo stripe. her shoes are low throat wingtip pumps in black patent leather…

...zoe saldaña...

…shiny and new…

2,700,000 white bugle beads cover every seam, a feat only 10,000 hours of hand work could complete, tied together with an oversized bow cascading and puddling as it hits the ground, a train of beauty piecing together every bridal button and fine line of precision tailoring…

zoe wears a custom thom browne tuxedo dress with a black plissé piqué bodice, a shiny white embroidered bugle pinstripe sleeve and skirt with an extended bow, and longwing brogue platforms in black and white patent leather…

...lorde...

…all wrapped up…

musical notes flow around and around, a symmetry brought together through repetition and precision… replicated through a cummerbund detailing cascading from shoulder to toe… broken up by bare skin… her torso, a bridge connecting each piece, where the cummerbund would be, this time instead everywhere else…

lorde wears a custom thom browne dark grey duchess satin cummerbund-style skirt and matching backless top with an oversized sack-style jacket and longwing brogues in funmix grey patent leather…

...tramell tillman...

…of severance and silk…

three hundred hours of hand work sew over 5,256 bugle beads and 13,140 seed beads… a needle meeting black velvet and silk satin, stitching together a calla lily dream… a reflection of tramell’s favorite flower, each handcrafted to perfection, through thom’s dedication to couture-level detailing…

tramell wears a custom thom browne elongated tailcoat in black velvet, tipped in black silk satin and adorned with a bouquet of handcrafted calla lilies, realized in silk duchess, organza overlay with beading embroidery, and frayed silk faille, attached to the chest with a silk satin ribbon…

classic trousers in black and white pinstripe are worn with a cummerbund in black silk faille, a grey and white university stripe oxford shirt with a round collar and a black silk faille bow tie. the shoes, opera ballerina spectators in black and white patent leather...

...janelle monae and paul tazewell...

…from familiar to surreal… tick, tock…

janelle steps onto the carpet from a time machine… a reference of the thirties… and to the future… the past and present brought to life in technicolor… a story created between thom and legendary oscar winning costume designer paul tazewell...

janelle wears a custom thom browne oversized trompe l’oeil suit cape half realized in 3-ply mohair with white radial stitch grosgrain tipping, and half finished in embroidered pinstripe intarsia into red double duchess silk, with embroidered radial outlines in grosgrain ribbons…

time ticks… ticks… ticks… a monocle on janelle’s left eye grounding her in present space… moving another second with each step she takes up the stairs…

a transformation from the familiar to the surreal. a vision grounded in the history of those that came before us. to transcend time and space and share the beauty of being alive … building on cinematic references across multiple decades, to bring to life a vision entirely unique and one of a kind…

beneath the overcoat, janelle wears a deconstructed bi-color sportcoat and skirt in pinstripe suiting and red wool crepe, with exposed facing and shoulder pads in white silk faille, finished with tailoring basting, cross and marking stitches. the bi-color ensemble is worn over a corset in black silk faille with white binding, a white cotton oxford shirt and black, white and red striped seamed intarsia tie. her shoes are the 4-bar spectator platforms…

paul wears a custom thom browne classic tailcoat and ankle-length pleated skirt in black 3-ply mohair with tonal grosgrain tipping with a double-breasted off-white silk faille vest, worn over a white cotton piqué shirt, with black patent leather longwing boots…

...anok yai...

…power in the pattern…

every angle, every turn, a considered proportion, draped and laced and buttoned…

anok wears a custom thom browne black corset shirtdress with 1,135,000 bugle beads, embroidered throughout the entire look, in a crisscross pattern with exaggerated hip detailing. 9,900 hours of hand work brought together with a matching black beaded draped jacket tied over the hips and a white moiré overcoat skirt. her shoes, a low throat wingtip pump in black and white patent leather…

...saquon barkley...

…in unifrom…

saquon wears a custom thom browne 3-piece classic tuxedo in black 3-ply mohair, tipped with tonal black grosgrain, with a hand-embroidered 4-bar in black tonal matte and shiny bugle beads, and longwing brogues in black patent leather…

...whoopi goldberg...

…a coat of many sequins…

350,000 matte white sequins… a star shimmering amongst the lights of the metropolitan steps… an icon realized and presented in a waterfall of embroidered tailoring…

whoopi wears a custom thom browne black duchess satin raglan-sleeve tailored dress and heavily embroidered, stacked matte white sequin overcoat with lacing detail down the center back, a top hat in wool bouclé from the fall 2015 archive, and longwing boots in black and white patent leather…

handcrafted in new york city by l’enchanteur, dynasty and soull, the renowned brooklyn design duo with a mythical aesthetic, whoopi’s jewelry includes brass finger caps, gold sunglasses, a staple of whoopi’s iconic wardrobe, a gold link chain and keyhole brooch with black opal and blue and white diamonds, and rings of green tourmaline, diamonds, tanzanite, garnet and purple sapphire…

...walton goggins...

…from the inside out…

walton wears a custom thom browne ‘inside-out’ overcoat with a pleated skirt back detail in a combination of tonal wool suiting, black double duchess silk and exposed canvas, finished with external silk and cotton-covered shoulder pads and tailoring hand stitches. the “inside-out” ankle-length pleated skirt in 3-ply wool mohair with tonal silk faille pleat inserts is bound with white silk faille and finished with hand-marking stitches. the overcoat, worn over a classic oxford shirt with a back silk faille tie. his shoes are longwing brogues in black patent leather…