Gilded and glamorous! What looks won the 2022 Met Gala?

The Met Gala finally returns to the first Monday in May with the theme 'gilded glamour.' Which guests understood the assignment?

Mama, we made it—to the Met Gala! Okay, so theGrio isn’t on the famed steps of New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in person this year, but in our minds (and from the comfort of our homes), we’re giving “gilded glamour,” the dress code for the Met Gala’s return to the first Monday in May for the first time since 2019.

Met Gala 2022 theGrio.com
Leslie Odom Jr., Janelle Monáe and Janicza Bravo attend the 2022 Met Gala
Photo: Getty Images

Of course, if you’re a fashion devotee, you already know this evening’s event is actually the second half of the tribute to Costume Institute’s “America: A Lexicon of Fashion” exhibit, for which the Met Gala is an annual fundraiser. Following the first installment in September 2021, this time, guests are expected to evoke the opulent, white-tie-and-tails glamour of New York City’s gilded age—which coincidentally, opened with the founding of the Met.

As HBO’s recent new hit reminded us, the wealth of that era wasn’t solely relegated to white elites. In that era of post-Civil War Reconstruction, there was already a growing Black elite and plenty of Black excellence—which is exactly what we’re excited to see among this evening’s guests. While many outlets may give you their opinion of the best of the Met Gala’s looks, theGrio is always rooting for everyone Black—and that’s where our eyes will be focused throughout tonight’s festivities.

Who understood the assignment? Who both brought it and shut it down? Which Met Gala guests put that gilded glamour theme down, flipped it, and reversed it? We’ll be showing you all that and more in our Met Gala carousel of style, which we’ll be updating with Black fashion moments throughout the evening. So watch this space; we’ll be serving fresh Met Gala looks all night.

Janelle Monáe in Ralph Lauren

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Cynthia Erivo in archival Louis Vuitton

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Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union in Versace

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Cardi B in Versace

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Megan Thee Stallion in Moschino

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Megan Thee Stallion in Moschino

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Anderson .Paak in Gucci

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Tessa Thompson in Carolina Herrera

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Ariana DeBose in Moschino

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Naomi Campbell in Burberry

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Naomi Campbell in Burberry

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Venus Williams in Chloé

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Ciara in Michael Kors

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Kerry Washington in Tory Burch

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Leslie Odom Jr. in Fendi

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Renée Elise Goldsberry in Carolina Herrera

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Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys in Ralph Lauren

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Alicia Keys hair detail

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Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz in Ralph Lauren

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Jon Batiste in Ralph Lauren

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Kid Cudi in Kenzo

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Nicki Minaj in Burberry

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Lizzo in Thom Browne

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Lizzo in Thom Browne

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Lena Waithe in Versace

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Janicza Bravo in Schiaparelli

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Michaela Jaé Rodriguez in Moschino

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Kelvin Harrison Jr. in Prada

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Laura Harrier in H&M

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Normani in Christian Siriano

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Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

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Chloë in Area

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Paapa Essiedu in Off-White

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Lori Harvey in Michael Kors

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Regé-Jean Page

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Danai Gurira

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Lenny Kravitz in Chrome Hearts

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Joan Smalls in Tom Ford

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La La Anthony in LaQuan Smith

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LaQuan Smith

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Winnie Harlow in Iris van Herpen

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Teyana Taylor in Iris van Herpen

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Teyana Taylor in Iris van Herpen

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Erykah Badu in Marni

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Denée Benton in Prabal Gurung

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Kiki Layne in Prabal Gurung

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SZA in Vivienne Westwood

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SZA in Vivienne Westwood

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Russell Westbrook

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Future

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Jodie Turner-Smith in Gucci

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Giveon

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Jasmine Tookes

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Imaan Hammam

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Kerby Jean-Raymond

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Aurora James and Brandon Maxwell

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Questlove

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Jeremy Pope

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Paloma Elsesser in Coach

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Precious Victoria Lee in Altuzarra

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Julie Dash

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Ashton Sanders in Casablanca

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Marques Brownlee

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Tracey Collins and New York City Mayor Eric Adams in Láolú Senbanjo

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Tracey Collins and New York City Mayor Eric Adams, fashion detail (by artist Láolú Senbanjo)

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Stormzy in Burberry

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Franklin Leonard

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Gunna in Thom Browne

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Rachel Smith in Monique Lhullier

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Stromae

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Maya Haile and Marcus Samuelsson

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Victor Glemaud in H&M

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Nyjah Huston

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Anok Yai

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Adwoa Aboah

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Adut Akech in Vintage Christian Lacroix from Shrimpton Couture

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Commissioner of New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Laurie Cumbo gets proposed to on the red carpet

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Commissioner of New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Laurie Cumbo gets proposed to on the red carpet

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Janelle Monáe in Ralph Lauren

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Maiysha Kai is Lifestyle Editor of theGrio, covering all things Black and beautiful. Her work is informed by two decades’ experience in fashion and entertainment, a love of great books and aesthetics, and the indomitable brilliance of Black culture. She is also a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and editor of the YA anthology Body (Words of Change series).


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