Singer Rihanna unveils third pregnancy at the Met Gala

NEW YORK – Singer Rihanna revealed her third pregnancy, singer-songwriter Pharrell Williams sported a jacket with 15,000 pearls and musician Andre 3000 strapped a piano to his back as celebrities celebrated black style and tailoring at the Met Gala fund-raiser on May 5.

Mostly black-and-white looks populated the daffodil-accented deep-blue carpet covering the steps to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As the guests arrived, assistants sheltered them under umbrellas in the heavy rain.

Formula One British driver Lewis Hamilton and American actor Colman Domingo, co-chairs of the gala, were among the first of the stars of sports, music, film and television to appear.

Domingo paid tribute to the late Andre Leon Talley, Vogue’s first black creative director and one of fashion’s towering figures, in a royal blue Valentino cape with a glittering white collar over a snazzy black and gold jacket and grey tweed trousers.

Hamilton, meanwhile, wowed in a sharp cream suit and matching backwards cap, diamonds glittering on his ears, as well as on his lapel, cuffs and hands.

The last to arrive was Barbadian singer Rihanna, who sported a wide-brimmed black hat and a striped, corseted bodice that hugged her baby bump. Her partner, American musician A$AP Rocky, had arrived earlier and confirmed that Rihanna was pregnant with the couple’s third child. They have two sons, born in 2022 and 2023.

He said: “I’m glad everybody’s happy for us because we’re definitely happy.”

American rapper Andre 3000 turned heads with one of the most over-the-top looks – a replica of a piano that he hauled on his back like a backpack.

Williams, the American musician and creative director of Louis Vuitton menswear, wore black tuxedo pants paired with an ivory jacket adorned with thousands of pearls.

K-pop stars were also at the event. Boy band Seventeen’s leader and Boss global ambassador S.Coups made his Met Gala debut in a look with Korean elements. Under a black coat, he wore an asymmetrical grey blazer resembling the traditional Korean costume of hanbok with a matching pair of pleated trousers.

Three-quarters of K-pop girl group Blackpink – Jennie, Rose and Lisa – rocked menswear-inspired monochrome outfits. Jisoo gave the party a miss.

Jennie landed on The New York Times’ list of most unforgettable looks with a strapless Chanel tuxedo gown complete with pearl details and a black-and-white boater hat.

Rose wore a classic black suit by Saint Laurent with an oversized shawl train, complemented by a stunning Tiffany necklace. In what was perhaps a nod to the fictional Rose of iconic film Titanic (1998), her necklace featured one cushion-cut sapphire of more than 14 carats, round sapphires of over 11 carats and diamonds of more than 13 carats. 

In her Met Gala debut, Lisa went pants-less, opting for a tailored Louis Vuitton top and monogram tights. Another pop star who forwent pants was Espresso (2024) singer Sabrina Carpenter, also dressed in Louis Vuitton. Her maroon ensemble consisted of a bodysuit under a topcoat with tails, showing off her svelte legs.

A notable moment of the night came in the form of accidental twin outfits. American Fashion A-lister and actress Zendaya and Shogun’s (2024) Japanese star Anna Sawai showed up in near-identical outfits, both choosing a crisp white suit with matching wide-brimmed hat.

Few details separated the two. Zendaya’s Louis Vuitton pants had more of a bell-bottom flare, her tie was tucked into a vest and she sported her diamond engagement ring from British actor fiance Tom Holland. Sawai’s Dior ensemble included gloves she carried in her hand and a silver tie clip.

In between the stars, former Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris also made her way into the event. She was not spotted on the carpet, but the Democratic Party posted a photo of her on social media in a long black-and-white gown.

The blockbuster night’s theme explored the sharply tailored dandy aesthetic and its rich, complicated history. It also celebrated the opening of a corresponding exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.

But for the fashionistas, the Met Gala – always held on the first Monday in May – is one of the world’s top red carpets with blinding star power.

A fund-raiser for the Costume Institute, it has become known for its roster of A-list celebrities in extravagant outfits. Guests at the 2025 event were told to dress according to the theme Tailored For You, a nod to the exhibit Superfine: Tailoring Black Style at the institute. The display, which is on till Oct 26, focuses on an elegant black dandy aesthetic.

The theme was chosen before the election of United States President Donald Trump, who launched an assault on diversity and inclusion efforts during the first weeks of his second term.

Mr Andrew Bolton, the institute’s head curator, said that even though work began on the exhibit in 2022, “in this current political climate, it resonates very differently. Timing is everything”.

The gala comes five years after the enormous anti-racist uprising of the Black Lives Matter movement, which pushed a number of cultural institutions in the US to grapple with their representation of race and diversity.

Also on the carpet, legendary Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan wore a silk black sherwani-style jacket over black trousers with several necklaces, including one with a giant “K.”

Euphoria (2019 to present) actress Sydney Sweeney shimmered in a fitted sparkling black gown with her hair slicked back in a bun.

Some pops of colour made a statement on the carpet.

Olympic gymnast Simone Biles stood out in a short bright blue dress with a white collar. Director Spike Lee wore a black suit with a silver cross-body bag, orange glasses and an orange New York Knicks cap. Singer Chappell Roan donned hot pink.

Singer and actress Teyana Taylor arrived in a black suit with red pinstripes and matching huge red coat, the back fully pleated and “Harlem Rose” embossed in the fabric.

Among the notable accessories, Bad Bunny carried a brown and yellow bowling-style bag and Tessa Thompson had a fan with an image of the late fashion journalist Andre Leon Talley, whom many cited as an inspiration for their outfits.

Other attendees included musicians Stevie Wonder and Shaboozey and actors Demi Moore, Nicole Kidman and Cynthia Erivo.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, honorary chair of the event, could not attend because of a knee injury. “Hate to miss an historical event,” he wrote on social media platform X.

The Met Gala was first organised in 1948 and, for decades, was reserved for New York high society – until Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour transformed the party into a high-profile catwalk for the rich and famous in the 1990s.

The famed Manhattan museum said on May 5 that it expected to raise US$31 million (S$40 million) in 2025. REUTERS, AFP