Every year at the Met Gala, there are always a few attendees (or more than a few, let’s be honest) who struggle to fully grasp and interpret the theme and dress code for the evening. It doesn’t matter how specific the Costume Institute gets—and this year, they got specific with both the theme and dress code featuring the word “tailored.” But from looking at the red carpet on Monday night, one may have thought this year’s Met Gala was celebrating pantsless fashion, with a dress code closer to, say, “Leg-Baring Beauties” as opposed to “Tailored For You.” Because so many attendees left their pants at home, and we can’t figure out why.
To be fair, it was Pharrell Williams who led the charge of the trouser-ditching contingent. The musician-turned-designer was one of the co-chairs for this year’s Gala, but was working double duty. Louis Vuitton was a sponsor of the event, and, as menswear creative director, Williams had the task of dressing multiple attendees. Maybe he opted to save some time by cutting all the pants from his looks. The man only has so many hours in a day. Even his wife, Helen Lasichanh, walked by the designer’s side in a black leather bodysuit, leather blazer, and LV-branded tights.
The same tights were also worn by Lisa, who paired them with a lace blazer on top. It was the bodysuit underneath, however, that raised some questions online. The lace print on the piece was designed in collaboration with artist Henry Taylor, whom Pharrell admires and has worked with in the past. According to LV, the print features “portraits of figures who have been a part of the artist’s life,” but many online believe one of the faces that appears across Lisa’s crotch and butt to be important Civil Rights figure Rosa Parks. It’s not the most prestigious or respectful placement. So now, we’re looking at Lisa’s look and asking, why is she not wearing pants and why do we have to pull Parks into this?
But the answers to those questions will continue to elude us, as will any answer to the question of why Sabrina Carpenter didn’t wear pants either? You can’t make this up, people. Apparently, if you wanted to wear Louis Vuitton to the 2025 Met Gala, you had to be willing to show some knees. Even Doechii, who wore the brand for her debut, arrived in shorts. But while there was some artistry and elegance in the other LV designs, Carpenter’s look recalled a well-dressed circus ring leader who had to run on stage in the middle of getting ready to calm down the caged tigers. Or perhaps, the singer got confused and thought the theme was “Dress Like Your Ex-Boyfriend at the 2024 Met, But Make It Sexy.” Because we can’t help but think of Barry Keoghan in his velvet Burberry suit from last year when looking at Carpenter.
But oddly enough, it wasn’t just Williams and the LV girls. Despite the gorgeous full suits Anthony Vaccarello has been sending down the Saint Laurent runway these past few seasons—he basically kickstarted the resurgence of the power suiting trend—he dressed Hailey Bieber in a double-breasted blazer mini dress, which she wore with sheer tights and pleaser mules. At least Doja Cat’s suit-inspired bodysuit from Marc Jacobs had a bit of intrigue with padding that over-accentuated her figure and an abstract, cheetah print-like fabric that added some color to a pretty black and white red carpet.
And then there was Charli XCX and Cynthia Erivo. They both technically wore skirts, yes, though their panties were still on full display. Charli’s were visible through her sheer black Ann Demeulemeester wrap skirt. The singer was just asking for someone to make the joke, “No one needs to guess the color of her underwear,” so there, I just did. Erivo, meanwhile, wore a dramatic Givenchy couture design by Sarah Burton, featuring a jewel-encrusted, structured top and a full tulle skirt that split in the middle to reveal some teeny tiny shorts underneath.
So did we just miss the memo, or perhaps there was a different interpretation of the theme and Black Dandyism we couldn’t (and still can’t) quite grasp that relates to the basking of bare legs. Online, some are speculating that the many bodysuits are homages to Zelda Wynn Valdes (whom Gigi Hadid also referenced with her look), a Black designer who is credited for creating the iconic Playboy Bunny costume. That would certainly be in Carpenter’s wheelhouse, as the singer dressed like a Playboy Bunny for Halloween in 2024. Most likely, though, it’s just a good old-fashioned coincidence, made more obvious by Williams’ dedication to the pantsless look at the 2025 Met Gala.