The Met Gala is one of the most talked-about nights in fashion each year and functions as a fundraising benefit for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. This year’s event, held on May 6, was intended to celebrate the 2024 Costume Institute’s exhibition, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.”
Colman Domingo, a mainstay on the red carpets of Hollywood, discussed the inspiration behind his outfit ahead of the event.
As E-News reported, Domingo’s look was partly a homage to Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman and André Leon Talley, a fashion journalism icon, both of whom are deceased, who made their marks wearing capes at the Met Gala.
“They both wore capes at the
Met,” Domingo said. “Everything I do, I feel like it’s gotta be for the culture. It’s gotta be more than just for me. I wanted to honor these brothers who were here before me as well.”Domingo told Women’s Wear Daily that he and Willy Chavarria were set up by his stylists, who told him that the king of the red carpet should collaborate with a reigning CDFA award winner.
“This feels like sort of the icing on the cake for my award season,” Domingo remarked. “I know that there’s been a lot of attention on my looks and style and the storytelling that I do with clothing and fashion, and I knew that
this was going to be a major moment. So when [The Met] was offered, my stylists [Wayman Bannerman and Micah McDonald] did some reachouts to see who’d be interested in dressing me. I will quote what Wayman and Micah said: ‘Well, the king of the red carpet should be paired with the latest CFDA award winner.’”Domingo continued, “There were times where I felt like it looked like coronation tailoring, in many ways. I feel like it could look very much like British royalty at times, and I wanted this to be at the top of that. I’m like, if we’re going for coronation and being the king of the red carpet, [The Met] will be the true coronation.”
Domingo was styled in an oversized white and black Willy Chavarria suit featuring diamond earrings, silver statement rings, and a bouquet of white flowers wrapped in a black satin cloth.
The actor’s look, E-News noted, was not only exquisite, but it perfectly embodied the night’s “Garden of Time” theme. As Vogue Magazine reported, the theme and dress code for the event were inspired by J.G. Ballard’s 1962 short story, which shared the title of the theme.
As Lit Hub describes the story, “The dress code for the event is “The Garden of Time,” which was inspired by J.G. Ballard’s 1962 short story of the same name, in which Count Axel and his wife live and listen to Mozart in a magnificent villa, surrounded by a garden of crystal flowers, as an angry and unruly army advances upon them. To keep the “approaching rabble” at bay, Axel must turn back time by plucking the flowers, one by one until they are all gone, and there is no time left.”