Palmer was keen on honoring Wang’s house codes in her sartorial homage to Dandridge, allowing the two to land on a feminine interpretation of men’s suiting—with embellishments galore. “From the start, it was truly a meeting of the minds,” Wang says. The look is composed of four separate pieces: a fitted ivory silk faille bodice was outfitted with a lapel neckpiece, which she wore with a pair of black pinched-seam tuxedo pants fabricated in Italian silk and wool radzmire. Over the trousers, she wears a sweeping, bubble-hemmed ball skirt, embroidered with Swarovski crystals and glass pearls. She also added a black ostrich feather headband, for a final dose of drama.

Photo: Getty Images

Courtesy of Vera Wang

“Story-wise, it’s about a Black beauty who used said beauty and fashion to open doors. That, to me, is Black dandyism at its core from an impact standpoint,” Palmer says of the look. “We also took the tailoring into account and paid homage to the male tuxedo, which was fun because I love playing with the masculine and feminine.”

At the 2025 Met Gala, with a little help from Vera Wang, Keke Palmer brought Old Hollywood into the modern era.

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