What’s black, white, and red all over? Janelle Monáe at the 2025 Met Gala! Swathed in Thom Browne, the Grammy-winning artist channeled the 1930s in a two piece-look comprised of an overcoat with a trompe l’oeil tie, lapel, and briefcase of duchess silk and embroidered grosgrain ribbons. Beneath, she wore a floor-length skirt suit with the same linear flare.

On her head? A Magritte-style bower. But the real show-stopper was the timepiece-monocle hybrid Monáe wore on her eye. We’ve seen dapper watch accessories all night long—from watch-fob-style chains draping several bodies (see Teyana Taylor and Kim Kardashian) to the extraordinary waistcoat of Khaby Lame which was fully festooned with vintage watches. All this, but no one thought to fuse a monocle with a watch the way Monáe and Browne did.

It’s a look that ticks all the boxes of this year’s Met Gala dress code: Tailored for You, which complements the theme of this year’s Costume Institute exhibition “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” We all recall the Vera Wang naked-dress Monáe wore to last year’s Met Gala—but tonight was about Black dandyism and empowerment, and this was a look that delivered.