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Ashley Graham rocked a ’90s-inspired BOSS wool dress for the Met Gala
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Graham’s gray dress featured an exaggerated, full-canvas shoulder and chest construction with a reversed menswear-style lapel, as well as a deep V-neckline
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Last year, Graham wore a custom black dress by Ludovic de Saint Sernin, requiring 500 hours of hand-placing materials
Last year, Ashley Graham served as one of Vogue’s Met Gala livestream hosts, but this year, she’s in full glam as a guest.
The model and Broadway star, 37, arrived in style at the 2025 Met Gala on Monday, May 5 and climbed the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s steps wearing a bespoke look inspired by ’90s power suits.
Graham’s gray dress featured an exaggerated, full-canvas shoulder and chest construction with a reversed menswear-style lapel, as well as a deep V-neckline, according to a press release from the brand.
The star’s outfit, constructed from a pinstripe wool used in BOSS’ fall/winter 2023 fashion show, was “fitted closely through the hips and thighs before transitioning to a flowing, trailing hemline for a simultaneously organic and sinuous look.”
The dress also features a “boned bustier, crafted from the same fabric, cinched the waist and hips, presenting a dramatic hourglass silhouette,” the brand added.
Related: ‘Superfine: Tailoring Black Style’: The 2025 Met Gala Theme and Dress Code Explained
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Ashley Graham attends the 2025 Met Gala
Speaking to PEOPLE, Graham also jokingly shared some very practical advice for first-time Met Gala attendees: “Don’t drink anything after 2 p.m.”
“Because if you have to go to the bathroom, you’re gonna be screwed,” she said, ahead of the red carpet.
In October 2024, Vogue shared details on the 2025 Met Gala, announcing that Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams and Anna Wintour would co-chair the event, alongside LeBron James as honorary chair. The gala, which is held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York on the first Monday in May, is a fundraiser for The Costume Institute and spotlights the museum’s spring 2025 exhibition, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” the theme for the gala.
Curator in Charge Andrew Bolton said that the exhibit, which is inspired by guest curator Monica L. Miller’s 2009 book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, explores “the Black dandy as both a concept and an identity signifier.”
The exhibit “presents a cultural and historical examination of Black style from the 18th century to the present through an exploration of the concept of dandyism,” according to a post on the museum’s Instagram.
The Met Gala’s dress code for this year is “Tailored for You,” a nod to the exhibition’s focus on menswear and suiting. This year’s event also has a star-studded host committee that includes Simone Biles and her husband, Jonathan Owens, Doechii, Regina King, Spike Lee, Usher and Angel Reese.
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Ashley Graham at the 2024 Met Gala
For the 2024 Met Gala, Graham’s fifth time attending, she wore a custom black dress by Ludovic de Saint Sernin. The look featured hand-placed crystals and metals, which provided a shimmering look. As a nod to the dress code, “The Garden of Time,” Graham had gold flower motifs at her waist. The sheer gown highlighted the lace-up leather bust and simple black heels.
“This dress is a true work of art,” the TV personality wrote on Instagram the day of the event. “Each piece of metal and Swarovski crystal was meticulously hand placed; 500 hours of hand work went into this extraordinary gown — they understood the assignment.”
She added: “Let’s go host the red carpet!!! I can’t wait to see everyone’s looks!”
Related: Ashley Graham Is Excited for ‘Representation’ as She Makes Her Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Debut (Exclusive)
Alongside actresses Gwendoline Christie and La La Anthony, Graham hosted the Vogue Met Gala livestream. During the red carpet, the star interviewed the likes of Rita Ora, Eddie Redmayne, Demi Moore and many others.
The 2023 Met Gala theme, “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” paid homage to the late designer. For that evening, Graham teamed up with British designer Harris Reed to create a structural velvet and satin corset ball gown with standout details.
Mike Coppola/Getty
Ashley Graham at the 2023 Met Gala
“Honored to wear this show-stopping creation by the brilliant, spectacular (and my new bff) @Harris_Reed, paying tribute to the iconic Karl Lagerfeld,” Graham wrote in a May 3, 2023, Instagram post. “@Harris_Reed design genius injects new life into fashion with this take on the Chanel Haute Couture dress from the F/W 1987-88 show by Karl. Together, we’ve created a powerful moment blending Lagerfeld’s grace with Harris Reed’s signature fluidity.”
Related: What to Expect from the 2025 Met Gala: All About the Cochairs, Ones to Watch and The Theme, ‘Superfine: Tailoring Black Style’
Before the event, the model also cut her hair right before the carpet. She posted a snapshot of her snipped-off locks on the floor to her Instagram story. It resulted in a shoulder-length ‘do styled by hairstylist Justine Marjan with flipped edges and Old Hollywood-style curled bangs.
She also wore a full face of Revlon makeup, done by celebrity makeup artist Ivan Nunez. “Inspired by her pink satin and black velvet gown, I decided to give her a classic ’90s glam, matte skin, flushed rosy blush, matte smokey eyes and a beautiful matte lip. A timeless and beautiful look for the Met Gala,” Nunez wrote in a press release.
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In 2019, Graham hit the Met Gala red carpet in a Dapper Dan x Gucci suit jacked with crystal-embellished tights and a high pony. She complemented the look with mismatched jewels by Amwaj, Hueb, Brumani and Stephen Webster.
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Ashley Graham at the 2022 Met Gala
The year prior, Graham wore a bronze strapless sequin Atelier Prabal Gurung gown with matching Giuseppe Zanotti heels.
The model made her Met Gala debut in 2017 with a custom H&M deconstructed white corset and long red skirt.
Catch all the minute-by-minute fashion updates from the 2025 Met Gala red carpet right here!
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