Met Gala 2025: Janelle Monáe sports eye-catching monocle look
Janelle Monáe flaunted a deconstructed suit look at the Met Gala on Monday, complete with an eye-catching monocle.
The 10-time Grammy nominated singer-songwriter graced the gala's midnight-blue floral carpet with a showstopping, punchy design from Thom Browne (the label ended up dressing several celebrities for fashion's biggest night).
The two-piece ensemble featured a deconstructed look, first with a half-striped oversized overcoat, inspired by the trompe l'oeil style of the 1930s. When the overcoat was removed, it revealed Monáe in a reconstructed red, white and black tuxedo skirt suit.
Monáe topped off the whole look with a black bowler hat, a motorized monocle on her left eye -- which moved whenever she took a step -- and black-and-white platform shoes with Browne's signature four-bar stripe pattern.
Monáe shared an Instagram reel of the monocle in action along with her complete look.
"It's Time ⏱️," she captioned the video.
"Clock it.🕰️ 👌🏾. A TIME was had!" she added in a follow-up photo post showcasing the entire look from different perspectives.
The standout number was designed by costumer designer Paul Tazewell, according to an Instagram post from Thom Browne, which described the evolution of the look as a "transformation from the familiar to the surreal."
Monáe's look was just one of the many interpretations of the Met Gala's "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" theme this year, which celebrated and elevated the Black dandy and the "formation of Black identities in the Atlantic diaspora," as Vogue explained.
