ZendayaMichael Loccisano/GA/Getty Images
Sure, the Met Gala is the night when designers ascend to fashion’s highest altar, chasing the outer limits of beauty, construction, and spectacle—from Diana Ross’s 18-foot train by Ugo Mozie to Zendaya’s crisp white Louis Vuitton suit by Pharrell Williams. But it’s also a sacred hour for jewelers, who adorn the necks, wrists, ears, and lapels of Met Gala-goers with centuries-old stones, storied settings, and—more often than not—a bodyguard somewhere nearby. Tonight, sparkle isn’t a detail—it’s the headline.
And in a year shaped by “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”—the Costume Institute’s exhibition devoted to Black dandyism and the radical elegance of self-invention—it feels especially fitting that men are commanding the red carpet not only in sharp tailoring but in serious carats. The dress code, “Tailored for You,” asked attendees to come as their most considered, expressive selves. And for many, that meant letting the jewelry speak.
See Teyana Taylor, whose Ruth E. Carter-designed getup was festooned with a serpentine-esque jewel piece down her back, a baroque choker, multiple brooches, and a watch fob-like chain. Anne Hathaway’s hulking Bulgari sapphire necklace. And Isha Ambani’s necklace stack: a vintage-inspired solitaire necklace from her personal collection—an homage to the Maharaja of Nawanagar—the largest diamond is a whopping cushion cut at 80.73 carats! (But did we expect anything less?)
Twin jewelry designers Soull and Dynasty Ogun of L’Enchanteur arrived gleaming in layered chains rich with spiritual and ancestral meaning. They weren’t just guests—they were contributors to “Superfine” itself, commissioned to craft a bullion gold pendant that reflects the cultural currency of adornment and the enduring link between ornament and identity.
But let’s not forget it was a night for the bro-brooch, too! All the best-dressed men turned out with a brooch on their lapel. And in the case of Lewis Hamilton, on his hat, too! His Baobab-inspired brooches (which Wales Bonner made in collaboration with SNOW Diamonds) glittered with garnets, a nod to his January birthday and diamonds.
All these and more of the best jewelry moments, below.
Hulking Necklaces
Grills Galore
Curling Ear Cuffs
Watch Fobs and Body Chains
Beguiling Brooches
This article was originally published on Vogue.com.
