Every year, the star-studded event that’s widely renowned as fashion’s biggest night of the year rocks around and, without fail, we see some of the most impressive men’s looks hit the red (now champagne) carpet. However, it invariably brings about some fashion missteps as well. This is the story of one such error…
Here at DMARGE, we have a lot of time for Harlem-born rapper A$AP Rocky. After more than a decade in the limelight, he’s earned his renown as one of the most stylish men in the industry, consistently pairing up with some of the best designers and spearheading some of the best collaborations out there.
However, in a rare fashion “L” for the superstar rapper, he not only debuted a far from perfect look at this year’s Karl Lagerfeld-themed MET Gala, but did so after making an entrance that left many fans scratching their heads… and one woman tending to bumps on hers.
WATCH: Believe it or not, he’s had worse days than this. Just ask his vintage Jeep…
In a thoroughly half-arsed attempt at a head-turning publicity stunt, the rapper didn’t join the red carpet in the tradiitonal fashion. Rather, he entered via a crowd of onlookers, sneaking in through the back of the mass, half-hidden under an oversized black hoodie.
Once he had waded his way to the barrier separating the public from the carpet, he jumped over the barrier onto the runway before pulling back the hood and revealing himself. Whilst doing so, however, he used one woman’s head and shoulders as a launchpad…
what was in asap rocky’s mind when entering the met gala like that 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/ZXgEGiHHbK
— les (jk’s gf) (@thvdte) May 1, 2023
The move – which led fans to ask “What was in [his] mind” and claiming that he looked “like a WWE wrestler” – wasn’t, believe it or not, his biggest faux pas of the night: his red carpet outfit represented a total misunderstanding of the night’s assignment.
The night’s theme was dedicated to the memory of legendary designer Karl Lagerfeld, who was famous for his elegant designs and monochromatic, formal self-styling that he accessorised with glistening gemstones, sunglasses and (sometimes fingerless) black gloves.
A$AP Rocky partnered with Gucci in an attempt to put a unique spin on a look worn by Lagerfeld during a 2004 show, where he paired his classic high-collared shirt and tie with a statement red and black kilt.
In fairness to A$AP, he nailed several elements of this look: the shades, shirt, tie, jacket and shoes all worked perfectly and – had he had the humility to pair them all with a bottom half that did the German designer justice – all would have been well.
However, the rapper chose to wear baggy, embroidered blue jeans underneath the red and black kilt, along with the classically-Karl top half. Though many have said that this was A$AP’s effort to combine a “street” aesthetic with Lagerfeld’s famous formality, I simply don’t believe the colours, materials, or silhouettes marry together in the way he imagined.
Perhaps an even greater sin, however, was the addition of no less than three Gucci belts, all of which were clumsily layered on top of one another, adding yet more mess and unwanted texture to an outfit that definitely didn’t need it and – more to the point – would not have been greeted warmly by Lagerfeld.
As I said earlier, however, this is a rare mistake from the rapper, and I can only imagine that the immense pressure to deliver a jaw-dropping look at the MET Gala can cause people to overstretch, forcing an error that wouldn’t otherwise be made.
Naturally, his saving grace was his longtime partner Rihanna, who nailed the theme in an all-white look that radiated elegance and high fashion. As the famous saying goes, behind every man is an even greater woman and, much as we love his music, this has never been truer than today.