The Hidden Meaning Behind Keke Palmer's Dramatic Met Gala Look (PHOTOS)
The Password host described her look as “little masculine with a feminine tribute.”
Wearing a white collared Vera Wang gown adorned with pearls and crystals, Keke Palmer absolutely stunned at the 2025 Met Gala — and paid homage to a trailblazing Hollywood legend.
At the Met Gala on May 5, 2025, the Emmy-winning host of NBC’s game show Password revealed that her dramatic outfit was inspired by Dorothy Dandridge, who made history as the first Black actress to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in 1954’s Carmen Jones.
As her white gown opened in the front to reveal a chic pair of tailored black pants underneath, Palmer’s Met Gala look also represented this year’s theme, "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style," a celebration of Black dandyism.
Keke Palmer at the 2025 Met Gala
“I wanted to inhabit the tailoring but also the history of Black culture, fashion as a tool to enter spaces that often we’re not allowed” Palmer told Vogue on the red carpet, describing her look as a “little masculine with a feminine tribute.”
“That’s why I wanted to take the inspiration of Dorothy Dandridge,” she added. “All the doors she opened for us with fashion and beauty.”
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While Dandridge died at the young age of 42, the trailblazing star made a lasting impact as a style icon. And just as Palmer’s look incorporated, Dandridge’s 1950s fashion is known for her love of “cigarette pants” as well as daring gowns. In a 1951 issue of Jet Magazine, Dandridge said she would try to “sense the flavor” of her audiences when it came to her fashion. “I like to startle them — in a nice way,” the icon was quoted in the magazine.
Vera Wang shared a few more details about Palmer’s Met Gala look on Instagram, revealing that the Nope star was quite literally “dripping” in jewels.
“A light ivory Italian featherweight silk faille bodice with a tailored lapel, neckline and bubble hemmed overskirt embellished in dripping glass light ivory pearls and Swarovski crystals. Worn over a black Italian silk wool radzmire tuxedo pant,” the designer captioned a photo of Palmer.
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On May 6, Palmer shared several photos from the evening on Instagram, sharing her gratitude for Wang’s “incredible team” for making her show stopping look a reality.
“As I get older and older the richer my experiences become, not because of where I am but because how present I am in the room,” she wrote. “Another day, another look, another memory.. for the books.”
