This year’s Met Gala saw another event full of stunning outfits, bold designs, and, of course, some questionable choices.
One star who raised eyebrows at the event was K-pop singer Lisa Manobal, who recently appeared in The White Lotus, wearing a lace Louis Vuitton bodysuit embroidered with a collage of different faces, including one that appeared to look like the civil rights activist Rosa Parks.
The theme for Monday night’s event was inspired by The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s forthcoming spring exhibition, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”, which focuses on menswear and suit tailoring, with an emphasis on Black dandyism.
The dress code, titled “Tailored For You,” was chosen to encourage individual expression, inviting guests to dress in a way that felt authentic to them.
Manobal, who is part of the colossal K-pop group Blackpink, wore the bodysuit under an embroidered jacket, accessorised with LV logo tights and a monogrammed handbag. The embroidered pattern in the lace appears throughout the jacket and bodysuit in different places, but is most visible on the crotch area.
Some people, believing the face to be that of Parks, have called it “disrespectful” due to the placement of the face on the lower part of the bodysuit.
A representative for Louis Vuitton has told The Cut that the print was created by American artist Henry Taylor and depicts “portraits of figures who have been a part of the artist’s life”.
The motif was originally commissioned by creative director Pharrell Williams for his debut spring 2024 collection for Louis Vuitton. However, it has not been confirmed who the people in the collage are.
The Independent has contacted the label and Manobal’s representatives to confirm.
is that ROSA PARKS 😭? #metgala pic.twitter.com/g6PHGGdORw
— imz ⋆˚𝜗𝜚˚⋆ (@templui) May 5, 2025
The lack of explanation behind the outfit hasn’t stopped onlookers from calling the apparent use of Parks’s portrait “distasteful”
“Whoever dresses Lisa tonight hates her,” wrote one person on X/Twitter. “Why put Rosa Parks on her ass and crouch? A night celebrating black excellence, putting a civil rights icon on your booty?”
Another person added: “NO BC WHAT DO YOU MEAN BLACKPINK LISA HAS ROSA PARKS EMBROIDERED ON HER UNDERWEAR?”
“WHO THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA????? Mind you not only is it highly distasteful how is this on theme?” said another.
Elsewhere at this year’s Met Gala, Diana Ross captivated the red carpet after a 22-year hiatus and Rihanna revealed that she is pregnant with her third child as she prepared to arrive at the event.
The “Shut Up and Drive” singer arrived at the event wearing a black cropped woollen jacket, a wool bustier bodysuit, a black pinstripe wool tailored skirt with a bustle, a polka dot satin cravat and an oversized floppy hat, all by Marc Jacobs.
Manobal wasn’t the only one facing criticism for her outfit. Shakira, who wore an eye-catching bubblegum pink gown with a sweeping train that cascaded down the museum’s steps, was called out for not paying attention to the theme.
“Beautiful…but not on theme whatsoever,” one person wrote on Instagram in response to the outfit, while another critic dubbed the gown “ridiculous”.
Additional commenters added that Shakira had “missed the assignment”, with one person joking her pink dress reminded them of Glinda from the stage musical and recent Hollywood film Wicked.
You can find the best dressed stars, including Janelle Monáe, Lauryn Hill and Damson Idris, here.
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