Zendaya Stays on Theme at the Met Gala After Parties
Leave it to Zendaya to cap off Met Gala Monday with one last reference to this year’s theme, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” After taking the main red carpet in a zoot suit-inspired look from Louis Vuitton, the actor stepped out to an after-party at Casa Cipriani in a piece of fashion history from a boundary-breaking Black designer.
Zendaya traded her Louis Vuitton bridal suit for a vintage burgundy dress from the legendary American designer Patrick Kelly. It featured a strapless silhouette and a damask floral pattern in a dark red color. Zendaya amped up the dress by pairing it with a shaggy cropped coat (also by Kelly) and matching stilettos. A slicked-back hairstyle and the actor’s megawatt engagement ring completed her look.
A-list stars tend to forget the gala’s theme once the after parties roll around, but Zendaya’s party dress leaned into the night’s embrace of Black dandyism in fashion.
Kelly, born in Mississippi in 1954, was a pioneering figure in Black fashion. He moved to Paris in the early 1980s (at the suggestion of the legendary model, Pat Cleveland) and became the first American ever admitted to the governing body that oversees France’s ready-to-wear fashion industry.
Yes, this year’s Met Gala focused on menswear and tailoring—but in many ways, Kelly was a dandy both in how he carried himself and in the ways he broke boundaries in Europe. His playful and provocative designs quickly became a mainstay of Paris fashion and caught the attention of stars like Grace Jones, Madonna, and Bette Davis. (Kelly passed away in 1990 due to complications from AIDS).
Interest in Kelly’s work seems to be on high amongst the celeb set lately. Beyoncé also wore a vintage Patrick Kelly dress earlier this year. Hers was done in his signature button motif.
Backstory aside, Zendaya’s Patrick Kelly stunner is the ultimate party look—it’s glittering with sequins, form-fitting, and comes with a matching caplet. But surely Zendaya and her stylist, Law Roach wanted to send one final, powerful message before Met Monday officially came to an end.
