NEW YORK, USA – In a now-expected display of fashionably late grandeur, Rihanna made a dramatic entrance at the 2025 Met Gala, revealing her third pregnancy in a sculptural Marc Jacobs ensemble nearly an hour after the red carpet had officially closed.
The surprise appearance capped a star-studded evening celebrating Black fashion and cultural expression.
Rihanna’s arrival came after her partner, rapper and fashion entrepreneur A$AP Rocky, walked the carpet earlier in his role as one of the evening’s co-chairs.
Dressed in a custom black look by AWGE, Rocky set the tone for a night that honoured the theme “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.”
Wearing a grey bustier, a floor-length black skirt, and a cropped jacket—all by Marc Jacobs—the 37-year-old singer and entrepreneur showcased her baby bump to a flurry of camera flashes.
The look was finished with a tie, statement hat by Stephen Jones, and coordinating heels. Her ensemble nodded to both elegance and power, in line with the evening’s exploration of Black dandyism and diasporic identity.
The couple’s appearance confirmed what fans had begun to speculate: Rihanna and Rocky, both already parents of two, are expecting their third child.
The theme of the night was curated around The Costume Institute’s spring exhibition, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” inspired by Monica L. Miller’s 2009 book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.
According to Andrew Bolton, the Costume Institute’s Curator in Charge, the exhibition “presents a cultural and historical examination of Black style from the 18th century to the present.”
Attended by icons across fashion, music, and entertainment, the Gala was co-chaired this year by A$AP Rocky, Lewis Hamilton, Colman Domingo, Pharrell Williams, and Anna Wintour, with LeBron James serving as honourary chair.
Rihanna’s track record at the Met Gala continues to redefine fashion benchmarks.
Since her debut in 2009 wearing Georges Chakra, she has become a fixture at the event.
Her 2018 papal-inspired look by Maison Margiela for the “Heavenly Bodies” theme and her 2023 tribute to Karl Lagerfeld in Maison Valentino remain among the most lauded red carpet moments in Met Gala history.
In 2021, she and Rocky made headlines with her voluminous Balenciaga coat and his multicoloured quilted ensemble—an unconventional homage to American fashion.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight earlier this year, Met Gala organiser and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour praised the couple’s influence on global fashion culture.
“First of all, they’re very talented, they’re very brilliant, I think they have wonderful values, and they have an enormous amount of style,” Wintour said.
Rihanna’s tradition of late arrivals has become as anticipated as the themes themselves, and Monday night proved no exception.
As the cameras flickered and the crowd roared, the pop icon reminded the fashion world that style, as always, is on her schedule.
The 2025 Met Gala continues to support the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, advancing fashion as both artistic expression and cultural commentary.
