In recent years, Cardi B has proven to be one of the Met Gala’s most elaborate dressers—so anticipation was high for what the superstar would step out in tonight at the 2025 Met Gala. Staying true to the Tailored for You dress code, Cardi went with her twist on modern-day dandyism: She chose intricate Burberry suiting by designer Daniel Lee as a nod to the new exhibition, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.”
“For Cardi’s look, we liked the idea of a tailored, feminine dandy,” Lee tells Vogue. “Cardi gives main-character energy, and her look reflects this.”
The star wore a green floor-length embroidered coat with an open back—and it was certainly worthy of the spotlight. She styled the coat over a silk devoré shirt with a ruffled collar and cuffs, and enriched the look with a silk-satin cummerbund, with green velvet jacquard tailored trousers in a floral vine to match. “We looked at Victorian dress and corsetry,” Lee says of the inspiration. “There was one particular image we found of an emerald green gown from the 19th century: The back of the gown had a circular cutout that, for the time, would have been controversial. We liked this idea of nonconformity, keeping with the spirit of dandyism.”
The striking ensemble also served as a continuation of a recent fall 2025 womenswear look from the label. “The collection was about eccentric characters, and a sense of nobility and extravagance,” says Lee, adding that it felt like a fitting nod. “The tailored coat was made using green baroque velvet damask, similar to something you would see in an old British stately home.” The hand-sewn beading, meanwhile, was just as ornate. “We love how this moves when Cardi walks,” says Lee.
Though Cardi clearly went a more refined route this year, she remains one of the Met Gala’s biggest risk-takers. Last year, the rapper embraced gothic glamour—and mounds of tulle—in a voluminous design by Windowsen designer Sensen Lii. Back in 2019, she slipped into a Thom Browne oxblood gown, complete with 30,000 feathers and 44-carat ruby nipples, while in 2022 she showed up in an ornate Versace column gown (and Versace convertible, no less). Her latest foray into tailoring, however, proved she is always one to keep us on our toes. “Cardi is a natural performer with an amazing presence,” says Lee of dressing her. “She loves clothes and dressing up, which makes the process a lot of fun. Cardi knows what she wants from a look and comes with ideas. For this Met Gala look, we wanted to honor her exuberant style, while celebrating this year’s theme.”
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