The Most Surprising (and Delightful) Men’s Red Carpet Accessories at the 2025 Met Gala

When Olivier Rousteing—the long-serving creative director of Balmain, and one of the first Black designers to lead a major French house—walked the red carpet with Rosalía at the 2025 Met Gala, he carried what was, let’s say, an atypical accessory outside of the atelier: a brass-plated Balmain sewing machine.

Photo: Getty Images

Then, as he stepped over to reporters, the sewing machine slipped from his hands.

“Ah—I was sewing too much already!” He said, laughing. “I was working too much on the mannequin. This look is all about the mannequin and how it’s the inspiration of the beginning of a collection. All tailoring occurs on the mannequin.” He gestured to Rosalía, whose sculpted velvet dress—which almost took on the impression of soft Carrara marble—glimmered subtly under the lights.

Just beforehand, the model Alton Mason glided by wearing a futuristic-looking sparkling silver eyepatch to complement his custom Boss fit. He smiled as made his way to the front door, playing up his swashbuckling dandy with aplomb.

Speaking of dandies and how a surprise red carpet accessory can make a statement: Earlier this week I interviewed Dapper Dan, who told me that dandyism and music really go hand in hand: They’re in constant states of new translation, but the core of both things, and their expressiveness, remains the same.

The musician Jon Batiste, wearing Dunhill and Cartier, embodied that sensibility fantastically: He brought his saxophone—and played it for the press flanking the steps. André 3000, too, accessorized in an aural realm: he sported a grand piano, worn as a backpack over his Burberry by Daniel Lee jumpsuit.

Yes, there were canes and top hats and other foppish paraphernalia—but some of the best-dressed gents at the 2025 Met Gala figured that a little eccentricity was just as dandy.