Janelle Monae brought some whimsical sex appeal to the Met Gala red carpet on Monday night.
The 37-year-old singer-songwriter — who shone at the Academy Awards in March — modeled a multi-component Thom Browne look.
The Glass Onion: Knives Out star flaunted a black sequined bikini under a sheer black cone dress.
It was trimmed with glittering stones, like the strings of the entertainer’s triangle swimsuit.
Janelle, who hails from Kansas City, Kansas, paired the look with towering white and black platform boots.
Unexpected look: Janelle Monae brought whimsical sex appeal to the Met Gala red carpet on Monday night
Designer: The 37-year-old singer-songwriter modeled a multi-component Thom Browne look
Born Janelle Monáe Robinson, Janelle donned a color-blocked black and white jacket before stripping down to her revealing look.
The star, who uses both she/her and she/they pronouns, gave onlookers an eyeful when she showed off a great plunging neckline in the bra top.
And as she posed on the famous staircase, she flashed her perky derriere as photographers captured her from every angle.
Ahead of the star-studded event, the fashionista teased People that her presentation would be a ‘surprise’ and ‘an experience’.
‘I’m going as an art student’, Janelle explains in response to the publication.
‘You have an assignment. This is the theme. And me and my team are literally like art students collaborating on a group project, and we’re there,” she explained.
This year’s theme was Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty. The late German designer was the creative director of Chanel for a long time. He passed away at the age of 85 in 2019.
It has added significance to the singer when she made her Met Ball debut in 2011 with Lagerfeld as her date.
“I went with Karl, so this is kind of a circle for us to honor him,” she told Vogue.
In bold! The Glass Onion: Knives Out star showed off a black sequin bikini under a see-through black cone dress
Spicy! Monae flashed her backside in the bold look as she gave cameras a 360 look at her outfit
The 2023 Met Gala returned Monday night to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, where everyone from Kim Kardashian to Paris Hilton was on hand to attend the annual fundraising event.
Since 1948, stars have ascended the majestic staircase to a very exclusive party where no selfies are allowed.
Traditionally, the event took place on the first Monday of May. It started at 6:30 PM EST on May 1, 2023.
Fans could follow the event in real time via a live stream on Vogue.
Lagerfeld’s beloved cat, Choupette, was even invited to the festivities.
The decision to honor Karl sparked controversy, given the abusive comments he made over the years, from criticizing the #MeToo movement to opposing same-sex marriage.
“I’m against it for a very simple reason: in the ’60s they all said we were entitled to the difference. And now all of a sudden they want a civil life,” he told Vice about same-sex marriage.
Low: Before stripping down to her bikini, the singer put on a black and white jacket
‘It’s hard to imagine – one of the daddies at work and the other at home with the baby. What would that be like for the baby? Don’t know. I see more lesbians married with babies than boys married with babies. And I also believe more in the relationship between mother and child than in that between father and child.’
Although he eventually expressed his support for same-sex marriage at his Chanel haute couture show in the spring of 2013, he still said he was “less enthusiastic” about adopting same-sex children, according to the AP.
Along with Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour, who directs and hosts the annual event, the 2023 MET Gala will also be co-hosted by Penelope Cruz, Dua Lipa, Michaela Coel and also Roger Federer.
While the show may be known for its glitzy and over-the-top red carpet — detailing what often remains mysterious inside — at its heart, it’s a fundraising event for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.
Concept: This year’s theme was Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty