To the surprise of no one, Janelle Monáe slayed on the 2025 Met Gala carpet in Thom Browne x Paul Tazewell.
Making her entrance in a trompe l’oeil suit printed on an oversized cape — later removed to reveal a sharp androgynous suit-gown underneath — Monáe and her “time-traveling dandy” look pulled off one of the evening’s best interpretations of the gala theme “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style."
Every element of her fit was intentional, down to her working clock monocle, and hidden under Monáe's bowler hat was a thoughtful detail worth exploring: Her hair in cornrows with white yarn sewn through them.
Not only did the look reference the inside-out stitching on her tailored gown, but it was a nod to “the past, my ancestry, the people who come before me,” Monáe told an Essence reporter on the red carpet.
“You see my cornrows? My great-great grandma had these.”
The white “stitches” throughout were also a nod to the ingenious method used by enslaved African women, who would braid grains of rice into their hair to ensure they made it through dangerous journeys with food to survive on.
Celebrity stylist Nikki Nelms says Monáe's look “represents past, present, and future Black style.
“That opened the door for a look that could nod to tradition while also pushing boundaries,” Nelms says.
“We wanted something sculptural, clean, and intentional — like a tailored suit, but in hair form.”
Before braiding, Nelms used Danger Jones and OLAPLEX products to take Monáe's hair from a burnished golden blonde to a rich shade of blue-black.
“We toned the hair using Danger Jones Gloss Toner with Bonder in 5-1 with a touch of 1-1,” Nelms said.
“Next, we moved on to formulating a mix of semi-permanent color. I used Danger Jones Semi-Permanent Hair Color in Dopamine (Black) and Solitude (Blue) and adjusted the ratio based on the result post-toning.”