Janelle Monáe was one of the best-dressed celebrities on Monday’s Met Gala 2023 red carpet — and also one of the least dressed.
The “Pynk” singer, 37, made a splash at the fashionable fête by turning up in a Thom Browne look with multiple layers.
Her all-black-and-white ensemble — which was a tribute to the night’s honoree, the late Karl Lagerfeld — featured an oversized coat on top of sheer, conical wireframe gown.
While many others might have been satisfied with the statement-making outerwear, Monáe took it a step further, stripping down on the red carpet to reveal the pearl-embellished bikini beneath her see-through dress.
And on Thursday, she gave her fans a closer look at the sequined swimwear on Instagram.
Janelle Monáe posted an Instagram video showing off her Met Gala 2023 getting-ready process.Instagram/@janellemonae
She gave followers a closer look at her embellished Thom Browne bikini.Instagram/@janellemonae
Monáe arrived on the 2023 Met Gala red carpet in a large overcoat.Getty Images
“An astronaut told me she’d leave his orbit for mine,” she captioned a video of her pre-red carpet photoshoot in a hotel room, showing off her sparkly two-piece from every angle.
“The BAWDY IS BAWDYING,” one fan commented.
“Well, blast off then!!” a second added, while a third wrote, “Best look of the night.”
A fourth person appreciated the playfulness of Monáe’s Met outfit, writing, “Part of fashion is about a combination of courage and silliness. It’s important to keep that childish joy. Love it Janelle.”
Though the “Glass Onion” actor, who uses “she/they” pronouns, showed off their stripped-down look both on the red carpet and on social media, they changed before dinner inside the museum.
She stripped down on the red carpet, showing off her sheer cone-shaped gown and sparkly swimwear.Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Inside the ball, Monáe covered up once again, pairing her Choupette-inspired purse with a blazer and skirt.Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
At her afterparty, the singer wore her sequined bikini solo.WWD via Getty Images
Fans loved the barely-there look.WWD via Getty Images
Monáe was spotted strolling around the Met wearing a dotted blazer with a striped skirt — and carrying a bag shaped like Lagerfeld’s beloved cat, Choupette — all also by Thom Browne.
But at the afterparty they hosted at Boom at the Standard later that night, they slipped back into her pearly bikini, bringing along their Choupette purse to party the night away.
Whether wearing the largest or smallest outfit in the room, Monáe is always the center of attention.
