"This look is 'birds of paradise' and it's a beautiful intricate, very intricately, made handmade, beautiful [gown]," Queen Latifah told La La Anthony for Vogue's official red carpet livestream. "I hope [it] will be something that will get to study."
Browne shared a photo of Queen Latifah on Instagram, describing her look as, "a gathered coat in black peau de soie with raffia and bugle bead fray tipping over a square shoulder dress embroidered with black sequins and birds of paradise in bullion, frayed raffia and satin stitch chiffon with longwing brogue heels in black sequin."
Nichols also wore a look designed by Browne, who described it as, "an hourglass all-in-one chesterfield, sportcoat and pleated skirt in engineered checks of layered ribbon in black silk satin, wool crepe suiting, wool shetland and white silk faille over a square shoulder dress in black cavalry twill with red rose bullion applique and longwing on dot platforms in black patent leather."
This year's theme for the Met Gala was, "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion," described by the museum as an exploration of "rebirth" and "renewal" that uses nature as a metaphor for the impermanence of fashion.
There was also an associated dress code titled "The Garden of Time," which was inspired by J.G. Ballard's 1962 book of the same name. The literature tells the story of a count and countess who live in a villa that overlooks an extraordinary garden being intruded upon by a mob.
Queen Latifah said in her interview with Anthony that ahead of her first-ever Met Gala, Nichols had "warned" her the giant staircase that all attendees walk up at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
