NEW YORK – Halle Berry turned heads and triggered a wave of social media backlash at the Met Gala 2025 on Monday night after arriving in a sheer black gown that exposed parts of her midriff and pubic area.
The 58-year-old Oscar winner appeared at the high-profile fashion event in a custom LaQuan Smith creation—an audacious beaded, striped design with deep plunges and transparent panels. The look, which Berry wore without underwear, revealed significant skin and ignited debate online over taste, body confidence, and red carpet boundaries.
Berry accessorized the look with a cropped black blazer featuring exaggerated shoulder pads, a fascinator hat, and statement jewelry. The ensemble was in line with the event’s theme, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” which emphasized bold self-expression and tailored elegance.
The bold fashion choice drew a polarized response. Some social media users applauded Berry for embracing her body and defying age stereotypes, while others criticized the outfit as “inappropriate” for its revealing nature.
“Halle… my girl. I expected more from you,” wrote one user. “We get it—the body is bodying. But this is not the move.” Another added, “Halle Berry is still hot, but doesn’t need to dress like that.”
Designer LaQuan Smith defended the gown, telling Vogue that it was meant to capture the theme’s message of confidence and identity through sharp tailoring and daring design. “Halle wasn’t just wearing the garment—she helped shape it,” he said. “She pushed for cuts that enhanced her movement and experimented with sheer panels to balance elegance and edge.”
Smith, who also dressed singer Ciara for the event, drew inspiration from Harlem Renaissance fashion, ’80s tailoring, and the fearlessness of icons like Josephine Baker.
The annual gala, hosted by the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, featured a guest list of about 600 and was co-chaired by Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, and Pharrell Williams, with LeBron James serving as honorary chair.
Other standout moments included singer Diana Ross upstaging Zendaya in a sweeping white cape, Rihanna revealing a baby bump, and Kylie Jenner walking solo while boyfriend Timothée Chalamet was noticeably absent.
While Berry’s outfit may have drawn the night’s fiercest reactions, it undeniably ensured her place among the most talked-about attendees of Met Gala 2025.
