By Ben Kellerman
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Pharrell Williams sported a jacket with 15,000 pearls and musician Andre 3000 strapped a piano to his back as celebrities celebrated Black style and tailoring at the annual Met Gala fundraiser on Monday.
Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton and actor Colman Domingo, co-chairs of the gala, were among the first of the stars of sports, music, film, and television to appear at the entrance to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Domingo wore a full-length royal blue pleated cloak falling from a gold-and-white casing around his shoulders. He removed the cloak to reveal a bejeweled, checkered black-and-white jacket and grey trousers. Hamilton chose an ivory suit with a beret.
Mostly black-and-white looks populated the daffodil-accented deep-blue carpet covering the steps to the museum door. Guests arrived with assistants sheltering them under umbrellas in the heavy rain.
Andre 3000 turned heads with one of the most over-the-top looks - a replica of a piano that he hauled on his back like a backpack.
Williams, the musician and creative director of Louis Vuitton menswear, wore black tuxedo pants paired with an ivory jacket adorned with 15,000 pearls.
Singer Diana Ross wowed onlookers in a white gown with an 18-foot (6 m) train embroidered with the names of her children and grandchildren. "Euphoria" actor Sydney Sweeney shimmered in a fitted sparkling black gown with her hair slicked back in a bun. Her co-star Zendaya wore a white silk suit with a brimmed hat.
The Met Gala, a fundraiser for the art museum, has become known for its roster of A-list celebrities in extravagant outfits. This year's guests were told to dress according to the theme "Tailored for You," a nod to the exhibit called "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" at the museum's Costume Institute. The exhibit focuses on an elegant aesthetic known as Black dandyism.
The theme was chosen before the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, who launched an assault on diversity and inclusion efforts during the first weeks of his second term.
Some pops of color made a statement on the carpet.
Olympic gymnast Simone Biles stood out in a short bright blue dress with a white collar. Director Spike Lee wore a black suit with a silver crossbody bag, orange glasses and an orange New York Knicks cap. Singer Chappell Roan donned hot pink.
Among the notable accessories, Bad Bunny carried a brown and yellow bowling-style bag and Tessa Thompson had a fan with an image of the late fashion journalist Andre Leon Talley, who many cited as an inspiration for their outfits.
Other attendees included musicians Stevie Wonder and Shaboozey and actors Demi Moore, Nicole Kidman, and Cynthia Erivo.
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, honorary chair of the event, could not attend because of a knee injury. "Hate to miss an historical event!" James wrote on the social media platform X.
(Reporting by Ben Kellerman in New York; Additional reporting and writing by Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles; Editing by Richard Chang and Stephen Coates)
