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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson made his Met Gala debut on Monday (May 4), and he made sure to make his appearance memorable by wearing a skirt to the major fashion event.
The upper part of his attire resembled a traditional tuxedo with a tailcoat and bow tie, but the WWE legend paired that with a pleated skirt (with trousers underneath). The look drew a mixed reaction on social media when footage aired of Johnson walking the gala’s red carpet with his wife, Lauren Hashian.
Variety reported that when press at the event asked how it felt wearing a skirt, The Rock replied by saying, “I feel great!” He also explained that his custom-made outfit was inspired by Polynesian culture, where the “most masculine men” wear skirts.
Johnson reportedly explained that designer Thom Browne’s team sent illustrations over to him and asked if he was going to be “cool “with this pleated skirt.
“And I was like, ‘Look, in our culture, Polynesian culture, we rock lavalavas, we rock skirts,’” Johnson said, per Variety. “The most masculine men, not that I’m one of them, but the most masculine men wear lavalavas and skirts.”
The tailcoat designed by Browne used 350 meters of silk ribbons that were pleated by hand in a pattern meant to resemble a spinal cord, which Johnson told Vogue symbolized the contrast between “the mortal body and the immortal body.”
The overall look was created to fit the Met Gala’s theme this year of “Fashion is Art,” and Johnson’s stylist, Ilaria Urbinati, spoke more about Johnson’s attire with GQ.
“I’ve been waiting for Dwayne’s Met debut for years,” Urbaniti told the outlet. “Collaborating with Thom Browne felt like a natural choice — no one approaches the Met with quite that level of craftsmanship and originality.”
She added that a skirt was chosen to “subvert expectations of what a man of his build can wear.”
“I get so many men who reach out to me daily about what he wears,” Urbaniti said to GQ. “There’s a whole demographic of men who are bigger and more built who get kind of shut out of the fashion industry game, but who really do wanna partake and look good.”
While The Rock’s clothing received a lot of attention from onlookers, one particular accessory he chose also got fashion writers talking: a $3.3-million Jacob & Co. Billionaire III watch featuring 129.61 carats of diamonds. The timepiece is being described as one of the most expensive items worn at the gala.
What do you think, Cagesiders? Yay or nay on The Rock’s skirt? Let us know in the comments.
