As the most successful British F1 driver of all time, Lewis Hamilton is used to coming first. But this was the Met Gala, not the Monza Circuit, and there, he was narrowly pipped to the post – in the fashion stakes at least. The votes have been counted following the 2025 Met Gala, staged this year in celebration of the Costume Institute’s Superfine: Tailoring Black Style exhibition, and we can now reveal the outfits that British Vogue readers liked best. The winner? The Michael Schumacher of the modern red carpet: Zendaya.
Hot on her heels: a Chanel-clad Jennie from Blackpink, followed in third place by Hamilton, whose Wales Bonner suiting made him the best-dressed man of the night according to Vogue readers. Repping the pants-free look that was so popular on the night, Sabrina Carpenter placed fourth. And of course, no Met Gala fashion ranking would be complete without mother (to-be) herself, Rihanna. The pregnant superstar’s Marc Jacobs ensemble came in at number five in the reader poll.
1. Zendaya
These days, hers is always the most anticipated arrival at the Met Gala. For 2025, Zendaya and her stylist Law Roach took the “Tailored For You” dress code and delivered an homage to Diana Ross as Tracy Chambers in Mahogany (1975). The best part? Ms Ross was there on the night to see the tribute in person.
2. Jennie
The K-Pop star’s Chanel look was a reimagining of a man’s suit, and directly inspired by Chanel designs from the 1920s and ’30s. More than 330 hours of work by the petite mains in the Chanel ateliers went into the look, which was the second most popular of the night with the British Vogue audience.
3. Lewis Hamilton
The only man to make the top five, Lewis Hamilton wore a Wales Bonner look (and a Stephen Jones hat) that was loaded with meaning. The jumping-off point was the Harlem Renaissance, his stylist Eric McNeal told Vogue. Particularly jazz singer Cab Calloway, and “the way he used clothing to express confidence, charm, and something entirely new”.
4. Sabrina Carpenter
Vogue readers loved Sabrina’s burgundy Louis Vuitton look, which she described as Savile Row tailoring mixed with Parisian corsetry. The floor-skimming tails and crystal buttons provided the requisite flourish.
5. Rihanna
Her partner may have been a co-host, but Rihanna was still the very last star to arrive for the blue carpet. As ever, it was worth the wait: she put the paps out of their misery in Marc Jacobs tailoring that emphasised the baby bump she’d been keeping under wraps. The term fashionably late was pretty much invented for this woman.
SOURCE: VOGUE MAGAZINE
