Sarah Jessica Parker’s 2022 Met Gala Look Was A Tribute To Black Fashion Designers

When Sarah Jessica Parker steps onto a red carpet, we all know it is going to be a whole fashion moment. The “Sex In The City” alum has been serving up iconic looks for decades and her appearance at the 2022 Met Gala did not disappoint.

[SEE ALSO: Cynthia Erivo Honors Black Women’s Fashion Impact At 2022 Met Gala]

Instead of going for trend or being dressed by the biggest fashion house, she teamed with Black fashion designer Christopher John Rogers (who gave us fashion life last year, too) to craft her epic Gilded Glamour-themed ball gown.

Rogers describes it as a “contoured, patch-worked bodice and pleated ball skirt” and bows made of silk faille and silk moiré with Swarovski crystal buttons.

To say they understood the assignment would be an understatement. The look, itself, was giving everything from the time period — but with a poignant historical moment. “This look was inspired by an 1860s ensemble by Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley — a prominent designer, seamstress, author, philanthropist, and social activist active during the Gilded Age,” shared Rogers on Instagram.

Hobbs Keckle was also a former slave. She worked her way up as a seamstress to eventually dress the first lady Mary Todd Lincoln in the late 1800s.

Rogers and Parker picked a look from Hobbs Keckley’s archive that was a nod to both the opulence and disparities of the time period. “It was this cape, and a black and white gingham-plaid gown underneath,” Rogers told Vogue in a recent interview. “It was the starting point for us—and since we’re known for using plaids and taffeta, it was already in the wheelhouse of what we do.”

Instead of a cape, Rogers created a corsetted top and because everything about Rogers is larger-than-life, so were the skirt and, of course, the color blocking. That classic gingham pattern was enlarged into blocks of black, charcoal, elephant and ivory. Rogers shared that designing for Parker enabled him to lean in the historical moment as well as draw inspiration from her own sensibilities.

“What excited me the most about dressing her is how much of a fashion lover and historian she is,” Rogers told Vogue. “She’s intentional about everything that she wears.”

And, because headpieces were definitely having a moment last night, Parker’s ensemble includes a custom Philip Treacy view with black and white graphic feathers, organza, and black stones.

Just everything.