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Met Gala 2025 Roundup: Jennie Slays, Lisa Confounds

Rosé returned for her first appearance since 2021 while SEVENTEEN leader S.Coups made his Met Gala debut with BOSS

While the timeline of K-pop stars who have attended the Met Gala goes back more than a decade, it’s only been in the past five years that fashion’s biggest night has truly become a milestone marker for Korean musicians. After CL and BLACKPINK’s Rosé attended in 2021 for the “American Independence” theme, the event has become a media and fan fixture to see who has the connections and notoriety to make it inside. Tickets for the annual haute couture fundraiser cost $75,000 a pop last year, but guests must also be personally OK’ed by Anna Wintour and Vogue.

PSY and Super Junior star Siwon hit the gala in 2013 (I even met up with Siwon ahead of it), followed by Rain in 2015, EXO’s Lay in 2018, with the likes of Stray Kids, Jackson Wang, NCT’s Johnny and more making their way to the NYC event.

I always find it fascinating to see what kind of reaction K-pop stars get at such a widely mainstream American event where no one has fans on hand to cheer across the carpet or inside. Last year, Stray Kids faced rude remarks from (likely very stressed) photographers on hand, and fans took it upon themselves to exact revenge. The incident really just exposed the need for greater inclusivity in Western entertainment because SKZ really did nothing different than any other star, it’s just that the eight-member Korean boy band became an easy target for cranky photogs. Meanwhile, some stars have thrilled critics with bold looks, but others have let down fashion-seekers when played too safe. As is typical at any mainstream media affair, more coverage (and, usually, praise) tends to align with how big your star power is at the moment.

With BLACKPINK members Jennie, Lisa and Rosé all on hand this year, as well as S.Coups of boy band SEVENTEEN, here’s the rundown of their media responses to their looks for the Met Gala celebrating “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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Jennie

With more than a dozen placements across various “Best Dressed” lists, Jennie managed to truly make her mark with her third consecutive appearance at the Met Gala this year. Riding off a successful string of positive reviews for her solo album Ruby, a much-talked-about Coachella performance, and moments like being honored at Billboard’s Women in Music, this on-point custom Chanel look was a perfect next step on her road to becoming an American It Girl.

Harper’s Bazaar, The Cut and E! all noted that Jennie’s look fit the night’s theme, with The Cut writing that she gave the “perfect amount of drama for the Met Gala and a reimagined suit that’s so on-theme.” The New York Times dubbed her “Most Mary Poppins” (which is a compliment here), saying, “The K-pop singer wore a skirted Chanel look that included strands of oversize pearls and a black hat trimmed in white ribbon. She said it took inspiration from 1920s fashion; to some it also evoked the wardrobe of a fictional nanny.”

Outlets like Vogue, Billboard, People, Glamour, L’Officiel USA, Teen Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar all wrote breakout articles about her look for the night.

Best Dressed:

New York Times
Vanity Fair
CNN
Page Six 
Forbes
WWD
The Cut
Harper’s Bazaar
Glamour
People
ELLE
Variety
E!
L'OFFICIEL USA
British Vogue
Men’s Folio
Grazia Singapore
Vogue Singapore - Best Dressed Asian Celebrities
Billboard - 6th Best Dressed Musician

Lisa

The second BLACKPINK member to hit the Met Gala’s blue carpet, Lisa got a more mixed response as she repped Louis Vuitton hardcore with a look that certainly honored fine tailoring but was heavily tagged by the LV logo.

While “Worst Dressed” lists aren’t as common as they used to be, Lisa landed on both People and Yahoo!’s but also appeared in several “Best Dressed” lists for the likes of Vanity Fair, CNN, ELLE, Variety and more.

While Lisa’s Met Gala debut speaks to her rising star power (with The Hollywood Reporter shouting out her in their “Stars of ’The White Lotus’ Hit Met Gala in Style” piece), the Thai celeb’s moment may have unintentionally (or intentionally?) been overshadowed by her crotch as outlet after outlet mused on whether her panties bore the face of Rosa Parks…yeah, that was one of the big topics of the night.

“The lace replicates elements of an artwork by the American artist Henry Taylor depicting portraits of figures who have been a part of the artist’s life,” Louis Vuitton wrote in a statement about Lisa’s outfit construction.

“The lace replicates elements of an artwork by the American artist Henry Taylor depicting portraits of figures who have been a part of the artist’s life,” Louis Vuitton wrote in a statement about Lisa’s outfit without confirming or denying if Rosa Parks was one of those women.

During her promo blitz for Alter Ego, Lisa avoided tricky topics like relationships and, at one point during release week, canceled all interviews, so the star isn’t likely to comment on this anytime soon. I do think it could be smart/fun for her to talk about it when the dust has settled and laugh off the insanity of it all: “You know, I loved the outfit, but next thing I knew, everyone was talking about my underwear all night! [Cue a cute laugh] You’ll have to ask the designer that one!” See how easy that was? Now, quick, next question.

While crotch confusion occupied much of Lisa’s press, there were also many breakout articles about her arrival including from Vogue, People and Billboard, with the likes of InStyle and OK! Magazine noting her jewelry.

Best Dressed:

Vanity Fair
CNN
ELLE
Variety
Grazia Singapore
Vogue Singapore - Best Dressed Asian Celebrities

Worst Dressed:

People
Yahoo!

S.Coups

After last month’s announcement naming him a global ambassador for BOSS, S.Coups made his Met Gala debut with the German fashion brand. As the leader of SEVENTEEN, S.Coups is a relatively new face in the fashion world, but the star has been a consistent face in the K-pop scene at the forefront of the mega-selling boy band and playing a substantial role in its overall success.

While SEVENTEEN has made impact in the States (hitting as high as No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and playing several arena tours), the group isn’t the most famous stateside, and its 13 members make it tough for all the guys to have their own breakout moments. Either way, S.Coups delivered with what Teen Vogue described as a “hanbok-inspired BOSS suit.” Donya Momenian writes, “He wore a gray asymmetrical blazer resembling the traditional Korean hanbok, specifically a jeogori jacket, with a pair of matching pleated trousers and a black duster.” S.Coups earned additional coverage with breakout pieces from Vogue, The Hollywood Reporter, WWD and Business Insider. Grazia Singapore also highlighted his Piaget watch in their “Most Stunning Watches and Jewellery Looks at the 2025 Met Gala.”

Somewhat surprisingly, S.Coups marks the first time an artist from HYBE has attended the Met Gala, with all four of the major K-pop entertainment companies having at least one representative in the history of fashion’s biggest night.

Best Dressed:

Variety
Men’s Folio
The National
Esquire UK - Best Dressed Men
British GQ - Best Dressed Men
Vogue Hong Kong - Best Dressed Men
Men’s World India - Best Dressed Men
Vogue Singapore - Best Dressed Asian Celebrities
Her World - Most Daring Asian Menswear Moments

Rosé

Returning for her second time at Met Gala since coming accompanied by designer Anthony Vaccarello in 2021, Rosé graced the carpet rocking a Yves Saint Laurent ensemble paired with Tiffany & Co. jewelry. While I think this is a step up from her look four years ago, the overall reaction seemed a bit muted even as the star is still charting high with her Bruno Mars hit “APT.”

Among the four K-pop stars who attended, Rosé was the last to hit the carpet (and previewed her look on Instagram before entering the event), so could it have been that most were tired out from the hours of celebrity coverage at this point? Did the look just not live up to expectations?

Rosé still scored multiple breakout pieces from Vogue, Billboard, Teen Vogue and Cosmopolitan, who titled their piece, “Hi, My Jaw Is Still on the Ground Thanks to Rosé’s Saint Laurent Look at the 2025 Met Gala.” Grazia Singapore also highlighted her Tiffany diamonds as part of their “Most Stunning Watches and Jewellery Looks at the 2025 Met Gala.”

While Jennie and Lisa were photographed with S.Coups (at least by Getty photogs), we sadly didn’t get a 3LACKPINK pic, even though Rosé later said she saw the girls.

Best Dressed:

ELLE
Variety
Men’s Folio
Grazia Singapore
Vogue Singapore

—Why BLACKPINK’s Jisoo Didn’t Join Lisa, Jennie, and Rosé at the 2025 Met Gala: “The star just finished her upcoming Netflix K-drama series Boyfriend on Demand. Photos of her at the wrap party surfaced on social media on May 2.” (ELLE)

—Jennie kept the Met Gala party going at Ayo Edebiri’s bash at People’s in Greenwich Village: “It’s 2:30 a.m. in the morning — and I realize I have to get going if I want to make more of the stops on my list. But as rumors fly that Jennie is on her way, it’s a hard room to leave [at People’s in the West Village].” (Vogue) “In a sweet moment, Jennie and Charli XCX reunited in the back room. Charli complimented Jennie’s pillbox hat, prompting Jennie to remove it and crown Charli with it instead. The two giggled together about the exchange.” (Vogue)

—Lisa hit the Mark Hotel’s rose-themed party. “As the stars trickled in, many bee-lined straight for the mirrored elevators (but not before blowing kisses for the cameras) to head up to their hotel rooms, including the K-pop star Lisa, and the actresses Jenna Ortega and Cynthia Erivo, who said she was feeling ‘magical.’” (NYTimes)

—Rosé was no OutKast on the after party circuit, either: “Rosé was spotted at the GQ party hosted by André 3000, adding another stylish stop to the night’s celebrations” (MyMusicTaste), plus “Charli XCX, Jeremy O. Harris, Julia Fox, Lewis Hamilton, Rosé from Blackpink were all at Monsieur. Many didn’t leave until the sun came up.” (Vogue)