tessa thompson stepped onto the Met Gala red carpet in a royal-blue custom Valentino gown with swirly cutouts. The look was built in layers, with hair, makeup and nails all tuned to the dress rather than competing with it. That kind of coordination is the point of a Met Gala appearance: the clothes are only half the product.
Valentino on Thompson
Thompson’s gown carried the visual weight of the night, but the construction around it kept the look moving. Michael Anthony said, "The energy is always lovely and warm [as we're getting ready]" while Thompson was in her hotel room, and later described the pace as "Very classy, lots of laughs, but we’re definitely focused and we’re being meticulous because Met Gala is so public and so photographed."
Anthony and Thompson started with a conversation, then moved to reference photos and sketches. He used the Spike Valentino Buttery Matte Lipstick in the shade "put a spike on it," two shades of Valentino’s Eye2Cheek powder, the Very Valentino Concealer in MR1 and DN1 mixed together, the Spike Valentino Disco Balm in "Rose In The Woods," and the Valentino Brow Trio Eyebrow Liner in taupe and brown.
Redway and Kawaljiri
Lacy Redway pulled Thompson’s hair into a sleek, glossy wet look, while Mei Kawaljiri dipped the fingers on Thompson’s left hand in a blue pigment. Those choices kept the styling inside the same color story as the gown instead of adding another competing finish.
Anthony said, "The texture of the eyelids reminds me of oil paint before it dries" and explained that Thompson’s dress reminded him of "a splash of paint or dripping Klein blue paint," which is why he used a wet effect on the eyelids and kept the rest "toasty and bronze." He added, "I get in the zone when I’m painting, and I love this type of red carpet buttery, sculpted look" and, of the brow products, "They came in clutch for this look!"
Wet texture, bronze finish
The makeup story had a practical logic: vinyl at the lid, pigment at the nails, gloss in the hair, and bronze surrounding the eye so the blue could stay central. Anthony said, "I think one of the biggest pieces of the puzzle is staying super open and not having an ego about making changes or pivoting to different ideas," which is how these red-carpet looks actually get finished on time.
Hours before the red carpet, jazz music was playing in Thompson’s hotel room, a small but revealing detail about the room’s pace. The final result was not a costume built around one label or one product; it was a controlled Valentino presentation that used custom design, makeup, nails and hair to keep the focus on the gown’s swirly cutouts.
