All the hidden meanings of Charli XCX’s brat-ish Met Gala 2025 outfit, explained

In a year of very same-y Met Gala outfits (or should we say, Meh Gala outfits, Charli XCX’s really stuck out. Although the theme was super interesting, lots of designers seem to have interpreted it in the exact same way, which resulted in a celebs all wearing very similar dark suits. Charli XCX’s fit was super cool, though. Here’s a deep-dive into the lore behind her outfit. She stuck actual feathers to her head and I’m so impressed by this level of dedication.

For context, the dress code for the 2025 Met Gala was “Tailored for you”, to tie into the new exhibit “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”.

Charli XCX explained on Instagram that her look “pays tribute to the self-expression of dandyism”. So her fit was a Brat-ified take on the theme.

Charli XCX’s make-up artist Yasmin Istanbouli explained to Cosmo: “We interpreted the theme to make it as original and as ‘Charli’ as possible. The makeup looks pulled at the Met are mostly very glam and major and I love that, but for Charli’s look we wanted to embrace the ‘rebelliousness’ of self-expression and dandyism, so we stripped it back and went for a more raw look.” Charli’s fit was supposed to be “raw, gothic, romantic”.

Basically, the Charli wanted to seem more rebellious, so she wore less make-up than celebs usually do to the Met Gala. Her lips are neutral-coloured, and her eyes only have a bit of gloss on.

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Her hair looks a bit messy and asymmetrical on purpose. The feathers were supposed to have a Black Swan vibe. Her hairstylist Matt Benns told Elle that her hair was meant to be romantic with a “punky twist”. He said “It needed to feel really random, not symmetrical”. Most of the feathers were attached to ear cuffs, but some were actually stuck onto her head. I bet it hurt to get those off.

The feathers seem to be a tribute to feathered hat worn by Janet Jackson. Except Charli cut out the middle man and just glued the feathers directly to her skin.

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Featured image credit: David Fisher / Shutterstock.