Sydney Sweeney Reveals the '60s Reference Behind Her 2025 Met Gala Red Carpet Look

She posted a snap of her reference photo ahead of the carpet.

Sydney Sweeney arriving at the 2025 met gala
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Anyone But You star Sydney Sweeney wasted no time getting the 2025 Met Gala fashion updates going. Before the official Met Gala livestream began, she had swept out of The Carlyle Hotel to ascend the Metropolitan Museum of Art's red carpet steps in honor of "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" in a midnight beaded gown.

Sweeney's longtime stylist, Molly Dickson, hadn't shared the exact designer behind her look at press time—but within minutes, her Met Gala favorite Miu Miu was revealed as the house behind her custom look. Here's what's immediately obvious as well: shoulders dripping in beaded fringe, a train that glistens like starlight, and a peek-a-boo cutout set with gold detailing. The actress's hair made for one of the best Met beauty moments of the night, slicked into a bun at the center of her head and set with kiss curls at the front.

Sydney Sweeney at the 2025 Met Gala

Sydney Sweeney departed the Carlyle Hotel ahead of the 2025 Met Gala.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Sydney Sweeney attending the 2025 met gala

Sweeney was one of the first stars on the Met Gala carpet.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

While Sweeney's team embarked to the Met Gala from her hotel, the star took a few minutes to share the inspiration behind her look. On Instagram Stories, she posted a snap of Kim Novak wearing a costume from the 1968 film The Legend of Lylah Clare. It's the same stunning dress Joan Crawford wore several years before, in the 1940s film The Bride Wore Red.

Sweeney's dress modified the reference image with a larger embellishment closing the cape-like section. Her dress's train is also a tad longer—and features more three-dimensional beads.

Chatting with Vogue for its annual livestream, she explained her strategy for tying this '60s homage to the night's "Tailored for You" theme. Sweeney is set to play Novak in an upcoming film, Scandalous!, directed by Coleman Domingo, a co-chair of the event. She shared that he even assisted her and Molly Dickson with selecting her 2025 Met Gala look.

a reference image for Sydney Sweeney's met gala 2025 look

Kim Novak wearing a dress that inspired Sydney Sweeney's Met Gala look.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Sydney Sweeney at the 2025 met gala

A closer look at Sydney Sweeney's Met Gala gown.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Sydney Sweeney made her Met Gala debut in 2022, when the dress code was "Gilded Glamour." She channeled her inner Cinderella by choosing a strapless white Tory Burch dress.

Two years later, Sweeney was nearly unrecognizable in a tulle Miu Miu dress and elbow-length opera gloves at the 2024 Met Gala. Not because the dress was such a swerve from her personal style—but because she paired it with a cropped black bob.

Sydney Sweeney with Coleman Domingo at the 2024 met gala

Last year, Sweeney wore custom Miu Miu to walk the red carpet.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

As one of the first arrivals of the night, Sweeney marks the start of a fashion marathon: one to be defined by sharp suiting, rare vintage looks, and hat-tips to the tradition of Black Dandyism (the subject of the corresponding exhibit for tonight's gala). The Euphoria star got the evening off to a glittering start.

Halie LeSavage
Senior Fashion & Beauty News Editor

Halie LeSavage is the senior fashion and beauty news editor at Marie Claire. She is an expert on runway trends, celebrity style, and emerging brands. In 8+ years as a journalist, Halie’s reporting has ranged from profiles on insiders like celebrity stylist Molly Dickson, to breaking brand collaboration news. She covers events like the Met Gala every year, and gets exclusive insight into red carpet looks through her column, The Close-Up.

Previously, Halie reported at Glamour, Morning Brew, and Harper’s Bazaar. She has been cited as a fashion and beauty expert in The Cut, CNN Underscored, and Reuters. In 2022, she earned the Hearst Spotlight Award for excellence and innovation in fashion journalism. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Harvard College.