At the 2022 Met Gala in New York City, Alicia Keys embraced the event’s “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” theme with a Ralph Lauren look inspired by her hometown. The centerpiece was a crystal-covered cape featuring the New York City skyline, layered over a shimmering column gown.
While the skyline cape drew most of the attention, the look reflected a broader tribute to New York through craftsmanship, embellishment, and classic American design. Her accessories, beauty styling, and footwear completed one of the evening’s most recognizable city-inspired ensembles.
Alicia Keys honors her home city in a Ralph Lauren cape, designed with a bedazzled New York City skyline at the 2022 Met Gala (Credit: PA IMAGES / INSTARimages)
According to Ralph Lauren, Alicia Keys’ look was inspired by the 2022 Met Gala theme, “In America: An Anthology of Fashion,” with a particular focus on New York City’s role during the Gilded Age.
Bringing that inspiration to life, the singer wore a duchess satin cape hand-embroidered and hand-beaded with approximately 200,000 crystals arranged in the shape of the Manhattan skyline.
Beneath it, a sleek column gown shimmered with roughly 30,000 crystals and black lacquer sequins, creating a striking tribute to the city she has long called home.
Alicia Keys sparkles in a crystal-embellished Ralph Lauren column gown, framed by a dramatic skyline-inspired cape that pays tribute to her hometown of New York City (Credit: ABACA / INSTARimages)
Speaking with Vanity Fair on the red carpet, Alicia explained the inspiration behind her look from the American fashion house:
“I’m from New York, Ralph Lauren is from New York, that’s what we’re wearing. We really just wanted to represent the Empire State of Mind and the city of God here tonight, so we’re feeling so good.”
The singer wore her hair in a sleek braid accented with crystal-encrusted discs and a hair tie, styled by Fesa Nu. She then accessorized with crystal-and-emerald drop earrings, a bracelet, and a ring, which added an extra touch of sparkle to her look.
Alicia Keys wears a long braided ponytail with crystal-encrusted discs and enhances her features with makeup from her new cosmetics collection, Color Care (Credit: Janet Mayer / Startraksphoto)
Alicia debuted her new cosmetics collection, Color Care, at the fashion event under her beauty brand Keys Soulcare.
She used her new makeup products to create a muted look, highlighting her features with winged eyeliner, Sheer Flush cheek tint, and Soft Stay brow gel.
Keys took to the MET Gala’s red carpet with her husband, Swizz Beatz, who continued the New York-inspired theme.
He layered a Ralph Lauren New York Yankees leather jacket over a white tuxedo suit and paired the look with black trousers and a New Era cap.
Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz coordinate New York-inspired Ralph Lauren looks at the 2022 Met Gala, with Keys wearing a crystal-embellished gown and skyline cape while Swizz pairs a Yankees varsity jacket and white tuxedo with black velvet loafers (Credit: ABACA / INSTARimages)
Following the gala, Ralph Lauren was called out for copying Datuk Zang Toi’s NY cape.
The American designer’s cape resembled the Malaysian designer’s black-and-white cape, featuring the same New York City skyline, which he debuted in his Spring 2009 collection and later brought back for New York Fashion Week in 2020.
Ralph Lauren accused of copying Malaysian designer Zang Toi’s NY cape (Credit: Shana Schnur / Shutterstock)
“My cape was inspired by my love for my adopted home, New York City,” Zang told The NY Post.
“I came here 41 years ago with $300 to study at Parsons School of Design, and I wanted to show my love and appreciation for the city that embraced me — and allowed me to live the American Dream.”
“I decided to bring the iconic hand-beaded New York skyline cape out of the archive — timeless beauty never goes out of style — to pay tribute to my favorite city at my 2020 ‘New York, New York’ runway show,” he added.
Zang Toi debuted his New York City skyline cape in 2009 and showcased it again at the 2020 New York Fashion Week (Credit: Zang Toi)
In response to the claims of copying, Toi called it a form of flattery. “That a giant brand-name company such as Ralph Lauren would copy a small-town boy from Malaysia is a high form of flattery. It is proof that you are good at your craft when someone copies your work,” Toi told The Star.
He then added, “There is a fine line between being inspired by another designer and outright copying, where everyone noticed it immediately.”
Standing 5’5½” (166.4 cm) and wearing a US shoe size 8, Alicia Keys has never relied on towering heels as a signature. Her footwear choices range from the metallic sandals she wore to the BET Awards to the colorful wedges featured in her Reebok collaboration and the over-the-knee boots she paired with Givenchy in Paris. Rather than sticking to a single silhouette, she adapts her shoes to suit the mood of each look.