Dwayne Johnson’s Met Gala Debut in a Thom Browne Skirt

Three decades into his boundary-pushing career, there aren’t many “firsts” remaining forDwayne “The Rock” JohnsonHe has headlined WrestleMania six times; generated almost $14 billion in worldwide box office revenue; and launched brands to sell everything fromskin care to tequila to signature sneakers; had his name mentioned in bothOscar races and presidential racesOne thing he has somehow never done before tonight, though? Ascend the Met Gala stairs.

The thing is, although The Rock has never lacked in smashdown-laying style (entering the ring insilky Versace blousesin the 1990s and establishing the blueprint forguys who are into fashion during the 2010s men aiming to look good in the 2010s individuals seeking stylish outfits in the 2010s fashion-conscious guys from the 2010s men trying to dress well in the 2010s style-oriented guys looking to look sharp in the 2010s those wanting to enhance their appearance in the 2010s men focused on looking good during the 2010s fashionable guys trying to look their best in the 2010s individuals interested in dressing well in the 2010s), he’s never really been a capital-F Fashion person. That changed last year when, while promoting his dramatic role in A24’sThe Smashing Machine, a surprisingly slimmer Johnson started wearing custom outfits from brands like Prada and Dolce & Gabbana. “He’s undergoing a major career shift,” Ilaria Urbinati, Johnson’s long-time stylist,told in September. “I want to ensure the clothing represents this new period he is experiencing.”

Now, this new era has brought Johnson to fashion’s most prominent event—in aThom Browne skirt, no less. The shrunken-suit masterWrapped him in a black mohair tailcoat, containing more than 350 meters of hand-creased silk ribbons designed to resemble a spinal column, a coordinating pleated skirt and pants, a white silk faille vest, a wing-collar shirt, and pebble-grain wingtip oxfords. The outfit, which took 50 craftsmen and over 2,000 hours to create, was intended to symbolize the contrast between “the physical body and the eternal body,” Johnson explained.Vogueon the red carpet. (Lauren Hashian, Johnson’s partner, wore a custom Thom Browne dress that matched.)

For Urbinati, the look represented the realization of a long-held aspiration. “I’ve been waiting for Dwayne’s Met debut for years,” Urbaniti remarks. “Working with Thom Browne felt like a logical decision—no one brings such a unique level of skill and creativity to the Met.” Specifically, the skirt was designed to “challenge conventional ideas about what a man of his physique can wear,” she adds. “I receive numerous messages from men every day regarding what he wears. There’s a significant group of larger, more muscular men who often feel excluded from the fashion world, yet they genuinely want to participate and look good.”

Paired with his striking $3.5-million Jacob & Co. timepiece, Johnson appeared stylish and at ease on the Met carpet, as if he had been there many times before. Though I guess when you’velaunched Stone Cold Steve Austin off a suspension bridge, how stressful can a fashion event really be?