LaKeith Stanfield on Met Gala Style: 'Gotta Hit 'Em With a Little Boom, Bam, Pow'

The Met Gala is in a few hours, and LaKeith Stanfield is lounging in a bathrobe at his hotel. To be honest, it’s refreshing to see how low key he is keeping it amid his first time attending one of the biggest fashion moments there is. “I'm just listening to some classical music and clearing my mind out, breathing, eating, just taking my time with everything, moment by moment,” the actor says. “I don't really inundate myself with a bunch of information; I think that that can be distracting.”

He might be chill, but he has a fire outfit up his sleeve. Stanfield’s Ferragamo look is actually a full circle moment, as it’s taken subtle inspiration from some of his previous roles, be it Darius in Atlanta or Lieutenant Elliott in Knives Out. In assessing how he relates to the style of his characters, he says, “I would take Darius’s eclecticness, and infuse that with a little bit of Corporal Billy Cole from War Machine—to have military aspects being a part of the conversation—and then I would mix all of that with the detective that I played in Knives Out for a professional vibe.”

“So I’d mix the military with eclecticness and then a nice suit,” he continues. “Which is kind of what I'm doing tonight: a preppy mix of making a choice that’s bold, but feels refined, but also is making a statement that says ‘We're here to stay.’ Gotta hit ‘em with a little boom, bam, pow.”

"I like to wear a lot of hats myself, anyways—so I just thought this was a great opportunity to infuse my natural love for hats with the historical relevance of it being a staple in a lot of the looks that I saw."

Sure enough, Ferragamo's Creative Director Maximilan Davis knows exactly how to give them the boom, bam, pow. “I wanted to tap into that rebellious energy of the Black dandy—the one who bends the rules, challenges expectations, and makes a statement without saying a word,” Davis says about LaKeith's fit. “I want people to see that Black style is not monolithic. It is diverse, it is complex, it is always evolving. I want them to see beauty in the unexpected, the power in subverting expectations. And most of all, I want them to feel inspired to express their own individuality, to embrace their own unique style.”

Stanfield's clearly got no problem on that front. Here’s everything the actor had to say before one of the biggest carpets he has walked.

"I don’t really know what to expect, but I like it that way. I think contextualizing everything—there’s a lot of things happening in the world right now—I’m glad that this is something that is relatively lighthearted and simple in comparison. I’m just grateful to be here."

"I think my theme would be ’matrix.’ Everybody would wear something that has to do with The Matrix."

"Oh yeah, the look is really awesome. I love it. It's like a mascarpone wool-and-cashmere belted robe like a coat with silk, satin collars that match the cuffs. It's really comfortable. Then I’ve got this black trouser that’s made of sustainable fabric which was an addendum I asked for. And a cool hat that I worked with Max [Davis] to build. To me, it strikes that balance between being a really big statement piece but also being something that's not trying to be too aware of itself. It was always important for me to strike a balance between the two things. As I move into more mature stages in my life, I'm going to focus more on being impactful, rather than necessarily leading with just a statement and being super loud. It’s more about packing a punch when I do show up, you know."

"Black dandyism is a beautiful thing. I've always really enjoyed Black fashion over the years, and it has been the frontier on which a lot of change has been made for us and for the culture in general in this country. I'm really excited to be a part of it. In fact, that's where the idea originated to bring a hat into the fold of the look because there’s so much elaborate cool headgear that’s being worn—and I like to wear a lot of hats myself, anyways—so I just thought this was a great opportunity to infuse my natural love for hats with the historical relevance of it being a staple in a lot of the looks that I saw. I feel like this is also a great opportunity for all of us in entertainment to be expressive, but to home in and focus on Black fashion is very special, and I’m very happy that it’s happening."

"I’m just listening to some classical music and clearing my mind out, breathing, eating, just taking my time with everything, moment by moment."

"First of all, I'd have very cool hair, so I wouldn't want to cover that up. I think my theme would be 'matrix.' Everybody would wear something that has to do with The Matrix—like long black robes and sunglasses and cool fighting gear—but very current things going on. A lot of slow motion, defying gravity. Imagine a look that would defy gravity? That would be cool."

"Being unable to be free."

"I don’t really inundate myself with a bunch of information; I think that that can be distracting," Stanfield says.

"Die, My Love is coming out. I’m excited about that. It’ll be premiering at Cannes, and I have a few other products that are coming: I Love Boosters and Lear Rex. I'll actually be releasing music for the first time soon. I'm really looking forward to that, and also incorporating fashion and visual aspects. Then I’m going back to working on some movies and projects. These scripts have been impactful to me, and I hope that they will be for others, too."

"I feel like this is also a great opportunity for all of us in entertainment to be expressive, but to home in and focus on Black fashion is very special, and I’m very happy that it’s happening," says Stanfield.