Model Adut Akech is no stranger to the Met steps, but tonight marks her first time on the Met Gala red carpet with a plus-one: The model is officially full-term with her second baby. “As long as I get to the Met, this baby can decide to come anytime after that,” Akech joked to Vogue less than a week before the Met Gala.
While Akech revealed her first pregnancy with her daughter, Kiki, to Vogue in 2024, her second has also proven itself a fashion-forward endeavor: In Vogue’s May issue, the model cradled her Loewe-draped bump for a “Costume Art” editorial. Now, for the final fashionable act of her pregnancy, Thom Browne has dreamt up a maternity Met Gala look just for her. “I’ve seen Thom in passing, but we’ve never gotten to sit down and have a conversation or work closely with each other like this,” she says. “So I’m excited to just be in the same space with him.”
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Browne created an organza bodysuit for Akech’s ever-changing body, and paired that with a black silk taffeta overcoat. The designer also added some sweet personal touches, appliquéing the bodysuit with Lily of the Valley—the birth flower for May. “I’m just really, really excited, and I’m grateful that there are people whose thoughtfulness goes to such an extent,” she says.
Browne was excited to help the model celebrate this exciting moment in her life. “I wanted to create something that felt true to both myself and Adut, and worked for someone experiencing one of life’s great miracles,” he says. “It was important that the design gave nods to this moment in her life and really celebrated her strength and beauty. Adut really understands what I do, and it made it that much easier to adapt this throughout the process.”
