Date night! Gabrielle Union and her husband, Dwyane Wade, brought their fashion A-game to the 2023 Met Gala.
The Bring It On star, 50, and the basketball star, 41, coordinated their outfits in Pradaon the Monday, May 1, red carpet for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute annual benefit. Union rocked a red dress with a matching leather jacket. Wade, for his part, wore an all-black version with pants. They each completed their outfits with various Tiffany & Co. baubles.
Monday’s fundraiser — which is officially titled “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” — celebrates the legacy of iconic fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, who died in 2019 at the age of 85.
Union and Wade, who wed in 2014, have frequently scored invitations to fashion’s biggest night through the years. They made their first appearance as a couple in May 2015, less than one year after their nuptials.
“This is my first time with a date,” the 10 Things I Hate About You actress — who welcomed daughter Kaavia, 4, with Wade via surrogate in November 2018 — gushed to red carpet reporter Joe Zee on the red carpet when they arrived at the “China: Through the Looking Glass”-inspired gala. Union stunned in a berry-colored Zac Posen dress while the NBA icon— who shares son Zaire, 21, and daughter Zaya, 15, with ex-wife Siohvaughn Funches and son Xavier, 9, with ex Aja Metoyer — looked dapper in a black tuxedo.
Union and Wade have returned to famed Met steps multiple times since their debut, including at May 2022’s fashion fundraiser. The pair matched in respective Versace looks that corresponded to the “Gilded Glamour” theme. The former Miami Heat athlete chose a white suit while Union looked radiant in an ivory-colored sequined gown with a bright red floral embellishment.
“When you think about the Gilded Age and Black and brown people in this country, this country is built off of our backs, our blood, sweat, and tears. So we added these red crystals to represent the blood spilled during the accumulation of gross wealth by a few during the Gilded Age, off of the backs of Black people and people of color in this country,” the Being Mary Jane alum told Vogue on the red carpet last year. “So this [look] is inspired by Diahann Carroll, a symbol of opulence and, if you will, a gilded glamour.”
Wade, for his part, also adhered to the thematic dress code. “I got a little gilded in me, but what [did] my wife say? ‘Gilded mixed with OnlyFans,’” he quipped in a pre-gala Vogue video.
Union chimed in that his look also blends ensembles fit for “a Kappa step show” at a historically black college or university (HBCU) and an episode of Baywatch.
The Dwyane author added: “What I’m wearing, to me, is very classic. [It’s] white [with] a lot of Versace gold. I have my cane — I can’t wait to bust out my cane tonight. It’s very clean [and] it fits very well. … It’s not over-the-top, when you’re with your wife, try to make sure you don’t get in the way.”
While Wade tries not to outshine the Cheaper by the Dozen actress on the red carpet, she has given him a few fashion pointers through the years.
“He likes schmedium,” Union previously joked of her spouse’s pants preferences during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in September 2021. “He’s probably like a large, extra large, but he likes a schmedium. He likes slim fit. The thing about a slim fit pant [is] if you are a blessed person, a blessed gentleman — I was like, ‘Uh, there’s a lot of information there with that slim fit, with that particular cut. I could see your heartbeat.’”
The 7th Heaven alum added at the time that she’ll frequently give Wade a “heads up” if his pants are too “revealing” before they leave the house for a red carpet event.
Scroll below to see photos of Union and Wade’s stunning Met Gala looks on the 2023 red carpet: