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Rachel Zegler Confirms Met Gala Look References Delaroche’s ‘Lady Jane Grey

The blindfolded gown framed fashion as art through a charged nod to innocence versus judgment.

Overview

  • Zegler walked the Met Gala red carpet in an Atelier Prabal Gurung white gown with a custom Jennifer Behr silk blindfold and said the look referenced Paul Delaroche’s 1833 painting The Execution of Lady Jane Grey.
  • The National Gallery explains the painting shows the moments before Jane Grey’s beheading with stage-like lighting that centers a young figure guided to the block as an onlooker turns away.
  • Zegler confirmed the reference on Instagram, which led fans on X to read the blindfold as a comment on scapegoating and the backlash she has faced in recent years.
  • Town & Country called it her first Met Gala, while other outlets reported it as her third, reflecting inconsistent reporting on her past attendance.
  • Lady Jane Grey ruled for nine days in 1553 before her execution in 1554, a story many cited to explain the symbolism behind Zegler’s art-driven interpretation of the event’s Fashion is Art theme.