Tyla Won the Red Carpet Wearing Sand

Photo: Kristina Bumphrey/WWD via Getty Images

As Tyla backed out of the elevator at the Mark Hotel, one thing about the 2024 Met Gala became overwhelmingly apparent — she had won the red carpet before she even hit the stairs. Her first Met Gala carpet, to be clear.

This year, the gala is celebrating the Costume Institute’s new exhibition, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” and the official dress code is the “Garden of Time.” Sculpted in what looks like a dress molded from figure-hugging sand (“I’m wearing sand, basically,” she said on the red carpet), the breakout South African “Water” starlet, with her team holding a textured train in the same mold, looked like a structure crafted by the fashion gods. Once she hit the blooming carpet, her dress, crafted by Balmain, came to life further. Five men had to help her up the stairs (one even picked her up and hoisted her.) Her bag of choice for the night? An hourglass, delicately held by a golden-sand-covered hand: “It’s my first time at the Met and I’m so happy to be wearing Balmain,” she explained to La La Anthony.

At some point during the night, the dress’ designer Olivier Rousteing took a pair of scissors and started to snip. He snipped, snipped all the way across her dress, cutting off the long train, transforming the look into a minidress. Which looked just as chic. We love a transformable look!

Throughout her past few red carpet appearances, she’s been pulling other looks, including a one-shouldered Versace gown at the 2024 Grammy’s, beachy Gimaguas dresses, and a Di Petsa gown. When the Cut asked her how long it took her to get ready, she responded with a shy smile: “A loooonggg time. Hours.”

What’s next for the South African singer, who won her first Grammy at just 22 years young? “A tour, a festival, and excited to now drop more things that excite the Tygas even more.” Tyla, we can’t wait to see what you wear and do next.