Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has explained why he wore a skirt in an eye-catching first Met Gala appearance.
The WWE legend walked the red carpet and famous Met Gala steps with his wife Lauren Hashian for the first time at the annual event, renowned for producing some of the most outlandish displays of fashion.
The 54-year-old turned heads with what he rocked up in at the New York City spectacle, where this year's theme was 'Fashion is Art'.
He sported a pleated skirt alongside matching trousers, a white silk shirt, a tuxedo jacket and black brogue shoes. He also wore black glasses.
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Johnson's entire outfit was custom Thom Browne and certainly made a statement. However, that was exactly what the Smashing Machine star intended to do - revealing that in the Polynesian culture which he is part of, wearing a skirt is seen as "masculine".
"At first they sent the illustrations over and said, 'Is DJ going to be cool with this - pleated skirt?'. I said, 'In our culture, Polynesian culture, we rock lavalavas, we rock skirts. The most masculine men - not that I'm one of them - wear lavalavas and skirts.”
The Rock sported one of the most expensive items in Met Gala history
The Rock also said that look, which took over 2,000 hours to complete, was designed to show the juxtaposition between "the mortal body and the immortal body".
His stylist Ilaria Urbinati told GQ that the presence of the skirt as a bold part of the look was done in a bid to "subvert expectations of what a man of his build can wear".
She stated: “I get so many men who reach out to me daily about what he wears. There’s a whole demographic of men who are bigger and more built who get kind of shut out of the fashion industry game, but who really do wanna partake and look good.”
Another striking element to The Rock's appearance on his Met Gala debut was a glistening Jacob & Co watch, which is said to be worth an incredible $3.5-million Jacob & Co. watch and contains 129.61 carats of diamonds - therefore making the timepiece one of the most expensive items at the event.
Josh Lawless