At the 2026 Met Gala in New York, Nia Long wore a custom LaQuan Smith black velvet column gown with a plunging neckline, and the emerald LEVIEV collar shifts the entire focus.
Start with the neckline.
At The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Benefit celebrating the opening of “Costume Art” in New York on May 4, 2026, Nia Long arrived in a custom LaQuan Smith black velvet column gown that is all about cut and control. This is pure red carpet precision, no extra theatrics needed.
The strapless neckline curves into a deep, structured plunge that frames the collarbone and draws the eye upward. The velvet reads dense and matte under the lights, hugging the torso through a sharply defined waist before falling straight into a long, clean skirt with a trailing hem. The vertical seaming through the bodice keeps the shape sculpted rather than soft. Nothing floats here. It’s carved.
Then there’s the necklace. The high-jewelry LEVIEV collar sits wide across her shoulders, set with large Colombian emerald drops surrounded by diamonds, and it changes the entire balance of the look. The dress is restrained. The necklace is maximal. That contrast is the point.
Her hair is pulled into a sleek updo, which keeps the neckline open and the jewelry fully visible. A softer makeup palette stops the face from competing with the stones. It’s disciplined styling – and smart.
You can see more of Nia Long on the red carpet and how she approaches a red carpet arrival with clarity rather than excess. This is a textbook example of dress details working in tandem with statement jewelry, exactly what you expect at the Met Gala.
Would you have kept the necklace this bold, or gone minimal to let the velvet stand alone?
The necklace is the decision that makes it.
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