Celebrity

Jaden Smith Said He Brought This Bizarre Red Carpet Accessory Because Willow Smith Couldn’t Be His Date

Jaden Smith said he brought this to the 2017 Met Gala in place of his sister Willow Smith, who couldn't be his date that year.

by Wendy Michaels

Published on October 2, 2020

2 min read

Jaden Smith attended the Met Gala with his chopped hair

In 2017, Smith showed up to the Met Gala wearing all black Louis Vuitton — black shirt and pants, black heeled boots, and a black overcoat. He carried a chunk of his blonde dreadlocks in his hand, which made for an interesting pop of color, along with his gold grills.

The theme that year was “Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons,” with Costume Institute’s curator in charge, Andrew Bolton sharing on Vogue.com at the time: “Rei Kawakubo is one of the most important and influential designers of the past 40 years. By inviting us to rethink fashion as a site of constant creation, recreation, and hybridity, she has defined the aesthetics of our time.”

Jaden Smith said he brought the hair instead of Willow Smith

Naturally, the hair was of interest to everyone and when Vogue’s André Leon asked him the reason behind it, Smith shared that he brought it because his sister Willow wasn’t with him.

“I’ve gone for more of a Dracula look today, kind of Matrix vibe. And since I couldn’t bring my sister as a date, I brought my old hair,” he explained. Jaden and Willow attended the Met Gala together in 2016.

Leon responded, “Oh this is avant garde!” When asked about his grills, Smith said, “This is for the evening only. It has diamonds in it too.”

Jaden’s dad, Will Smith, had cut off his son’s hair for a movie role, as he was set to play Cara Delevingne’s boyfriend in Life In A Year.

Jaden Smith had another interesting accessory at the 2018 Met Gala

In 2018, Smith once again graced the Met Gala red carpet with an accessory that wasn’t his sister Willow. This time, the actor/musician carried his gold certification plaque for his song “Icon.”

The 2018 Met Gala theme was “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” and once again Smith sported a Louis Vuitton trench coat, wearing white jeans, a black shirt, gold chains, and sneakers.

Jaden and Willow Smith are close

Given that Jaden seemed to be missing Willow at the Met Gala, it’s interesting to note how close the two siblings are. In a 2016 Interview magazine interview, Willow shared, “Our parents were never like, ‘You have to love [each other].’ It was more like, ‘You have your life. He has his life. And when you guys want to come together, when you guys want to commune, that’s up to you.'”

She explained how their parents’ philosophy made the brother and sister bond very close. “Not a lot of siblings have that opportunity, because they’re always being pushed together so much. They need their time apart in order to realize themselves and realize who they are.”