Gabrielle Union paid tribute to American Icon Cicely Tyson with her look at the 2021 Met Gala, rocking a sheer, floral mini-dress created by designer Sammy Black, better known by her famous clients as Sammy B. The Bring It On star took to Instagram to share the sentimental inspiration behind her ensemble for the highly anticipated Ball, honoring this year's theme In America: A Lexicon of Fashion. Gabrielle's dress was inspired by Tyson's iconic 1974 Emmys number. She shared,
My tribute to an American Icon. I wanted to honor Ms. Cicely Tyson and the dress she wore to the 1974 Emmys (one of my favorite red carpet looks of all time) by asking one of my favorite designers to create this dress as an homage to Ms Tyson. @SamanthaBlackNYC took the challenge and ran with it. Here is the piece she created. THANK YOU!!!
Gabrielle has often credited Tyson as one of her biggest inspirations as a Black actress. When news of Tyson's death broke in January 2021, Gabby rushed to social media to express her sorrow over the passing of the icon, tweeting:
We have lost a visionary, a leader, a lover, an author, an ICON, and one of the most talented actresses the world has ever seen. A life, a career, a fire to celebrated forevermore!
Union clearly understood the assignment for this year's Met Gala, and moved accordingly. Billie Eilish, Naomi Campbell and more are set to grace the red carpet on fashion's biggest night. See more looks from the 2021 Met Gala streaming live via Vogue's Twitter.