Benito el Viejito
“Más sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo”
By Debralee Santos
Photos by Eric Rojas
The final look.
This Bunny doesn’t need the Botox.
Curated by Andrew Bolton, this year’s exhibit “Costume Art” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art seeks to “explore the relationship between clothing and the body beneath.” The theme is heralded annually on the first Monday of May with the Met Gala, known as fashion’s biggest night.
The artist designed his own all-black tuxedo suit.
The assignment this year for Bad Bunny and his fellow attendees, which included Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky, Venus and Serena Williams, and Katy Perry, among others. To interpret the dress code “Fashion is Art” and to reflect upon the how the human body is represented throughout the exhibit’s near-400 pieces of art – sculptures, paintings and more, including garments and accessories. The exhibit is organized into three groups: bodies omnipresent in art (such as the nude form), universal bodies (such as anatomical representations), and bodies misrepresented or overlooked (such as those who are pregnant, aging, or disabled).
Prosthetics were highly detailed.
The latter proved particularly resonant for the six-time, 32-year-old Grammy Award winner who appeared at the 2026 Met Gala as a man 50 years older.
Sporting hyper-realistic prosthetics created by Academy Award-nominated makeup artist Mike Marino, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio embraced a fully detailed concept that highlighted a weathered countenance, age spots, and the overall passage of time across his face, neck and hands. He sported silver coils and used a cane on the red carpet while walking gingerly, committing fully to the older personaje he had conjured himself.
The model included perfectly styled hair.
According to a statement released by his management team moments after his red-carpet arrival, the artist arrived “not in costume but in concept” and “[used] his platform at one of the world’s most watched cultural moments to confront time and identity on his own terms.”
The artist designed his own all-black tuxedo suit and turned to Spanish retailer Zara, who created his Super Bowl wardrobe, to bring the look to life.
The artist sought to “confront time and identity on his own terms.”
“The timeless silhouette is intentional: the suit doesn’t age, he does,” stated the release.
The ‘fit also featured a significant detail in its black shirt with an oversized sculptural bow, a deliberate nod to the iconic Charles James 1947 “Bustle,” which is held in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute.
En chanclas.
The artist opted for Cartier jewelry, which included an archival 1995 watch, released a year after “el niño de Lysi” was born.
“The result is not theatrical,” offered the release. “It is a genuine, considered reflection on what aging looks like and what it means.”
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s “Costume Art” exhibit opens May 10th and runs through January 10, 2027. For more, visit https://www.metmuseum.org.
Details included a 1995 archival Cartier watch and a gold-tipped cane.
Academy Award-nominated makeup artist Mike Marino (right) at work.
The all-black shirt featured an oversized sculptural bow.