“It totals over 3,280 hours of handiwork" - Naomi Osaka stuns at the Met Gala with custom two-piece outfit

Naomi Osaka is very much into her fashion, as shown at times this year after walking onto court with some unique outfits. She has had the chance to exhibit her taste in fashion at the Met Gala, wearing a costume that took over 3,200 hours of work to complete.

Taking a break from the tennis court, the Japanese has made a return to the Met Gala for the first time since 2021 after co-chairing the event that year. She went to it in a custom two-piece set from couturier Robert Wun.

"Obviously, a lot of people know me for my tennis outfits, and the Met Gala is the Grand Slam of fashion,” Osaka told Vogue in an interview. “To have the opportunity to be here and express my style on this stage is something that’s really cool for me.”

It is not the first time the pair have worked together. Earlier this year in the first round of the Australian Open, she came onto the court in a flamboyant manner. She was holding a white umbrella and wearing a white veil over a wide white brimmed hat, catching the eye of many ahead of a three-set win.

“I was so appreciative to meet him and see how he works,” Osaka continued. “He didn’t have an ego and was just willing to change things to make me more comfortable or hear my perspective on things.”

Osaka's outfit took time and a lot of effort to create and perfect. “The look debuts with a two-part act on the carpet,” Wun explained. “First is a sculpted ivory coat, with open seams exposing red crystals from within, adorned with stripped feathers flaring outwards like a fountain shape.”

The interior portion was next. A stunning fitted red crystallized gown featuring over 659,000 stitches of intricate embroidery. “It totals over 3,280 hours of handiwork and thousands of faceted Swarovski crystals in four shades of red that illustrate the human anatomy, needle by needle, crystal by crystal.”

It is fair to say that Osaka is a fan, among others. “I’m blown away by the whole creation,” she exclaimed.

This makes for a nice break away from the court. It has not been the best start to the year for the four-time Grand Slam champion who continues to try and find the spark to accelerate her back to the top. An injury picked up at the Australian Open forced her to withdraw and kept her out of action until the Sunshine swing.

She has managed to clash against world number one Aryna Sabalenka twice in the last three tournaments competed, specifically at Indian Wells and Madrid while losing at the first hurdle in Miami. She will be eyeing up the chance to get back to her best at the Rome Open. While clay is not her favourite surface, she has reached back-to-back last-16's in the Italian capital while ending at the quarterfinal in 2019.