10 Iconic Moments in Papal Fashion History to Celebrate Met Gala 2018

The devil wears Prada — and so does the Pope.

May 3, 2018

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One of the most fun parts of watching the Met Gala red carpet unfold is seeing how the guests interpret the theme — and this year’s event is certain to garner some fascinating fashion choices. The 2018 theme of the Metropolitan Museum and Costume Institute’s exhibit is “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination,” highlighting the relationship between fashion and religion — including the influence of papal garb on secular styles. That’s right: We’re talking pope style. Over the course of thousands of years, the many Catholic popes have made sartorial statements that could be seamlessly transitioned to almost any runway. Ahead, 10 iconic moments in papal fashion.

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Pope Pius VII’s 18-pound tiara
For centuries, popes wore massive, three-tiered tiaras (known as “triregnums”) — most often during several hours-long coronation ceremonies. While all papal tiaras were opulent masterpieces, Pope Pius VII’s has the distinction of being the heaviest, at a whopping 18 pounds — though he didn’t actually wear it. Pius VII was coronated in 1800 wearing a bejeweled papier mâché tiara after French leader Napoleon had his soldiers destroy all papal tiaras. After making peace, Napoleon gifted Pius VII with the new crown (which reportedly weighed about five times as much as the previous one), but the Pope declined to wear it.
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Pope Pius XI’s personalized cameo ring
Popes certainly know how to rock statement rings. Upon taking on the role, the pope gets his own customized gold ring, known as The Fisherman’s Ring. Each pope’s ring is unique to him (it’s an official seal, according to CBS News), but they all have one thing in common: They’re definitive pieces of art. Pope Benedict XVI’s ring was made of 35 grams of gold by eight artisans who worked 15-hour days for two weeks on the one piece of jewelry. But Pope Pius IX took the customization a step further. Instead of wearing the traditional gold ring, he donned a cameo ring — of himself — made of many tiny diamonds.

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And the other ornate papal jewels
Pope's aren’t limited to the one ring, either. They’re known to have quite the collections of bling. As Vanity Fair noted, popes have commonly worn various stones (like diamonds, rubies, and sapphires) in rings, as well as pectoral crosses. In 2014, an 18k gold pectoral cross and a platinum ring with more than 75 carats of diamonds (including a 13-carat center stone) once owned by Pope Paul VI were put on sale by their then-current owner for a whopping $1.9 million.
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Pope Paul VI’s decision to sell the papal tiara
In the 1960s, during the Second Vatican Council (or Vatican II), the Vatican saw a massive shift toward modesty, which The Guardian attributed to the Vatican’s attempts to reconnect with Catholics around the world. As part of that move, Pope Paul VI decided to sell the papal tiara — which was thought to be worth $17,500 at the time — and donate the money to the poor. Since then, no pope has worn a triregnum. Instead, they’ve donned “mitres”, tall, pointed fabric headpieces made of linen or silk.

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Pope John Paul II’s rainbow vestments
On World Youth Day in 1997, Pope John Paul II stepped out wearing vestments adorned with crosses in an array of rainbow hues. The designer, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, convinced the Pope to wear his design (alongside thousands of priests and hundreds of bishops also donning rainbow garb). He reportedly said the rainbow was a symbol of “God’s promise of peace to Noah;” but after Castelbajac later noted its connection to gay liberation, the Vatican reportedly responded that no one had a copyright on the rainbow.
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And Pope John Paul II’s rolex
Some popes have been known to extend their high-end jewelry game to the timepieces on their wrists. As Bloomberg noted, various popes have donned some seriously luxe watches — but perhaps none more high-end than Pope John Paul II’s. He reportedly wore a Rolex worth about $6,000.

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Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI’s sunny moments
It’s rare to see a pope in sunglasses (according to The Independent,, doing so outside the papal grounds is taboo), but two former popes have been snapped with shades on. In 1999, U2 frontman Bono gifted Pope John Paul II a pair of his legendary tinted sunnies in exchange for a rosary. John Paul II tried them on in front of cameras, though he never wore them in public. Pope Benedict XVI, on the other hand, did sport his shades in public: He was photographed wearing a pair of sleek, wire-framed and dark-lens sunnies on his way to meet the Italian president. There was some debate as to whether Benedict’s sunglasses were Gucci or Serengeti, though according to The Independent,, it was ultimately determined that the shades were in fact Serengeti.
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Pope Benedict XVI’s infamous red shoes
Benedict’s sunglasses didn’t make nearly as much of a statement as his shoes. After years of modest dressing by his predecessors, Benedict’s trademark red loafers captured the world’s attention and earned him the nickname the “Prada Pope,” based on assumptions they came from the Italian fashion house. The assumptions were incorrect: In 2005, Italian cobbler Adriano Stefanelli publicly presented Benedict with the custom-made shoes. Stefanelli was one of multiple cobblers who crafted pairs of red shoes for the pope. And they made quite a fashion impact: In 2005, Newsweek referred to Benedict as a “religious-fashion icon;" and in 2007, Esquire named him “Accessorizer of the Year” because of the footwear.

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And Pope Benedict XVI’s extravagant cloaks
The red loafers were an aforementioned departure from the Vatican II papal modesty, and Benedict’s dressed up style didn’t stop at his feet. This pope left a fashion legacy, opting for elaborate capes (“mozettas”), mitres, and other adornements throughout his tenure. As Bloomberg noted, his ceremonial robes were often lavish; and his penchant for glamour extended to the cardinals as well. In 2011, the Vatican reportedly shelled out big bucks to outfit six new cardinals, spending about $5,000 each.
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Pope Francis’s decision to dress down
The flashy phase renewed by Benedict lasted only as long as his tenure: His successor, the current Pope Francis, has displayed a much more minimalistic style since taking over the papacy. Starting with his first public appearance in 2013, Francis has bypassed traditional garb like the red mozzetta, gold-embroidered papal stole, and gold pectoral cross in favor of simpler fabrics (like wool) and cross materials (like wood) and plain, black shoes — leading Catholic news site Crux to coin his style “papal athleisure.” But, while Francis may dress more modestly than Benedict did, there’s still quite an appreciation for his style — and what it may symbolize. Early in his tenure, Esquire named Francis the “Best Dressed Man of 2013,” writing that his “sartorial decisions have subtly signaled a new era (and for many, renewed hope) for the Catholic Church.”