Pop Culturette Flashback: When Mariah Carey Made the Subway Look Fabulous
By Alexus Mosley
Photo Credit: IG @mariahcarey
Only Mariah Carey could turn the uptown 1 train into a couture moment.
After attending the Fresh Air Fund Gala at Chelsea Piers on May 29, 2015, Carey skipped the town car and headed underground, boarding the New York City subway in a full Atelier Versace gown and stilettos. Lucky for us, she documented the moment for Instagram.
Dressed in a shimmering evening gown that would’ve been more at home on a red carpet than a subway platform, Carey posed inside the station and on the train, sharing the photos with the very Mariah-appropriate hashtag #subwayincouture.
This sort of celebrity moment that could only happen in New York. Commuters went on about their night while one of the most glamorous women in Pop music sat nearby dressed in Versace. And because one subway-in-couture moment apparently wasn’t enough, Carey later recreated the idea years later for her “A No No” music video. The 2019 visual placed Carey inside a brightly lit subway car alongside dancers and passengers, turning public transportation into a full-blown party and giving fans a playful callback to the original outing.
Of course, Mariah riding the subway was never going to look like the rest of us riding the subway. No sneakers or tote bag, and definitely no trying to avoid eye contact while checking how many stops are left. Just Versace, stilettos, and more than a dozen MetroCards worth of glamour.
All this time later, #subwayincouture is still one of those wonderfully unserious celebrity moments we still love revisiting. Leave it to Mariah Carey to remind us that even the 1 train can use a little glamour.
Photo Credit: IG @mariahcarey