Designer Reveals What Allegedly Triggered Solange And Jay-Z’s Elevator Confrontation

NEW YORK, NY – MAY 05: Beyonce and Jay-Z attend the “Charles James: Beyond Fashion” Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

A fashion designer claims Jay-Z’s Met Gala compliment sparked the infamous Solange elevator incident, revealing new details 11 years later.

Fresh details have surfaced about the Solange–Jay-Z Met Gala elevator incident, with designer Oscar G. Lopez now pointing to a new perspective behind the drama. A decade after one of pop culture’s most infamous red-carpet moments, Lopez provided his thoughts on what he thinks happened the night everything went left at the Met Gala. In a recent interview with Daily Mail, Lopez revealed that it was the result of a simple compliment that allegedly helped spark the entire meltdown.

According to Lopez, it all started on the steps of the Met Gala. He claims Jay-Z gave a compliment to Rachel Roy who was wearing a custom black lace gown that was designed by Lopez.

“I think that Jay complimented her about the gown and Beyoncé’s sister felt that it was not proper. So it was a kind of a drama there,” Lopez said.

Security camera footage later showed Solange pushing Jay-Z into a corner of an elevator as guards tried to intervene. Beyoncé looked on without stepping in. Lopez saw it as an unexpected career boost. “Any press is good press,” he said plainly. “Sometimes you benefit from a scandal, not even being part of it… let’s just call it collateral damage.”

Oscar G. Lopez Describes What He Thinks Happened

(EXCLUSIVE, Premium Rates Apply) LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 10: Actress Solange Knowles, Singer Beyonce and Rapper Jay-Z at the 50th Annual GRAMMY Awards at the Staples Center on February 10, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. **EXCLUSIVE** (Photo by Lester Cohen/WireImage)

The irony? That same night was supposed to be Roy’s fashion breakthrough. Fresh off winning Project Runway: Under the Gunn, she tapped Lopez with less than two weeks to design a one-of-one look. However, Lopez says that Roy arrived late to the carpet and missed photos on the museum steps. When the elevator headlines exploded, however, photos of the gown went viral anyway. “The dress was all over the news,” Lopez recalled.

In the end, the designer believes the night delivered exactly what it was supposed to. Fashion, fame, and a moment no one could ignore.

However, before this new explanation surfaced, the internet had spent years filling in the blanks on its own. When the elevator security footage first leaked, social media went into overdrive. Hilarious memes flooded timelines. Moreover, the moment turned Solange’s confrontation with Jay-Z into one of the most replayed and joked-about moments in pop culture history.