The Met Gala 2025
You know, I had to pop out with a Met Gala article. This wouldn't be a fashion blog if I didn’t.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year for fashion lovers: the Met Gala. An annual fundraiser dedicated to preserving the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.
Held on the first Monday of May, the Gala requires a specific dress code and has a new theme each year. This year’s theme was Superfine: Tailoring Black Style. This is the first time the fundraiser has held a theme committed to black culture and only the second one dedicated to menswear.
Finding joy in things, like fashion, is not only fun for me, but as I’ve mentioned time and time again, art is powerful. This year’s theme in particular, is an impactful one, and fashion has a way of bringing people together, with the hopes of providing change.
During times like this, when we are witnessing the removal of black history and books from our public schools and libraries, celebrating and uplifting the arts serves as an act of resistance. Funding museums like the Met aids in keeping physical archival pieces from all around the world alive and well for years to come. According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s website, the institute currently holds over 35,000 costumes and accessories, “spanning five continents and just as many centuries.”
For more info on the Costume Institute, read here:
https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/costume-in-the-metropolitan-museum-of-art
Now, what does the theme represent? It is about the black dandy and how history has influenced black fashion for the last three centuries. It is an expression of one’s own identity, and how black men used cultural impact, such as colonialism and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, as a way of declaration, breathing life into a whole new aesthetic.
In my previous article, “Manifesting My Dream Library,” I talked about the book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of the Black Diasporic Identity. This piece, written by Monica L. Miller, was used as the overall framework for this year’s theme. The exhibition’s catalog, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, also by Monica L. Miller, will be released in the upcoming weeks.
We saw many interpretations on this year’s carpet, and here I’ll show some of my favorite looks and how they transfer to black dandyism.
Coleman Domingo: The epitome of the black dandy. Coleman states that he drew inspiration from many different things. Upon his research with Monica Miller herself, he found symbolism in the color blue (see slide 2). According to Coleman, a freed slave stated that he wanted to wear his “finest blue Superfine wool suit.” “I thought the color blue was perfect for tonight,” Domingo stated.
From the Moors in North Africa, the Harlem Renaissance, Andre Leon Talley, and black churches, the co-chair’s perfectly tailored Valentino garments will put him on the best-dressed list, while successfully paying homage to black dandyism.
Asap Rocky: Wearing his own design by Awge, Rocky serves as co-chair alongside Coleman Domingo, Pharrell, Lewis Hamilton, and honorary co-chair, LeBron James. The Harlem-raised rapper and fashion mogul tapped into his roots and newfound fatherhood for inspiration. Channeling a modern-day black dandy with 20th-century references, the tailored suit paired with the Marmot-style jacket is opulence to a tea, as Rocky himself puts it.
Teyanna Taylor: Collaborating with none other than costume designer Ruth E. Carter, Taylor stepped on the carpet in hands down the dandiest look of the night. Inspired by a mix of the original black dandies, along with Dapper Dan and her hometown of Harlem, Taylor put all of her trust into Carter, and it did not come up short. The zoot suit was a great reimagining of the black dandy, and pairing it with the durag elevated it to the next level.
Zendaya: We can’t have a Met Gala review without mentioning Zendaya. Wearing Louis Vuitton, designed by Pharrell, who had a number of his designs on the carpet, this is one of the more understated yet well-represented looks of the night. Channeling her inner Diana Ross, Zendaya— styled by Law Roach, of course— transferred us to the 70s and 80s with her power zoot suit.
Ayo Edebiri: A nod to her father and grandfather, Edebiri stuns in Ferragamo. Referring to her father as one of the “dandiest” people she knows, Edebiri states that her father has been true to the black dandy persona, from wearing “traditional Edo clothes at the Emmys” and even marrying her “mom in leather trousers and tuxedo tails.”
Mixing modern self-expression with a dedication to black culture, creative director Maximilian Davis, Ferragamo’s first black creative director, landed on this design for Edebiri.
Diana Ross: Taking a dress from her personal archives, Diana Ross hit the carpet for the first time in over 20 years. Her jaw-dropping fur train has each of her children’s and grandchildren’s names embroidered, representing the descendants of one of the greatest icons… herself.
Gigi Hadid: Inspired by the work of American dressmaker Zelda Wynn Valdes, Hadid walked the carpet in custom Miu Miu. While this is not “menswear” per se, Valdes learned her techniques from her uncle, who owned a tailoring shop. Taking her experience in menswear, Valdes then began her designing career. With Hadid paying homage to the designer in a beautifully fitted gown, I’d say she hit the mark on the theme in her own way.
Fun Fact: Zelda Wynn Valdes is credited with designing the first Playboy Bunny waitress costumes.
Doechii: “We studied a little bit on this character Julius Soubise, who stood out to me,” Doechii says in an interview. Making a remarkable Met Gala debut in custom Louis Vuitton designed by Pharrell, Doechii took the carpet by storm with inspiration from Miller’s book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.
Imaan Hammam: This year, for the first time, supermodel Hammam is wearing a custom Magda Butrym suit. Representing what Hammam refers to as elegance and resistance, her version of what the black dandy is shines throughout this ensemble.
Christian Latchman: The face of the Met Gala… no seriously. He was quite literally the face of the entire Gala. From magazines to the exhibition catalog cover, Latchman’s presence has been felt throughout the whole roll-out.
Here, he stuns in an all white, excellently tailored suit, making his first of hopefully many Met Galas unforgettable.
A list of honorable mentions: Janelle Monae, Doja Cat, Shaboozey, Damson Idris, Rihanna, Anok Yai, Alton Mason, Sabrina Carpenter, Lewis Hamilton, Lauren Hill, Bad Bunny, Demi Moore, Keith Powers, Lupita Nyong’o, and Cynthia Erivo.
Tap through the slide shows below.
I know I listed quite a few people, but there are so many others who had great interpretations. I also made it a point not to make this negative and mention anyone who missed the mark on the theme entirely. With a carpet of this caliber, there are bound to be a few people who don’t deliver, but I don’t intend on turning the attention away from anyone who showed up and showed out.
Highlighting cultural awareness is more important now than ever, and it was such a delight to see the Met Gala showcase black excellence this year. Let’s make it a mission every day to learn and appreciate the arts for what it is and the impact history has on us today, tomorrow, and forever.
