For New York fashionistas and those who adore high fashion, the Met Gala is like a snobby Christmas. It’s a time to obsequiously fawn over celebrities, high-end designers and Hollywood as they showcase their wealthy social class with dramatic displays of unattainable glitz and glamour to benefit one of America’s richest museums. It’s one of the greatest red carpet fashion events of the year and if you’re not pushing through thirsty crowds of photographers, FIT students and the likes to catch a glimpse of looks worth more than your livelihood, dO yOU EvEn KnoW Fashion?
While I do enjoy heavily scrutinizing every celebrity look at the Met Galas, in the past, I’ve also secretly hated on the event. I found the Met Gala to be pretentious, but I realize that this is why people love it. I mean, who doesn’t want to imagine themselves at the Met Gala? It’s the complete idolization of wealth and style. I imagine getting invited to the Met Gala is like officially joining the ultimate cool kids club, receiving totalistic admiration from onlookers hungry to get in. As someone who has a habit of rejecting anything too ‘Hollywood,’ I actually really enjoyed reading about this year’s Met Gala, and this is definitely due to the theme. The 2025 Met Gala, which occurred on May 5, was an ode to Black creativity. It brought forth a sense of authenticity and playfulness that I believe was lacking in past years, and this is because this year’s theme masterfully showcases the true purpose of fashion that I love: the art of creating a space for oneself to showcase identity.
The 2025 Met Gala theme from the Costume Institute’s exhibition was “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” which centers around Black Dandyism in fashion over the decades. The exhibition opened on Saturday, May 10, and will run until October 26, 2025. It was guest curated by Professor and Chair of Africana Studies at Barnard College, Columbia University, Monica Miller, and her book, “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity,” inspired the exhibition.
Curator in charge, Andrew Bolton, noted in a promotional video that there’s been a recent “Rennaissance” in menswear where both designers and “prominent men of style” have been “more willing to take risks with their self presentation.”
“Historically, the term dandy was used to describe someone—often a man—who is extremely devoted to aesthetics and approached it as a lifestyle,” Miller added in the video.
Dandyism is philosophical. It transcends social constructs and boundaries to meticulously create an aesthetic that is loud and unapologetically you. From the Harlem Renaissance to Afrofuturism, Black Dandyism has been an inspiration for great modern and historic fashion, making a perfect bridge between style, culture and history. This is why the 2025 Met Gala held significance to me that others lacked. Below are some highlights:
The Zoot Suit & Tributes to Harlem
You can’t neglect Harlem, a Black fashion mecca, when discussing Black Dandyism, and the cultural significance of Harlem came up many times on this occasion.
The best statement representing “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” was obviously the suits!
Harlem fashion mogul, Dapper Dan, broke down the significance of the “zoot suit,” a popular get up in Black men’s fashion from the 1940s to the 1960s in cities like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Zoot Suits were characterized as suits that were originally bought two sizes too big for a person and then tailored to give off this oversized, dandy effect. They were also popular amongst Hispanic and Filipino groups.
Dapper Dan’s handmade zoot suit is definitely one of the Met Gala highlights, with his close attention to detail and decadent Cartier accessories.
“First Friday” is a Met Gala pre-party hosted by Vogue on the Friday before the signature event. This year, on Friday, May 2, the party was located in Harlem at Ginny’s Supper Club and was headlined by Harlem native A$AP Rocky along with Doechii, Law Roach and Tyler Mitchell.
Another unforgettable moment had to be the gospel choir made up of 20 Black men in trim tuxedos. They sang an a cappella version of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” that visibly captured gala attendees.
The Met Co-Chairs
With Black Dandyism at the center, it’s only fitting that style icons A$AP Rocky and Pharrell Williams were a part of the gala’s co-chairs, and the two definitely showed out.
As Vogue noted, in “true dandy” fashion, Rocky arrived at the Met Gala in his own custom designs from his creative brand AWGE. His look included a jacket inspired by Marmot- a tribute to Harlem, as the rapper stated to Vogue that the outerwear was a neighborhood staple growing up. “That was our teenage jacket,” he said.
One of the most notable accessories of the night was Rocky’s Briony Raymond customized revolver head umbrella. The umbrella’s gun base was covered in 90-carat diamonds.
Pharrell, who is also Men’s Creative Director at Louis Vuitton, on the other hand, stepped out in a Louis Vuitton jacket made with 15,000 pearls.
Other co-chairs include Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton and Anna Wintour (editor-in-chief at American Vogue). The honorary chair this year was dedicated to Lebron James, who couldn’t attend at the last minute due to an injury.
Women in suits!
I didn’t realize how much I love a woman in a tailored suit until the Met Gala.
Below are some female suit looks that I thought ate:
Lupita Nyong’o wearing Chanel:
Zendaya wearing custom Louis Vuitton:
Doechii wearing Louis Vuitton:
Lauryn Hill wearing a Stella McCartney Suit:
Teyana Taylor’s Rose in Harlem Suit in Collaboration with “Black Panther” Movie Costume Designer Ruth E. Carter:
Janelle Monae’s Suit Dress in Thom Brown – Afrofuturism at its Best:
Dresses
While the female suits were absolutely everything to me, there were some dresses that also should be noted due to their incredible elegance. This includes:
Gigi Hadid wearing Miu Miu:
Tyla wearing Jacquemus:
Quinta Brunson in Sergio Hudson:
Christian Latchman – The Face of The Met Gala
Something that will always intrigue me is a success story from a normal, relatable person and Christian Lachman’s journey to becoming the face of the Met Gala instantly pulled me in. The model shared on a viral TikTok video how he was still working his regular nine-to-five at GNC when he was flown out and shot for the 2025 Met Gala. He was just recently signed to a New York City modeling agency and was discovered due to his build, supporting the tailored suit he was photographed in, looking anything but regular in these flawless photos.
More Men’s Looks:
With this 2025 Met Gala devoted to male fashion and tailoring, the men definitely showed out in dapper style. Below are some of the favorites of the night:
Brian Tyree Henry in custom Orange Culture Nigeria:
Burna Boy in Ozwald Boateng:
Omar Sy in Ozwald Boateng:
Caleb McLaughlin in Dior and Zenith Watch:
Questlove wearing Gabriela Hearst:
All in all, the Met Gala this year was Black and this is why it was so great. It paid homage to culture, history and some of the greatest influencers of modern fashion that deserve their flowers. Fashion wouldn’t be what it is today without Black history and this recognition of this at the 2025 Met Gala is a salient occasion for the future of fashion.
This year’s Met Gala had me asking myself what does my own dandyism look like? How can I set myself apart through creation and grooming to an aesthetic that is completely and utterly me? So, how will Black Dandyism inspire your closet this year?
