Fashion’s biggest night has come and gone, but the looks this year will be talked about for years to come.
The 2025 Met Gala was held May 5 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The annual Met Gala showcases the new spring costume exhibition.
- As for the fashion, I don’t think we’ve seen such jaw-dropping looks consecutively since 2018’s “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.” This year’s theme was “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” The theme “explores the importance of clothing and style to the formation of Black identities in the Atlantic diaspora, and will be arranged by the 12 characteristics of Black Dandyism,” Vogue reported. “Tailored For You” was the initial dress code for the red carpet this year. Described as a “sartorial mood that is purposefully designed to provide guidance and invite creative interpretation.”
A lot of different looks were expressed this year that leaned into the sleek and classic style of tailoring, but had more of a theatrical and avant-garde flair. While they all looked fantastic, Black women were especially eye-catching this year. Everyone showed up and showed out this year, but there was special attention drawn to the co-chairs of the event: A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams, Lewis Hamilton and Colman Domingo. A$AP wowed with a beautiful ensemble from his label, AWGE. The look bore a slick double-breasted technical wool jacket that he was inspired by the outdoorsy marmot jackets that were around Harlem growing up.
“Marmots are a Harlem tradition. That was our teenage jacket!” A$AP told Vogue while at his final fitting for the red carpet.
However, A$AP wasn’t the only one making jaws drop. Other big-name Black actors were in stunning outfits as well. Zendaya, Doechii and Pharrell stunned in Louis Vuitton. Domingo was in Valentino. Ayo Edebiri wowed in Ferragamo. Khaby Lame in Boss. Janelle Monáe, Zoe Saldana, and Angel Reese in Thom Browne. Hamilton in Wales Bonner. Ugbad Abdi in Michael Kohrs. Cynthia Erivo in Givenchy. Jodie Turner-Smith in Burberry. Coco Jones in Manish Malhotra. Lupita Nyongo in Chanel. Diana Ross in Ugo Moze. Chance the Rapper in Versace. Keke Palmer in Vera Wang. Rihanna in Marc Jacobs. And Teyana Taylor dazzled in Ruth E. Carter.
Other artists, such as Andre 3000, wore possible statement pieces with the grand piano on his back as a likely reference to him carrying the music industry on his back for decades. In a Washington Post article, “Met Celebration has a Dark Side,” writer Karen Attiah expresses how this year’s Met Gala theme, while in celebration of Black history, is very complicated to be 100% joyful during a time of Black erasure. While praising the Met Gala for finally giving back history the recognition it deserves, it does feel rather odd in the current political climate.
“Finally, finally, the fashion world was devoting its big event to recognize the brilliance and boldness of the Black masculine aesthetic in meticulously tailored suits, bold colors, and fine accessories (i.e., power dressing),” Attiah said.
She said this year’s theme took inspiration from the book “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism & the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity” (2009), written by Monica L Miller, Barnard College’s Chair of African Studies. She then goes into detail about the history of “the Black strategy of dandy dressing.” The Sapeurs (a historical subculture of Congo), dressed in fashionable suits from when the Congolese soldiers and émigrés went to France in the early 20th century, and returned with European style, fashion and even their mannerisms. A perfect example would be the Nigerian photographer, Iké Udé.
So, the Black community finally got the recognition it so rightly deserves, but we can’t let one single night deter us from what we’re facing nationally.