The 2025 Met Gala is just days away, and anticipation is high for what promises to be a bold and historically rich celebration of fashion. Held as always on the first Monday in May, this year’s Gala coincides with the opening of the Costume Institute’s spring exhibition, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” The event will once again transform the Metropolitan Museum of Art into a hub for designers, celebrities, artists, and culture-makers.
The list of co-chairs for the 2025 Met Gala includes music icon Pharrell Williams, Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton, acclaimed actor Colman Domingo, basketball legend LeBron James, and rapper A$AP Rocky. As in past years, Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour will serve as co-chair and curator of the exclusive guest list.
This year’s Met Gala committee brings together a diverse mix of notable names across entertainment, fashion, and art. Members include Simone Biles and husband Jonathan Owens, designer Dapper Dan, singer Doechii, stylist Edward Enninful, actress Ayo Edebiri, playwright Jeremy O. Harris, musician André 3000, writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and many others such as Regina King, Spike Lee, Janelle Monáe, Usher, and Sha’Carri Richardson.
Guests handpicked by Wintour will arrive at the Met decked out in eccentric, thematic fashion reflecting the exhibit’s spirit. The official dress code for the evening is “Tailored for You,” encouraging attendees to embrace individuality while honoring the essence of the exhibition.
What sets the 2025 exhibition apart is its near-exclusive focus on menswear — a theme not seen at the Met Gala in over two decades. The highlight of the show is Black dandyism, a historically rich style that redefines elegance, resistance, and cultural expression through fashion.
Announced back in October 2024 during a museum press conference, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” draws inspiration from Monica L. Miller’s groundbreaking 2009 book, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity. Andrew Bolton, chief curator of the Costume Institute, presented the concept alongside Miller, underscoring how the exhibition interprets and expands upon themes in her work.
According to Vogue, the exhibition will showcase a vast collection of garments, paintings, and photographs. These works explore the resilient and expressive style of Black men across centuries — from the 1700s to today — as seen through the lens of dandyism.
At the press conference, Miller emphasized that the figure of the dandy — often associated with 18th-century men who paid meticulous attention to clothing — also holds deeper historical resonance. She explained that dandyism has served both as a marker of imposed identity and a tool for personal empowerment, especially among Black individuals navigating societal constraints.
“The exhibition explores the dialectic between being dandified and adopting dandyism as a means of self-fashioning,” Miller said. “Black dandyism raises questions about identity, mobility, race, class, gender, power, and representation.”
The exhibition is divided into twelve thematic sections, including Ownership, Jook, and Cosmopolitanism — each unpacking key aspects of Black dandy fashion and its evolution.
Ownership addresses the tension between being owned and owning one’s identity. One key artifact is a purple, gold-trimmed coat worn by an enslaved man in 1770s Maryland — a symbol of both subjugation and dignity.
Jook explores the flamboyant and politically charged “Zoot suits” popularized in the 1940s — most notably worn by Malcolm X. These bold, exaggerated ensembles challenged conventional views of masculinity, race, and acceptable presentation.
Cosmopolitanism places Black dandyism in a global context, highlighting the interconnectedness of the Black diaspora and its sophisticated, worldly style.
The other sections of the exhibit are Presence, Distinction, Disguise, Freedom, Champion, Respectability, Heritage, Beauty, and Cool. Each segment dives into how dandyism has served as a vehicle for self-expression and cultural resistance.
Visitors can also expect to see creations by iconic Black designers. Pharrell Williams’ work with Louis Vuitton and the late Virgil Abloh’s groundbreaking Off-White pieces will be prominently featured. Other contributing artists include Toykwase Dyson, André Grenard Matswa, Tyler Mitchell, and Tanda Francis.
By placing 18th-century artifacts next to contemporary fashion, the exhibit draws powerful parallels between the past and present — reminding viewers how style continues to shape and reflect cultural identity.
The Gala’s dress code, “Tailored for You,” reflects the exhibition’s core message — encouraging guests to bring their personal flair to traditional menswear silhouettes. According to Vogue, the guideline is “designed to provide guidance and incite creative interpretation.”
As a result, attendees may opt for everything from kaleidoscopic double-breasted Zoot suits to modern, oversized tailoring as popularized by designers like Willy Chavarria.
While some celebrities have been known to stray from the theme in years past — Kylie Jenner’s off-theme gown in 2023 and Chris Hemsworth’s look in 2024 come to mind — expectations remain high that this year’s guests will embrace the vision of Superfine and show up in looks that celebrate Black style and creativity.
The exhibition “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” opens to the public on May 10 and runs through October 26, offering a rare and expansive look at the deep, complex history of Black menswear and its cultural significance.
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