Met Gala 2025: “Tailored for You” Dress Code Signals Celebration of Black Menswear Style
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced the dress code for the 2025 Met Gala: “Tailored for You,” a nod to the accompanying exhibit, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” which focuses exclusively on suiting and menswear, specifically exploring the history and impact of Black style in menswear over the centuries, The Associated Press reports.
The event, a major fundraiser for the Costume Institute, will launch the spring exhibit on May 5. Last year’s gala raised a record-breaking $26 million. The exhibit itself, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” will run for an extended six months, from May 10th to October 26th.
This year’s theme, inspired by Monica L. Miller’s book, “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity,” promises a powerful and visually stunning exploration of Black style. The Met describes the show as “a cultural and historical examination of Black style from the 18th century to today through the lens of dandyism.”
In addition to previously announced hosts Pharrell Williams, Lewis Hamilton, Colman Domingo, A$AP Rocky, LeBron James, and Vogue editor Anna Wintour, the Met has revived a tradition of a “host committee,” comprised of a diverse group of high-profile celebrities, athletes, artists, and fashion figures.
The impressive list includes athletes Simone Biles and husband Jonathan Owens, Angel Reese and Sha’Carri Richardson; filmmakers Spike Lee, Tonya Lewis Lee and Regina King; actors Ayo Edebiri, Audra McDonald and Jeremy Pope; musicians Doechii, Usher, Tyla, Janelle Monáe and André 3000; author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; artists Jordan Casteel, Rashid Johnson and Kara Walker; playwrights Jeremy O. Harris and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins; and fashion figures Grace Wales Bonner, Edward Enninful, Dapper Dan and Olivier Rousteing.
Celebrity chef Kwame Onwuachi will curate the menu for the highly anticipated gala.
The exhibit, curated by Barnard professor Monica L. Miller and the Met’s Andrew Bolton, delves into the historical roots of dandyism, noting that as far back as the 1780s, “dandies” were often defined as “men who paid distinct and sometimes excessive attention to dress.”
Artists are also contributing to the exhibit’s design. Torkwase Dyson will use her signature “hypershapes” to create standalone monumental sculptures or “architectural zones,” while artist Iké Udé, serving as a consultant for the show, will curate a section that highlights Julius Soubise, one of the first Black dandies who challenged societal norms in 18th-century London.
“Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” will be divided into 12 sections, each representing a characteristic that defines “dandy” style: ownership, presence, distinction, disguise, freedom, champion, respectability, jook, heritage, beauty, cool, and cosmopolitanism.
