It's that exciting time of year once more! The theme for the upcoming 2025 Met Gala has just been announced, and the fashion world collectively exhales after months of speculation. With the Costume Institute’s spring exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art now revealed, we’re getting a glimpse of what to expect from this year’s gala—and it promises to be one of the most culturally and historically significant events yet.
From dissecting the theme to insights on the dress code and the star-studded hosts, here’s everything you need to know about the 2025 Met Gala as it unfolds.
What is the 2025 Met Gala theme?
The theme for the 2025 Met Gala aligns with the Costume Institute’s exhibition titled "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style". This exhibition will delve into Black dandyism as its primary focus, exploring the significance of fashion in shaping Black identities during the Atlantic diaspora in America. The showcase will feature a variety of garments, artworks, and photographs, highlighting the evolution of the Black dandy throughout history.
Unknown (American), The Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, Twentieth-Century Photography Fund, 2015
This marks a notable occasion as it is the first time since 2003, with the Men in Skirts exhibit, that the Costume Institute is dedicating an exhibition purely to menswear. Curator in Charge Andrew Bolton, collaborating with the esteemed author and professor Monica Miller, will draw inspiration from Miller’s 2009 book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity. The exhibition will trace the Black dandy from its earliest portrayals in the 18th century to contemporary interpretations.
Photo: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
For those unfamiliar, Black dandyism represents a style of dress characterized by elegant, tailored ensembles that borrow from classic European fashion yet are interpreted through an African diasporic lens. Miller describes this style as “a strategy and a tool to rethink identity, to reimagine the self in a different context. To really push a boundary especially during the time of enslavement, to really push a boundary on who and what counts as human, even.” The primary aim of the exhibition is to “illustrate how Black people transformed from being enslaved and stylised as luxury items, acquired like any other signifier of wealth and status, to autonomous self-fashioning individuals who are global trendsetters,” Miller elaborates.
Zoot Suit; (American) 1940s. Photo: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
“I feel that the show itself marks a really important step in our commitment to diversifying our exhibitions and collections, as well as redressing some of the historical biases within our curatorial practice,” Bolton added, reflecting on the significance of this exhibition, particularly in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement. This initiative has prompted the institute to commit to acquiring over 150 pieces by BIPOC (Black, indigenous, and people of color) designers since 2020. “It’s very much about making fashion at The Met more of a gateway to access and inclusivity.”
What is the 2025 Met Gala dress code?
Contrary to popular belief, the theme of the Costume Institute exhibition does not directly dictate the Met Gala red carpet dress code. However, the two concepts are inherently interconnected. For example, at the 2024 Met Gala, the exhibition theme was Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion, and the corresponding dress code was titled The Garden of Time, inspired by J.G. Ballard’s classic short story. While distinct, both themes explored the cyclical nature of creation and destruction, fleeting beauty, and heavily referenced sartorial history.
While the official dress code for the 2025 Met Gala has yet to be announced, we can anticipate that the exhibition’s theme, "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style", will inspire a red carpet filled with fine tailoring, nods to Black dandyism, and a wealth of both archival and contemporary menswear-inspired looks.
Who is hosting the 2025 Met Gala?
Alongside the Met Gala’s illustrious host, Vogue’s editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, the honorary co-chairs for the 2025 event will feature an all-male lineup, aligning with what is set to be a red carpet overflowing with menswear and menswear-inspired ensembles. The co-chairs for 2025 include Formula 1 great Lewis Hamilton, rapper A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams, and Colman Domingo. In addition, LA Lakers superstar LeBron James will serve as an honorary chair.
When is the 2025 Met Gala?
Photo: Andrew Kelly/Reuters
As tradition dictates, the Met Gala is held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on the first Monday in May. For 2025, that date will be May 5.
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