Everything You Need to Know About the 2025 Met Gala Theme

You may not have been able to name them, but you most certainly have spotted the dandy before—grand, sharp, charming and oh-so-refined.

This year’s Met Gala theme, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” uses Dr. Monica L. Miller’s book, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity as a jumping-off point. Miller and the Metropolitan Museum of Art Met’s Andrew Bolton—along with chairs Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams and honourary chair LeBron James—will lead the Met in exclusively featuring menswear for the first time in decades. In the spotlight: African American history and craftsmanship, honouring the legacy and importance of clothing in the forming of Black identities across the diaspora, particularly the Atlantic.

A Brief History of Dandyism

The figure of the dandy rises out of slavery, where those enslaved were adorned to signal the status of those who owned them. Willing themselves into being through tailoring, these Black men transformed the clothing of the time into conscious expressions of identity. Through irony, humour, and refusal, they reshaped the way we would view clothing, gifting us with important questions about its relationship to personhood and mobility. Dandyism, ultimately, is concerned with reclaiming and naming silhouettes, imbuing them with new meanings—dignified, clever, creative and princely.

The Dandy Today

The exhibition will be organized by the 12 characteristics of Black dandy, inspired by Zora Neale Hurston’s 1934 essay. Hurston writes, “Who has not observed a robust young Negro chap posing upon a street corner, possessed of nothing but his clothing, his strength and his youth?" It’s easy to read Hurston’s description of the young gentleman as a glimpse into an everyday street corner during the Harlem Renaissance—or even the corner of 116th today on a Friday afternoon, as folks make their way to jummah prayers at Masjid Malcolm Shabazz, or down the street on a Sunday morning leaving a Baptist church. 

Many of us grew up with the dandy in the places we call home: the well-dressed uncle, the friend who tricked out their prom suit, the youth who plays in oversized lines and layers.  We’ve also witnessed the dandy on Met carpets past, Usher’s MET 2023 Bianca Saunders look, Lil Nas X in Luar, or really anything Alton Mason has worn in the last few years, to name a few.

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Usher in Bianca Saunders at the 2023 Met Gala /Photo via Getty Images

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2023 Costume Institute Benefit - Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty

Honouring Dandys, Past and Present

Last year, Andre Bolton told Vogue that this year’s exhibit is a step towards diversity. However, it is important to note that there are no women, transgender or non-binary people chairing this year. All the while, Black dandyism has been around in our popular culture for some time, notably through the fashion choices of Black, queer artists. Case in point: 2025 committee member Janelle Monáe, who has spoken about her iconic tuxedos as a form of paying homage to the uniforms worn by her working-class parents. Perhaps one of the most striking examples of the dandy, Monáe balances two essential elements: blurring gender lines and honouring work and labour performed by Black people and people of colour, often rendered invisible. In the best way, Black dandyism says, “I’m here, in all my glory. And you will look at me.” 

The late, great Andre Leon Talley, whose impeccable Morty Sills suit will appear on display that evening, will certainly be missed. “Zoot suits,” which originated in Harlem in the late 1930s and were adapted from Edward VIII’s “drape” suit, will also be on exhibit. Young Black and Latin men altered and re-interpreted these suits, typically hand-me-downs, in ways that highlighted and embraced extra padding, extended jackets, and cinched waists. This form of tailoring became a mainstay in the Jazz community at the time (a favourite of Count Basie’s, and a lot of immigrant grandfathers).

The Met Gala Theme 2025

There is a throughline that goes from this history to the memorable, oversized suits of 1990s NBA drafts, to Virgil Abloh’s Fall 2020 playful, intentional reimagining and reconstruction. As we approach the first Monday in May, it will be exciting to see how designers like Telfar Clemens,  Maximilian Davis and Grace Wales Bonner will interpret the “Tailored for You” dress code.

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Ferragamo by Maximilian Davis Fall 2025 / Photo via Launchmetrics/Spotlight

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Maximilian Davis for Ferragamo

This year’s theme emphasizes personal style, keeping an eye to identity and sartorial expression. All things considered, the 2025 Met Gala has a serious bar to clear in honouring the transformative power of Black fashion and cultural expression.