2025 JANUARY ISSUE
MET GALA 2025
Report by Genevieve Redding
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From the Desk of the Publisher
This year’s Met Gala was held on May 5, 2025, embraced the theme “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,’ celebrating the history of Black fashion and dandyism. In this write-up, Genevieve walked us through the theme which focused on its history and influence of the Black dandy fashion.
We hope that you can enjoy, and we also included the link of the Metropolitan Museum and through the link you have access to other shows and exhibitions.
MET GALA 2025
TAILORE FOR YOU
Tailored For You
The Met Gala returned for 2025 in New York City with a spotlight on Black style and tailoring. The theme was based on the spring exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, which is titled, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”. The accompanying dress code was “Tailored for You”. The 2025 theme examined Black style and the history of dandyism.
The exhibition explores the importance of clothing and style to the formation of Black identities and holds a strong focus on menswear and suiting. The theme “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” focused on the history and influence of the Black dandy fashion in the Western world. The Black dandy first emerged in the 18th century and has been a significant force in Black identity and style to the present day.
Fashion has been used as a symbol of power and aesthetics for Black people from the time of enslavement to the present. Dandyism has served as a vehicle through which one can manipulate the relationship between clothing, identity, and power.
Dandyism was once used to describe aristocratic style and signify wealth, but the term later evolved. Post emancipation, Blacks often added their own flair to tailored looks. During the Harlem Renaissance, from the 1920s to the 1930s, the neighborhood became a hub for Black cultural expression. It was a time of living and dressing boldly for Black Americans.
In a recent interview Dapper Dan, American fashion designer and haberdasher from Harlem, New York, said there are two kinds of dandy: “the ascot dandy and the sweatsuit dandy.” Ultimately, it’s someone who wants to use clothes as armor in a way to impact the way in which people perceive them and fight stereotypes that are sometimes rooted in racism.
The dress code, “Tailored for You”, encouraged creative interpretations of tailoring, including menswear elements. Met Gala red carpet looks leaned into tailoring in both a classic and more theatrical, avant-garde manner. Guests interpreted the theme in a variety of ways, from traditional suits to more creative tailoring. Designers played with suiting in different ways and layered in some storytelling that embodied Black dandyism. The new showcase explores Black male identity reflected through fashion in a very modern but historical way. The gala helped people on a mass-level understand the influence of Black identity on fashion.
