2025 Met Gala Theme Announced, Honoring A Forgotten But Dandy Past
Unknown (American). [Studio Portrait], 1940s–50s. Gelatin silver print. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Twentieth-Century Photography Fund, 2015 (2015.330).
The fashion world is buttoning up for a historic event as the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute unveils its 2025 Met Gala theme: Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, a celebration of Black culture and menswear.
This marks the first time since 2003’s Men in Skirts theme that menswear has taken center stage, and it’s also a historic moment for the Gala, as it focuses specifically on Black dandyism and sartorial elegance. The inspiration comes from Monica L. Miller’s 2009 book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, which explores the powerful relationship between fashion and Black identity.
Explore the extraordinary stories of stylish Black individuals across art, literature, music, and society.
— The Metropolitan Museum of Art (@metmuseum) October 9, 2024
Coming May 2025, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” will examine the historical and cultural emergence of the Black dandy.
Inspired by curator Monica Miller’s 2009 book,… pic.twitter.com/cDnj4tKf2V
The 2025 Met Gala, scheduled for May 5, 2025, will be co-chaired by an impressive lineup, including Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams, and Anna Wintour, with NBA superstar LeBron James serving as honorary co-chair. The event is primed to serve as a stylish homage to the cultural significance of clothing in shaping Black identities throughout the Atlantic diaspora, particularly through the lens of Black dandyism.
Superfine: Tailoring Black Style pic.twitter.com/jl29S9trJD
— LJ (@___LJay__) October 10, 2024
The Superfine: Tailoring Black Style exhibition itself will present historical and contemporary garments alongside prints, paintings, photographs, and films, offering a rich exploration of Black fashion from the 18th century to today. Designers from both the US and Europe will showcase their work, demonstrating how style has been instrumental in shaping and expressing Black identity and experience. Visitors will see the evolution of the Black dandy, a figure who used clothing not only as a form of self-expression but as a way to challenge social hierarchies.
Black dandyism began as a way for both free and enslaved Black men in 18th-century Europe to signal status through clothing, often imposed on them by slaveholders. Over time, this practice became a powerful tool for subverting social expectations. Monica L. Miller, who serves as guest curator for the exhibition, notes how Black people have used fashion to shift power dynamics: “Dandyism has long served as a vehicle through which one can manipulate the relationship between clothing, identity, and power.”
The Gala’s theme is a significant step toward inclusivity and diversity at the Met, addressing long-standing biases within the museum’s curatorial practices. According to Andrew Bolton, head curator of the Anna Wintour Costume Center, this focus on Black dandyism is a reflection of the museum’s commitment to celebrating the contributions of Black men to fashion history.
[via Billboard, BuzzFeed, Harper’s Bazaar, image via The Metropolitan Museum of Art (for press use)]
