Since 1948, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has hosted the Met Gala to raise money for the museum’s Costume Institute. At its start, the Met Gala was a midnight dinner attended by New York socialites. Today, the Met Gala serves as one of the biggest nights for fashion, hosting the world’s most popular celebrities, musicians, athletes, models and designers.
The event has changed drastically since its early days, mainly due to Vogue’s influence in the planning and execution of the gala. Anna Wintour, American Vogue’s editor-in-chief, has overseen the event since 1995 and has been responsible for the star-studded guest list every year since. Alongside inviting the most popular faces in pop culture, Vogue’s influence in the Met Gala has led to the event becoming a night of themed fashion.
This year’s theme was “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” which was largely inspired by Monica L. Miller’s book, “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.” As always, the museum will hold a display related to this year’s theme. The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s exhibition will be presented in 12 sections to showcase the history of dandy style: Ownership, Presence, Distinction, Disguise, Freedom, Champion, Respectability, Jook (defined as a space for dance, drinking and other leisure activities in Zora Neale Hurston’s “Characteristics of Negro Expression”), Heritage, Beauty, Cool and Cosmopolitan.
This year’s co-chairs were Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams and Wintour. LeBron James served as an honorary chair for the 2025 Met Gala, as well. This year the Met Gala also saw a host committee. Those a part of this committee included André 3000, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Jordan Casteel, Dapper Dan, Doechii, Ayo Edebiri, Edward Enninful, Jeremy O. Harris, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Rashid Johnson, Spike Lee, Tonya Lewis Lee, Audra McDonald, Janelle Monáe, Jeremy Pope, Angel Reese, Sha’Carri Richardson, Tyla, Usher and Kara Walker.
As an ode to the exhibition’s theme, the dress code for this gala was “Tailored For You” as a way to pay homage to the museum’s display of menswear and suiting. The going-ons of the Met Gala were kept under wraps, per usual, but the night consisted of dinner, a high-profile performance or two and time dedicated to exploring the museum’s exhibit.
As always, the Met Gala brought out all of the stars. Those in attendance on May 5 included Rihanna, Colman Domingo, Ego Nwodim, Zendaya, Law Roach, Anok Yai, Sabrina Carpenter, Keke Palmer, Kim Kardashian and Chappel Roan.
