The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York hosted hundreds of celebrities on Monday night for the 2025 Met Gala. This year’s theme was Black dandyism.
I watched Vogue’s entire two hour and 47 minute livestream on YouTube, and I was locked in the whole time. Alternating from the view of the red carpet (actually a deep blue color) to short interviews of the guest, the livestream did not bore me at all.
Lala Anthony, Teyena Taylor, and Ego Nwodim hosted the livestream, interviewing some guests before or after they walked the carpet.
The night opened with a performance of Ain’t No Mountain High Enough by an all black male choir, then showed interviews with Pharrell, one of this year’s co-chairs, and Anna Wintour, the main organizer and co-chair.
In the words of fashion designer Law Roach, the entire event felt like a “family reunion”. Most of the interviews felt like old friends chopping it up, everyone hyping each other up and having a good time. Teyana Taylor seemed to know everyone she talked to and every other person seemed to be from Harlem.
But, watching the interviews I couldn’t help but notice a stark difference between the Black guests and most of the others.
I did not fully grasp the meaning of the Black dandyism concept until I did some research after the livestream. I gathered that being true to one’s self is a large part of what it is to be a dandy. Introduced in 18th century England, dandyism originated as something forced upon Black males to be made into “luxury slaves.” Later black men adopted the style as a way to rebel against societal norms. Black people redefined dandyism into a culture and way of life that allowed people to express themselves with refined tailoring and meticulous dressing.
Black Dandyism was the theme of the Costume Institute’s exhibition, based on the book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity by Monica L. Miller.
A large quantity of the non Black guests completely ignored the Black history aspect of this year’s Met Gala, opting to interpret the theme as what it means to be true to one’s self. In retrospect, I see how this theme would make it difficult for non Black people. How do you follow the theme without crossing the line into cultural appropriation?
To be clear, the official theme was not Black dandyism, but “Tailored to You”, inspired by the mens tailored suits of dandyism. Many guests chose to interpret the theme simply as tailored menswear with an incorporation of their own personal style (although a lot of people also ignored the menswear aspect).
While learning about Black dandyism, my mind kept returning to Spike Lee’s Malcolm X, and zoot suits. Zoot suits were a trend of long jackets, padded shoulders, and flare pants popularized by Black men in Harlem in the 1930s. The Harlem Renaissance was the driving factor in creating the black dandy. During this era, black men in Harlem, New York redesigned what the concept meant. This included people like Malcolm X, James Baldwin, Cab Calloway, and so many others.
A particular dandy, André Leon Talley, played a large part in inspiring Monday’s theme. Talley was a prominent figure in the fashion industry and a good friend of Anna Wintour until his death in 2022. This year’s Met Gala was essentially a love letter from Wintour to Talley, as he was the inspiration for the planning of the exhibit and the gala. Thanks to Talley and so many others, this was the most important and powerful Met Galas yet.
And the looks did not disappoint. My favorites were from Ayo Edibiri, Zendaya, Lewis Hamilton, Damson Idris, Lupita, Angelou Bassett, Chance, the Rapper, Lauryn Hill, and Tracey Ellis Ross, just to name a few.
André 3000 walked the carpet for the first time since 2008, and had an entire baby grand piano strapped to his back. Just before stepping onto the carpet, he released a seven track piano project that he recorded nearly a decade ago.
Diana Ross’s entrance near the beginning of the livestream put everyone in awe. With a great white train that was embroidered with the names of her kids and grandkids and took nearly seven men to manage, Ross walked the carpet for the first time since 2003.
Lauryn Hill attended the event for the first time in a butter yellow suit. This year’s theme brought everyone out.
Although celebration of Black identity and history should be regular and normalized in the fashion industry, this year’s Met Gala was an excellent display of appreciation for Black fashion and culture. The attention and energy generated from Monday night goes to show how important Black representation is.
