THE Met Gala kicked off Monday evening with celebrities lining the red carpet to show their jaw-dropping outfits.
The gala returns to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to raise money for the museum’s Costume Institute and kick off the institute’s annual exhibition.
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This year’s theme for one of the biggest nights in fashion is Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.
The historic theme exclusively highlights black designers and will focus on menswear, a significant departure from the typical gown-centric themes of the past two decades.
Designers will draw heavily on black dandyism, which is rooted in the reinvention and assertion of identity through fashion.
“Historically, the term ‘dandy’ was used to describe someone—often a man—who is extremely devoted to style and approaches it as a discipline,” the exhibit’s description reads.
READ MORE ON THE MET GALA
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“Dandyism was initially imposed on Black men in 18th-century Europe as the Atlantic slave trade and an emerging culture of consumerism created a trend of fashionably dressed, or dandified, servants.
“Dandyism offered Black people an opportunity to use clothing, gesture, irony, and wit to transform their given identities and imagine new ways of embodying political and social possibilities.”
Curator in Charge Andrew Bolton was inspired by guest curator Monica Miller’s book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity for this year’s theme.
“Black style is really related to thinking about how fashion and power connect,” Miller told Vogue.
Pharrell Williams, Lewis Hamilton, Colman Domingo, and A$AP Rocky will co-chair the event.
Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour will return for her 25th year at the helm of the event since taking over in 1999.
Wintour has long been rumored to have to approve every single guest’s outfit, but she denied that in an interview with Good Morning America.
In the interview, Michael Strahan asked her point-blank if attendees needed her approval before they arrived on the carpet.
“No,” she replied with a laugh.
“Many call and ask for our advice, so we try and help some of them as best we can. Some, I have no idea.”
Superfine: Tailoring Black Style — 2025 Met Gala’s theme explained
This year’s Met Gala theme Superfine: Tailoring Black Style was announced on October 9, 2024, but what does it mean?
It is inspired by a new exhibit at the Costume Institute that focuses on Black style, notably Black dandyism from the 18th century through to its resurgence in the 1920s and 30s in the Harlem Renaissance and its influence on present day.
Dandyism speaks to elegant and often excessive fashion used for self-expression that often breaks norms and can be seen as a form of rebellion.
Attendees have been told that the dress code is “Tailored for you” and that the theme explores how fashion has been used to both enslave and liberate.
It is inspired by the book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism And The Styling Of Black Diasporic Identity (2009), written by professor and chair of Africana studies at Barnard College, Monica L Miller.
This exhibition marks a significant step in diversifying the Met’s collections and addressing historical biases in curatorial practices.
Andrew Bolton, the Curator in Charge, emphasized the importance of making fashion at The Met more accessible and inclusive.
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A-LIST ARRIVES
Attendees began walking the runway around 5 pm with the official red carpet coverage expected to start at 5:30 pm.
Anticipated attendees include A-listers Simone Biles, Angel Reese, Spike Lee, Regina King, Audra McDonald, Jeremy Pope, and Janelle Monáe.
Influencer Emma Chamberlin will be a special correspondent for Vogue on the red carpet and was one of the first to be photographed with her suit-like Courrèges gown.
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La La Anthony, musician Teyana Taylor, and SNL cast member Ego Nwodim also arrived early on the carpet as they’re all set to host Vogue’s 2025 red carpet livestream.
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NO SHOWS
Despite the slew of attendees, some notable guests will not be attending the fundraiser.
Naomi Campbell posted on Instagram that she would miss out on the glamorous event, despite being invited and attending last year’s event.
“Congratulations to Anna Wintour, the brilliant designers, the dedicated Met Gala team, and stunning attendees of tonight’s extraordinary celebration,” the 54-year-old supermodel posted.
“I have to say, what perfect timing for the ‘Superfine: Tailoring Black Style’ theme.
How do you get an invite to the Met Gala?
The Met Gala is one of the biggest fashion nights of the year but not everyone gets to attend the annual fundraiser – so, how do you get an invite to the exclusive event?
Invites to the charity event for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute are rare and they do not let you get in for free.
According to the New York Times, they cost $75,000 while tables are priced at $350,000 – and all attendees have to be approved by Vogue’s editor in chief Anna Wintour.
So, the majority of guests are invited by major fashion houses and organisations with celebrities usually able to attend for free on behalf of brands who will foot the bill.
Designers like Gucci, Prada, and Louis Vuitton will usually buy tables and fill them up with A-listers from Hollywood, sports, art, and social media.
Many who get invites are brand ambassadors, major figures for hot campaigns, or stars that companies want to be linked to.
Social media stars are most likely to be invited by major platforms like Meta and Instagram, bringing in TikTok stars and other huge celebrities – but everyone needs to be over the age of 18.
Ultimately, anyone with a major platform who it willing to pay the price of a table and who is approved by Vogue’s chief will be able to attend.
Those who are not part of the elite may also be able to get their way into to exclusive event via volunteering and work.
Jobs or internships in production, public relations, catering, communications, media, and in the museum could also secure you a space behind the scenes at the Gala.
“It really celebrates how Black dandyism has shaped fashion and how fashion has been a way for Black people to express who they are and claim their power.”
The model said she would be there “in spirit,” and honored late fashion icon André Leon Talley, who served as the editor-at-large at Vogue before he died in 2022.
“His commanding presence, vision and belief that fashion is art helped shape what the Met Gala is presenting tonight,” she wrote.
“I can’t wait to see how everyone mixes African and European style traditions on those famous steps tonight! The creativity will be amazing.”
Lakers star LeBron James, who also serves as the event’s honorary co-chair, also announced he will be missing fashion’s biggest night due to a recent injury.
“Unfortunately because of my knee injury I sustained at the end of the season I won’t be able to attend the Met Gala in NY tonight as so many people have been asking and congratulating me on,” he wrote on Instagram.
“Hate to miss an historical event! My beautiful, powerful Queen will be there holding the castle down as she always has done,” he added, mentioning his wife, Savannah James.
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In a move not so Carrie-Bradshaw-like, Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker will also not attend the Met Gala this year.
“I have to work,” she told Entertainment Tonight on May 2.
“But there’s going to be so much to see, and I look forward to seeing what everybody does, and how they interpret the theme and the homework they did for the assignment.”
Actress and pop star Jennifer Lopez is also reportedly not attending the event as she is busy shooting her new film Office Romance, The Daily Mail reported.
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