Style, Symbolism, and Missed Opportunities: A Review Of The 2025 Met Gala

Arielle Sam-Alao
12 hours ago
4 min read

To some, the Met Gala is just an excessive and extravagant party. But this year, it signified something much deeper. Held annually to raise funds for the Costume Institute, the only self-funded department of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Met Gala, hosted by Vogue, marks the opening of the Institute’s new exhibition. This year’s gala raised a record-breaking $31 million through the purchase of seats and tables.

Each exhibition has a different theme, with the gala having a dress code that closely reflects it. Previous themes have included Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination in 2018. The following year saw Camp: Notes on Fashion, and, last year, there was Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion. This year’s theme, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, was inspired by Monica L. Miller’s seminal book Slaves to Fashion, which explores the figure of the Black dandy as a symbol of resistance and reinvention amidst systems of oppression.

Traditionally, a dandy is a man devoted to flamboyance, elegance, and impeccable style and is historically linked to upper-class white men, such as Oscar Wilde, whose The Picture of Dorian Gray is often considered a dandy manifesto. In the context of Black history, dandyism takes on an entirely different meaning. During the transatlantic slave trade, clothing was used to strip enslaved people of their identity. Standardised garments were issued to strip individuality, while in some cases, enslaved people were dressed in fine clothing to reflect the wealth and social standing of their enslavers.

Black dandyism is not just about fashion or about looking good; its deeply intellectual and political. In an era that denied black men the right to exist, a tailored suit became a form of protest. As Miller writes, the Black dandy transforms, “from a costumed object designed to trumpet the wealth, status, and power of white masters to a self-styled subject who uses immaculate clothing to announce their often-controversial presence.” It is about reimagining freedom and reclaiming identity. Seminal figures of this movement — such as Olaudah Equiano, Frederick Douglass, and W.E.B. Du Bois — used style as a form of self-fashioning and resistance.

This year's exhibition highlighted key figures who embodied this spirit: Prince; André Leon Talley; and Virgil Abloh. Prince’s androgynous, boundary-defying style challenged conventional gender norms and respectability politics around Black masculinity. Talley, an iconic Vogue editor, was a trailblazer in the industry during a time that often sidelined Black talent. His commanding presence, with his flowing kaftans and regal suits, inspired much of the exhibit. Abloh, the first Black creative director at Louis Vuitton Menswear, revolutionised fashion by bridging streetwear and luxury.

Curator Andrew Bolton told Vogue that Miller’s work offers "a vision defined inclusively not in terms of opposition, where what transpires is a story of liberation." Although this year's focus was largely on African-American figures, the Black dandy is a global phenomenon, present wherever Blackness exists. Consider, the Congolese Sapeuers who used European fashion as a way to reclaim power in the colonial era. Or in Nigeria where tailoring is central to social performance and status. Black dandyism can also be traced through cultural movements and traditions: from the Harlem Renaissance to the Civil Rights era, all the way to modern hip-hop’s fusion of music and fashion.

The exhibition’s title, Superfine, is drawn from a line in Equiano’s Interesting Narrative, and the show itself was structured around twelve core characteristics of dandyism: Ownership, Presence, Distinction, Disguise, Freedom, Champion, Respectability, Jook, Heritage, Beauty, Cool, and Cosmopolitanism. One friend described the exhibition's soundtrack and atmosphere as "whimsical. Like stepping into a surreal fairytale world."

To many observers, the Gala itself fell flat when it came to honouring the dress code and the spirit of the exhibition. The Dress Code requiring outfits 'Tailored For You' invited guests to reinvent the traditional suit but also had some broader allowances, allowing guests to incorporate personal style or items of black fashion history.

Guests such as Kendall Jenner and Rihanna perfectly encapsulated the theme for me. Kendall’s custom Torishèju suit-dress, whilst boring at first glance, spotlighted an independent black designer, which for me is at the centre of dandyism. Queen of the Met, Rihanna, whose partner A$AP Rock co-chaired the event, wore a custom Marc Jacobs look, which cleverly reimagined the classic pinstripe suit. Some other notable looks were Lauryn Hill, Colman Domingo, Damson Idris, Teyana Taylor, Hunter Schafer, and Whoopie Goldberg. In contrast, some guests interpreted the code in its most literal sense, wearing plain black suits or plain black dresses. Although ethereal in her Miu Miu gown, Sydney Sweeney chose to reference Kim Novak and promote her upcoming film rather than engage with or contribute to the conversation around Black style.

Whilst this Met was undeniably significant, the lack of engagement from some of the guests still shows how far the fashion industry has to go in terms of diversity. Especially in an era where body diversity is decreasing, and new creative directors are increasingly white and male.

All Images Courtesy of Arielle Sam-Alao.

Written by Arielle Sam-Alao.

Edited by Daisy Packwood, Fashion Editor.