From Congo’s Sapeurs to Harlem’s haute couture swagger to the Black church’s Sunday Best, Black elegance and style have long shaped the fabric of global fashion.
On the first Monday of May, the Met Gala put Black tailoring and expression on a pedestal in “SUPERFINE”—raising a record-breaking $31 million and making it the most successful fundraiser in the event’s 77-year history.
The 2025 Met Gala was a masterclass in reverence and revenue, celebrating over 300 years of Black fashion and dandyism. It honored Blackness and marked a milestone for the Costume Institute with its first menswear-focused exhibition in over two decades. Co-curated by Andrew Bolton and scholar Monica L. Miller — drawing from her seminal book “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity” — the exhibition traced the evolution of Black sartorial expression from the 18th century to today. It explored how Black individuals have used fashion — especially tailoring and suiting — as tools of resistance, self-definition and cultural power across the Atlantic diaspora.
This year’s co-chairs — Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, Pharrell Williams, A$AP Rocky and honorary chair LeBron James — welcomed a guest list spanned fashion, art, music, film, literature, sports and tech. Each arrived adorned in meticulously crafted looks echoing the evening’s theme, “Tailored For You.”
The night’s standouts were nothing short of iconic. Mama Supreme, Diana Ross, stopped time as she ascended the Metropolitan Museum’s storied steps in an ensemble with an 18-foot train engraved with the names of her children and grandchildren.
“It has the names of all my children and my eight grandchildren,” Ross said.
The look was a collaboration between designer Ugo Mozie and her son, Evan Ross.
Teyana Taylor, styled by Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter, stunned in a modern rendition of the zoot suit — complete with a red feathered top hat and a dramatic, jewel-festooned cape. The look paid homage to Harlem’s rich sartorial history and Taylor’s growing legacy as a cultural storyteller who effortlessly weaves history and futurism through fashion.
Lauryn Hill made her long-awaited debut in a butter-yellow suit featuring an exaggerated cape, white button-down, burgundy tie, amber pendant, oversized sunglasses and a matching umbrella — radiant and regal.
Zendaya, the Met Gala’s unofficial princess, rocked an all-white Louis Vuitton zoot suit by Pharrell Williams. Jodie Turner-Smith honored Belle Époque equestrian Selika Lazevski in a custom burgundy leather Burberry look topped with a towering maroon Esenshel hat by Rodney Patterson — an architectural feat in itself. Meanwhile, Doechii, Cardi B. and Nicki Minaj made the best-dressed list, fusing glam with Black girl genius.
Couples lit up the red carpet: Halle Berry and Van Hunt returned in high style; Ciara and Russell Wilson shut it down; Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens owned their moment; Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade delivered, as always; Bryonna and Jalen Hurts dazzled in their Met debut as newlyweds; and Rihanna and A$AP Rocky revealed their third child in a stunning Marc Jacobs ensemble.
Still, it was the men who redefined the night’s legacy.
Dapper Dan brought us home to Africa in a self-designed, fine-tailored zoot suit emblazoned with the Sankofa bird. Lewis Hamilton lit the runway in an ivory tuxedo by Grace Wales Bonner, accented with cowrie shells and a nod to jazz legend Cab Calloway. Colman Domingo honored Chadwick Boseman and André Leon Talley in a Valentino masterpiece with a dramatic cape and wide-leg trousers. Actor Damson Idris made a cinematic entrance in a crystal-studded white racing suit by Tommy Hilfiger before revealing a rouge tuxedo with red and gold tartan, accessorized with a bespoke emerald brooch and pieces from his jewelry line, DIDRIS.
As always, the world profited from the beauty, boldness and brilliance of Black expression.
The exhibition, which opened May 10 and runs through October 26, 2025, showcases 51 contemporary runway-debuted looks from influential Black designers and collaborators — including Virgil Abloh, Olivier Rousteing, Bianca Saunders, Grace Wales Bonner and Pharrell Williams. These are displayed alongside historical garments, paintings and immersive installations, organized into twelve thematic sections: Ownership, Presence, Distinction, Disguise, Freedom, Champion, Respectability, Jook, Heritage, Beauty, Cool and Cosmopolitanism.
Housed in the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Exhibition Hall (Gallery 999) at The Met Fifth Avenue, the exhibition reminds us that beneath the sequins and spectacle lies an enduring truth in a new tuxedo:
Black culture isn’t just inspiration — it’s capital.
Tasha Jones is a poet, writer, researcher, and educator whose work explores language as a tool for liberation and resistance. She hosts In the Beginning: The Spoken Word Podcast, the #1 spoken word podcast on Apple and Spotify. Tasha is also the Poems & Parables Literary Journal editor and is currently writing Pyramids. Plantations. Projects. Penitentiaries. You can follow her on social media: @iamtashajones, @itbspokenwordpod, and @poemsandparables.
