The dress code for the 2025 Met Gala has been revealed and attendees are expected to be suited and booted.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art‘s Costume Institute announced Tuesday that this year’s “Tailored for You” theme ties into the upcoming exhibit, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” which explores Black dandyism.
Inspired by Monica L. Miller’s 2009 book, “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity,” the exhibition — the first to focus on menswear since 2003 — will include clothing, photographs, fine art, historical texts and artifacts.
“Dandyism can seem frivolous, but it often poses a challenge to or a transcendence of social and cultural hierarchies,” Miller, who serves as a guest curator, said in today’s announcement. “It asks questions about identity, representation, and mobility in relation to race, class, gender, sexuality, and power. This exhibition explores dandyism as both a pronouncement and a provocation.”
A man known for stressing the importance of his physical appearance and personal grooming was considered a dandy in Britain during the late 18th century. Black dandyism, according to Miller, dates back to “luxury slaves” who tweaked and reworked their uniforms, becoming known for their unique style and sometimes flamboyant personalities.
“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,” the Met stated.
Also announced Tuesday were a barrage of celebrity notables from the worlds of fashion, sports, theater, film and other industries have been tapped to join previously announced gala hosts Colman Domingo, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams, LeBron James, Lewis Hamilton, and Vogue magazine editor Anna Wintour.
Oscar winning filmmaker Spike Lee, Tony Award-winner Audra McDonald and fashion trailblazer Dapper Dan are among the members of the host committee, alongside Grammy-winning rappers Doechii and Andre 3000, acclaimed playwrights Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and Jeremy O. Harris, author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, actresses Regina King and Ayo Edebiri and musicians Usher, Janelle Monáe and Tyla.
Sports figures Simone Biles and her husband Jonathan Owens, Angel Reese and Sha’Carri Richardson are also on board for the star-studded fundraiser for fashion’s biggest night.
The 2025 Met Gala, which typically occurs the first Monday in May is slated this year for May 5.