April has now arrived and there are many design enthusiasts, especially in the fashion area, who eagerly await a new edition of what we can now define as the most famous and anticipated carpet (with scale) of the year: that of the Met Gala .
What is the Met Gala
The Met Gala, also called “ Costume Institute Gala “, was born way back in 1948 as a simple fundraiser, transforming in the following decades into a real show for which, today, celebrities “challenge” each other in couture, dressed by the best designers around, who are called upon each time to follow a specific theme dictated by the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
The theme of the Met Gala 2025: Superfine – Tailoring Black Style
Like every year, not taking into account the years 2000, 2002 and the “time gap” caused by the covid pandemic, the brand new and highly anticipated edition of the Met Gala will be held on the first Monday in May, this 2025 with the theme: “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” .
Since 2003, with the title “Men in skirts”, the spotlight had not been placed on purely male fashion, but we are now ready to do so with this edition entirely dedicated to the Black Dandy. After dark times of marginalization and racism, the black community finds an authoritative space in elegance and fashion to affirm its identity.
We especially talk about the important role that, between the 18th and 19th centuries, black men, increasingly distant from slavery, played, starting to use clothing as an instrument of freedom and rebellion.
To the detriment of femininity and imposing dresses with trains, we will probably have to expect extravagant and multiple jacket and trouser suits, typical of the men’s wardrobe, on the famous carpet of the new edition.
From the origins to the seventies
The post-World War II period opens with entire states destroyed and tired, which must rebuild every piece of a crucially demolished society. During the war the fashion sector certainly had no space, for obvious questions of morality and economics.
The further we move away from the famous 1945, the year that marks the end of that terrible world conflict, the more glimmers of light become visible. Men and women want to start again, to feel free, carefree, alive and fashion easily captures these feelings: first with Dior in Paris , who with the “New Look” restored and relaunched French high fashion, and then, among others, with Eleanor Lambert , an American publicist, who in 1948 conceived the first Met Gala.
The origins of the Gala
It was an elegant dinner costing 50 dollars, designed to raise funds for the newly founded Costume Institute of the Met (Metropolitan Museum of Art), where prominent figures from New York high society and fashion attended.
The Met Gala maintained this dynamic until 1972, when Diana Vreeland director of Vogue since 1962 became technical consultant of the Costume Institute and increased the fame of the event by introducing specific themes for each subsequent edition, making the occasion an increasingly precious ritual, a showcase for designers and celebrities, where fashionand art come together in unique stories, narrated by the themed clothes.
Anna Wintour and the modern twist of the Met Gala
The current director of American Vogue, the well-known Anna Wintour , has taken over the coordination of the event since 1995, transforming Diana Vreeland’s model into a truly unparalleled show, where the guests are selected exclusively by herself, taking into account their relevance within different sectors, including fashion, art and entertainment.
The Met Gala in the contemporary era
Anna Wintour’s Met Gala, with tickets costing up to 50,000 dollars, has now become a colossus of international scope, where stylists and celebrities compete for the invitation to exhibit extraordinary dresses and looks on the theme, future iconic shots of modern culture.
Even the dinner following the carpet is taken care of down to the smallest detail and includes shows where some celebrities involved in the event are called to perform in a noteworthy ‘private performance’: we remember, for example, Madonna in 2018 and Ariana Grande in 2024 .
Memorable themes by Wintour
The themes chosen by Anna Wintour are all linked to highly relevant fashion issues, clearly intertwined with prominent social and cultural issues.
We remind:
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Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty (2011)
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Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and Catholic Imagination (2018)
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Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion (2024)
The co-chairs of the 2025 edition
For each Met Gala some “co-chairs” are chosen, usually four co-presidents who support Anna Wintour.
This 5 May 2025 , the following will fill this role:
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Pharrell Williams , male singer, producer and creative director of Louis Vuitton
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A$AP Rocky , rapper
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Lewis Hamilton , driver
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Colman Domingo , actor
All chosen for their influence and importance in explaining the concept of Black Dandy as a lifestyle on a daily basis.
Let’s not forget LeBron James (from the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team), who was entrusted with the role of honorary president .
Legendary looks and iconic moments
Famous co-chairs of the past
We remember, among the various co-chairs of past years:
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Lady Gaga (2019) , arrived on the carpet with four extravagant looks worn “onion” and created by Brandon Maxwell
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Rihanna (2018) in the High Priestess version, dressed by Margiela by John Galliano
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Blake Lively (2022) with a couture dress by Atelier Versace, inspired by the main monuments of New York and transformable during the passage on the red carpet
The work of the fashion houses: the art behind every creation
Let’s pause for a moment on these last written lines. Let us try to understand how incredible the work carried out by the fashion Maisons is for this highly anticipated event, how many hands were involved in the creation of these “high fashion” works of art, complex in workmanship and rich in extraordinary details, embroidery and applications.
Let’s think about the concepts created by each of these companies, to follow the indicated theme and translate it with a unique, innovative and precious vision, always rich in cultural and historical references.
In this regard, we cannot exclude the story of the yellow cloak worn by Rihanna in 2015 , a garment that became an icon from the first moment, a garment that appeared on social media in every variant in the form of memes and parody, a garment that crowned the singer as queen of the Met.
The cloak, signed by the Chinese designer Guo Pei and used for the themed edition China: Through the Looking Glass , is clearly inspired by Chinese tradition, weighs more than 25 kilos and, from what is reported, was built and embroidered by hand in almost two years.
The Met Gala as a reflection of contemporary society and culture
The Met Gala allows us to dream, to observe infinite testimonies of High Fashion , all concentrated in a single evening.
It is the tangible demonstration of how powerful this sector is and how much it represents a perpetual mirror of our society, of its changes, tastes and interests.
Now we just have to wait with bated breath for the new edition, which – given the theme – leads us to think that the carpet will be invaded by elegant and colorful haute couture men’s suits.
Will it be like this?
