The Met Gala Looks Worth Talking About
BY
Joan Summers | May 06, 2025
Generally, I like to wax poetic about some broader philosophical musing on life, fashion, history, art and the meaning of anything when a red carpet rolls around. But for a night like the Met Gala, more than any other night in the fashion calendar, such trite offerings are best ignored. After all, it’s the one night a year I can count on the fashion to literally speak for itself.
On the stunningly blue steps of the Met paraded a whole host of looks inspired by the year’s theme, "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style," inspired by Monica L. Miller’s 2009 book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity. As always, some took the theme more on the nose, playing around in the dandy sandbox, while others utilized the skills of Black creative directors, stylists, designers and more to create their outfits.
Below you’ll find the very best the night had to offer. With so many to talk about, and so much to get through, I’ve done my best to keep things both expansive and brief. Shall we?
Diana Ross
Diana made the statement of the decade after 22 years away from the Met Gala. In a dress she designed in collaboration with her son Evan Ross and Nigerian designer Ugo Mozie, Ross’s fabulosity carries a much deeper significance. Down the 18-foot train are the embroidered names of her children and grandchildren, including fellow attendee Tracee Ellis Ross.
Tracee Ellis Ross
Speaking of statement hats and and stunt tailoring, here’s Tracee in Marc Jacobs. The pops of mahogany were, to me, a deeply impactful nod to her mother’s own legacy with Mahogany.
Colman Domingo
The legacy of André Leon Talley has been spoken of much tonight, as it will be tomorrow and for the rest of fashion history itself. No more literal statement on it was made, however, than Colman Domingo’s dramatic blue Valentino cape, honoring Talley’s signature look. On Vogue’s livestream, he told Ego Nwodim and Teyana Taylor: “A free slave wanted to wear his finest blue, superfine wool suit. It gives you choir, it gives you king, all those moments."
Zendaya
For a night about the lineage of Black style and tailoring, all eyes were turned to Law Roach and Zendaya, themselves masters of this very form. On just about any carpet, expect that Zendaya is stitched into a dress within an inch of her life, and tonight’s Louis Vuitton look is no exception. To say it is impeccable is an understatement. It is, without a doubt, among the most beautiful suits I’ve ever seen.
Lewis Hamilton
One of the strongest showings tonight was courtesy of Wales Bonner, with co-chair Lewis Hamilton showing up alongside Colman Domingo and Anna Wintour in a stunning cream ensemble. It’s no wonder he was selected as co-chair, having himself pioneered eccentricity and individualism on the F1 circuit. Simply put, he became a worldwide phenomenon not just for his racing skills, but singular fashion sensibility that completely transformed the sport and its reputation forever. I had high hopes for his night at the Met, and he succeeded them by far. As he wrote on Instagram: “This year's theme speaks to royalty, spirituality, and the sacred power of adornment. Materials like ivory and cowrie aren't just beautiful — they carry ancestral memory. They are markers of identity, protection, and reverence.”
Rihanna
What a way to reveal a pregnancy, peacocking in Marc Jacobs at the Met!
Tessa Thompson
I always look forward to Tessa at the Met, and her Prabal Gurung ensemble did not disappoint. The detail of the night went to her church fan, however, emblazoned with the face of the late, great, incomparable André Leon Talley. It's a sign of immense reverence, and one I’ll be thinking about still come morning.
Ugbad Abdi
Speaking of Prabal Gurung, model Ugbad Abdi wore one of my favorite looks from the night. The shimmer on this coat is out of this world, and its been tailored within an inch of its life. The pop of the pinstripes and the extraordinary use of silver and grey brings much needed contrast on a night filled with variations on black and white.
Myha’la
Breakout Industry star Myha’la attended the Met with designer Raul Lopez, the genius behind Luar. Playing on the theme of tailoring, they enlisted the help of Timberland for custom shoes inspired by paintings Lopez found of Black residents of Tudor England. Besides that, I love how clearly constructed the dress is, with eyelets and blanket stitching.
Janelle Monáe
I was most curious about Monáe’s look tonight, as her pioneering use of dandyism in her artistic DNA helped define her as a breakout star back in the day. This look, courtesy of Thom Browne, was designed in collaboration with Oscar-winning costume designer Paul Tazewell. What makes this moment so major is the fact that Tazewell just won an Oscar for Best Costume Design on Wicked, making him the first Black man to ever do so, let alone openly gay Black man. I’ll let his acceptance speech that night speak for itself.
Jeremy O. Harris
Playwright, actor, writer, and now, clear frontrunner on the Met Gala’s 2025 carpet. What can’t Jeremy O. Harris do? I particularly loved this detail in Town & Country from an interview with his jewelry designer Benjamin Hawkins, who explained the portrait in the Faberge egg-like ring: “The engraving under the enamel references Frederick Douglas’s cane, and the portrait of Jeremy features him in 19th-century attire wearing a silver collar and a pearl earring.”
Ayo Edebiri
Thank god for Ferragamo creative director Maximilian Davis, the beautiful mind behind Edebiri’s knockout look from the night. As she told Vogue, the inspiration for the look came from her dad: “He's one of the dandiest men I know, whether he’s power-clashing to go to the office, or in traditional Edo clothes at the Emmys with me. He got married to my mom in leather trousers and tuxedo tails, which is pretty iconic.”
Jodie Turner-Smith
I was literally at a loss for words when Jodie Turner-Smith showed up and literally shut the gala down. Then I saw Law Roach’s credit as the Burberry architect for the night come rolling through my inbox, and my sudden shortness of breath made complete sense. It didn’t cure me, but at least I know Roach is to blame for the second time tonight.
Cardi B
And just like that, Law Roach and Burberry did it again. The whole Burberry table was spectacular, but Cardi and Jodie were the clear standouts in their respective suits. I read in Elle that Prince was on the reference board for Roach’s own look, but it's clear in the ruffled collar and sleeves that the same could be said for Cardi B. Wow! I don’t think I’ll ever forget this.
André 3000
Another Law Roach classic! The piano on the back is instant iconography, as is the trash bag. As he told GQ of the look: “It wasn’t like we said, 'Okay, we got to check these boxes to find this dandy thing to do.' My understanding of dandyism is your own personal outburst in fashion, or your own exclamation point on fashion. You don’t really have to try for it if it’s something that you are doing.”
Teyana Taylor
Teyana Taylor wore Marc Jacobs in collaboration with Ruth E. Carter, legendary Black costume designer behind films like Malcolm X, Amistad, Black Panther, B*A*P*S, and most recently, Sinners. The legacy behind the look made it absolutely worth mentioning.
Photos via Getty Images
