At Last, The Met Gala Bows to Black Style

It is the first Monday of May, and the Met Gala, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is back. The theme of the ball, for the first time in its 77-year history, is dedicated to Black style: 바카라�Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.바카라� Monica Miller, professor and chair of Africana Studies at Barnard College, is guest curating the 2025 show.

Inspired by her book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity (2009), both the Met Ball and the annual exhibition at the Costume Institute will trace the lineage and significance of Black style spanning over 300 years through the concept of 바카라�Dandyism.바카라�

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This year바카라�s theme will focus on menswear, adding further edge to the event, as it marks only the second time the Met Gala centres on menswear. The first time was in 2003, with the theme 바카라�Bravehearts: Men in Skirts.바카라� The focus on menswear returns to the red carpet after more than two decades, which is refreshing because, no matter the theme, women are the ones most often subjected to criticism when it comes to fashion. More often than not, they are also objectified바카라�like Kim Kardashian at the 2019 Met Gala, when she wore the 바카라�water dress바카라� designed by Thierry Mugler to resemble a "California girl stepping out of the ocean."

The 2025 theme also seems timely because misogyny is on the rise, gender politics are regressing with the reinforcement of binary identities, and more women are choosing to stay without partners.

But this is no usual menswear collection바카라�Dandyism is about subversion and breaking boundaries, including those of gender. Black men바카라�s fashion has often been considered effeminate, while their physique is viewed on the other end of the spectrum, such as LeBron James on the cover of Vogue in 2008 with Gisele Bündchen, which many critics believed resembled King Kong. In an interview with The Guardian, Miller said, 바카라�The style (Dandyism) challenges social hierarchies by subverting expectations of how Black men should present themselves.바카라�

Black fashion has historically been considered 바카라�queer바카라� irrespective of their sexuality. In her documentary film, Paris Is Burning (1990), director Jennie Livingston, followed the 바카라�Ball바카라� subculture of Black people who would get together in underground locations to celebrate their 바카라�queerness바카라� through extravagant style: loose-fitting power suits like CEOs and multimillionaires, puffed sleeves, feather boas, glitter, all of this in bold colours like neon pink, bright yellow, midnight blue accompanied by makeup highlighting their full lips, thick eyeliner and sparkly eyeshadows in gold and silver. People would competitively engage in 바카라�voguing바카라� (dramatic catwalking) and 바카라�shading바카라� (subtle but sharp insults and criticisms) with the intent to declare they have outdone the others in terms of fashion for that night. The subculture thrived in America during the 1970s and 1980s, inspired by the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s.

A dandy is a man who focuses overtly on dressing well and physical appearance. The concept has been around since the 18th century across all cultures and races but Miller used the concept to specifically understand the importance of clothing for the assertion of self and identity negotiation for Black people throughout history바카라�from slavery and colonialism, through Harlem Renaissance and the civil rights movement of the 1960s, to the 21st century, where oppression and dehumanising stereotypes persist. For Black people, their bodies have been commodified since time immemorial; under those circumstances, dressing for themselves was also an act of rebellion.

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Before the 1960s, Black people would often try to straighten their naturally curly hair to mimic white people and fit into the European beauty standards, which looked down upon kinky hair. The civil rights movement then also saw the rise of the 바카라�Black is beautiful바카라� movement when men and women alike combed the lengths of their natural hair and refused to chemically treat their hair for it to appear toned down, leading to the popularisation of the 바카라�Afro바카라� hair.

Even makeup products for a very long time only focused on white skin. In 1994, the launch of the brand Iman바카라�s which focused on makeup for other skin tones, could not materialise into what it had hoped for. Only in 2017 did people start talking about makeup for people of other races with the launch of Fenty Beauty by Rihanna, and their Pro Filt'R foundation launched in 40 shades.

So, by the pace of change in the world, especially when it comes to race and fashion, is Anna Wintour and the Costume Institute late to bring Black style to the Met Gala?

Anna Wintour Bows Down a Second Time

Vogue, ever since its launch in 1982, has been shaping beauty standards for generations, and it has always focused on the 바카라�thin바카라�, 바카라�white바카라�, 바카라�chic바카라� look on its covers and issues. The brands that they supported, like Chanel, Prada, Ralph Lauren, all work within the elegant, classic, timeless framework, even newer designers like Alexander McQueen, who is perceived as bold, focus on symmetry very intently, as though there is shape and structure out of which they cannot step out.

Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue, has been chairing or co-chairing the Met Gala every year since 1995, except for 1996, which was chaired by her successor at British Vogue, Liz Tilberis. In 2017, the theme of the Met Gala was 바카라�Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between". Rei Kawakubo is the only second living designer who had a Met Gala theme celebrating her works and the 바카라�avant-garde바카라� style.

Kawakubo's iconic ensemble, "Body Meets Dress - Dress Meets Body", exhibited at Paris Fashion Week of Spring 1997, forever etched her avant-garde legacy. Draping the human form in a choreography of rebellion, Jackets, tube-filled dresses, and skirts took centre stage, each adorned with strategic paddings that defied norms. These pads, strategically placed on the abdomen, thighs, hips, and shoulders, celebrated the parts of the body that society often sought to mould and shape.

It is believed that despite Kawakubo바카라�s popularity, Anna Wintour did not offer her the space or support through Vogue that the designer deserved, largely because her style was considered too unconventional. So, for the Met Gala to dedicate an entire theme to Kawakubo was seen as Wintour finally bowing to her influence. Yet, in an interview about the 2017 Met theme, Wintour remarked, 바카라�If you바카라�re not a fashion obsessive,바카라� she said, 바카라�you바카라�re going to be incredibly baffled바카라�바카라�almost signalling to the world that she had stepped out of her comfort zone.

So it will be very interesting to see what Wintour has in store for the Met Gala 2025, as in the past, she has faced backlash for Vogue neglecting people of colour both within their editorial team and the magazine content. For the first time, the co-chairs of the Met Gala, who host the event, are all Black men: actor Colman Domingo, Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton, rapper A$AP Rocky, and musician, record producer, and Louis Vuitton men바카라�s creative director Pharrell Williams. They will work with Wintour to organise the event, as well as honorary co-chair LeBron James, the professional basketball player.

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Apart from this, a host committee was set up, which includes renowned Black figures across diverse fields. The committee comprises of바카라�athletes: Simone Biles and husband Jonathan Owens, Angel Reese and Sha바카라�Carri Richardson; filmmakers: Spike Lee, Tonya Lewis Lee, and Regina King; actors: Ayo Edebiri, Audra McDonald, and Jeremy Pope; musicians: Doechii, Usher, Tyla, Janelle Monáe, and André 3000; author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; artists: Jordan Casteel, Rashid Johnson, and Kara Walker; playwrights: Jeremy O. Harris and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins; fashion figures: Grace Wales Bonner, Edward Enninful, Dapper Dan, and Olivier Rousteing.

It feels like the Costume Institute and Anna Wintour do not want to take any chances with potential controversies surrounding the theme, having learnt from the criticism that Vogue faced in 2020 during the 바카라�Black Lives Matter바카라� movement, spurred by the murder of George Floyd. The New York Times at that time had reported that 바카라�across divisions on Vogue바카라�s editorial side, people of colour make up 14 per cent of senior managers.바카라� On June 5, 2020, Wintour sent a note to her staff members, acknowledging that 바카라�it can바카라�t be easy to be a Black employee at Vogue,바카라� stating that the magazine had 바카라�not found enough ways to elevate and give space to Black editors, writers, photographers, designers and other creators.바카라�

In September the same year, Vogue issues across the world바카라�precisely 26 editions바카라�united to do a common theme spearheaded by the U.S. edition, which was called 바카라�Hope바카라�.The U.S. issue was 316 pages long and featured a majority of Black artists, models, and photographers for the first time. The other 25 countries, including Vogue India, focused on the 바카라�multifaceted interpretations바카라� of hope.

The following month, The New York Times바카라� Edmund Lee did an investigative piece, 바카라�The White Issue: Has Anna Wintour바카라�s Diversity Push Come Too Late?바카라�, critiquing Anna Wintour and the work culture of Vogue as being racist, with many people of colour describing that they felt so out of place that, in an attempt to feel more included, they reconditioned the way they dressed and presented themselves to fit in. It also called out the various photos in the magazine that were examples of cultural appropriation, like Karlie Kloss, a white model, being dressed as a Geisha (a Japanese hostess). It also flagged how, even after Wintour바카라�s statement in June, she was absent from a Condé Nast meeting on race the same month despite being the head of the company바카라�s diversity and inclusion council.

A former staffer, Shelby Ivey Christie, had also written on X (formerly Twitter): 바카라�My time at Vogue, at Condé Nast, was the most challenging + miserable time of my career 바카라� The bullying + testing from white counterparts, the completely thankless work, the terrible base pay + the racism was exhausting.바카라�

It바카라�s telling that it still took five more years for the Met Gala to centre Black style바카라�even if it is focusing on menswear, it is still a landmark. How this year바카라�s Met Gala goes down will be a true testament to whether the fashion industry is ready to learn from its past mistakes.

What Could Black Dandyism Look Like on the Red Carpet?

Bright, bold and showy. It is not just a style, it is a declaration.

In the U.S., zoot suits바카라�long suit jackets with padded shoulders and high-waisted, baggy pants바카라�grew popular during the Harlem Renaissance of the 1930s. Time Magazine reported that 바카라�other minority groups started sporting zoot suits, and the bold designs made Chicanos a target of racial violence in 1940s Los Angeles, when fabric was being rationed during World War II.바카라�

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Today, that same spirit of resistance and exuberance continues. Co-chair Colman Domingo, according to the Council of Fashion Designers in America, is redefining menswear through dandyism: 바카라�His 2024 Met Gala look, custom-designed by Willy Chavarria, epitomised his signature aesthetic: structural tailoring softened by fluidity, creating a striking balance between hard and soft, heavy and light. This duality not only reflects the interplay of masculinity and femininity but also reestablishes the connection between Hollywood glamour and luxury fashion.바카라�

Co-chair A$AP Rocky, too, is pushing gender boundaries within his style by often wearing kilts, pearls, barrettes바카라�a common characteristic of dandyism. On Vogue바카라�s The Run-Through podcast, he said: 바카라�I do what the f**k I want바카라� I wanna be a catalyst for daring men. I don바카라�t know who drew the line between femininity and masculinity바카라� but I don바카라�t see any barriers.바카라� He added, 바카라�It바카라�s not fair that my girl (Rihanna) can just go into my closet and take anything. That goes both ways. She has pieces she doesn바카라�t know I actually stole from her.바카라�

This year바카라�s Met Gala feels promising. It could be flavourful, rebellious, and expressive바카라�possibly bending all kinds of boundaries and thriving at the intersection of race, gender, and self. But the outcome will depend on how individuals choose to interpret the theme, and whether they can make it shine through.

The most anticipated debutant this year from India is Shah Rukh Khan, who will be styled by Sabyasachi. Both men are known for their chic, elegant, and conventional sensibilities. If one thinks about it, Shah Rukh Khan has rarely worn anything other than black tuxedos on red carpets. The designer he is working with바카라�like Khan바카라�is also famous for playing it safe, as seen in Alia Bhatt바카라�s Met Gala 2023 look. She appeared as though she had stepped straight out of the RRR (2022) set, with her tiara and pastel green saree nodding to the 바카라�Garden of Time바카라� theme.

It was as if he feared being called "barbaric" if he opted for a bolder print or a shorter trail. So, for him to attempt dandyism, which is all about being loud and proud, feels like a leap. Viewers don바카라�t know what to expect, but fans will sit tight, not for the clothes, but for Shah Rukh Khan and his possible iconic open-arms pose coming alive on a global stage.

As the theme Black Dandyism unfolds tomorrow, the red carpet could serve as a platform for confronting history. It should showcase diverse interpretations of exuberant self-expression, embodying both liberation and resistance. If done right, this year바카라�s Met Gala could become a testament to fashion바카라�s ability to reflect and shape society.