A review of 2025’s most innovate attendees
Fashion’s biggest night has come and gone again, leaving in its wake only the Costume Institute’s annual exhibition and an inevitable amount of stylistic discourse. In case you missed it, this year’s Met exhibition theme was ‘Superfine: Tailoring Black Style’, with the attached opening gala dress code as ‘Tailored for You’.
Central to the theme was Monica L. Miller’s book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity. In Miller’s introduction she briefly covers the roots of the Black dandy, writing ‘the figure’s stylin’ out visualises an awareness of the way in which all identities are styled and manipulated, let out or hemmed in’. In other words, she considers dandyism a performance, one that may ‘tell a story about self and society’.1 Black dandyism is a blend of Black culture and European tailoring, and has historically allowed black men to simultaneously proclaim individualism and assimilate into mainstream society. To subvert expectations through impeccable dress.
Traditional tailoring follows certain hard rules and regulations. The Met Gala, on the other hand, demands fanciful, out of the box thinking. This year’s best dressed attendees needed to know which tailoring rules to follow, and which traditional styles to transform; just as dandyism itself acted both as a lawful, necessary performance and a subversion of Black people’s long history of oppression.
‘Tailored for You’ means bespoke tailoring. This includes perfectly draped blazers, no straining armholes or lifting collars. It includes high-waisted, full leg trousers, no more than a single crease before they fall to the shoes. Suits should fit like a dream. Dandyism also partakes in bold colours and fabrics, not to mention excessive accessories. Some attendees nailed the theme and looked fabulous. To name but a few: Lewis Hamilton, Colman Domingo, Zendaya, Keith Powers, Jeremy O Harris, Doechii, Cardi B, Tems, Edvin Thompson, and Teyana Taylor all looked stunning.
Others still, successfully subverted a subversive theme by knowing exactly which sartorial rules to break and which to follow. Their looks wouldn’t necessarily have been worn by original Black dandies, but they pay tasteful homage to their inspirations. The following six celebrities had some of the most creative looks of the night, achieved across unusual structures, variations in fabric, and increasingly bold accessory usage.
The Most Innovative Attendees
(Janelle Monae, Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
Janelle Monae never fails to pull a look, and this year was no exception. Dressed by Thom Browne x Paul Tazewell, they arrived in an illustrated shell which unzipped to reveal hermirror-image second outfit, beautifully tailored. The cartoonish, larger than life proportions of her avant-garde entrance were offset by her classic dandy’s accessories, including a working monocle and pinstripe bowler.
(Laura Harrier, Savion Washington//Getty Images)
An unexpected forerunner was Laura Harrier in Gap Studio by Zac Posen. It’s a simple concept: billowing shirt sleeves, a bespoke waistcoat, and wide leg trousers. Again, the excessive proportions are its distinguishing features. Posen was said to have taken inspiration from photos of Harrier’s father and grandfather, dandies close to her heart. The sharp points of her raw denim waistcoat against her voluminous satin limbs created a striking blend of masculine and feminine notes—a princess’s take on dandyism.
(Joey King, Michael Loccisano/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)
Few went for prints as bold as Joey King, who arrived on the carpet in custom Miu Miu. She was dressed as the ultimate maximalist in a black and white checked shirt, a mustard yellow turtleneck and tie, and a bedazzled forest green suit. Her looks played with the creative nature of Black dandyism in a way few others did, a move that paid off for her.
(Jeremy Pope, Dimitrios Kambouris//Getty Images)
Law Roach dressed Jeremy Pope in a mannequin bodice, courtesy of vintage MaisonMargiela. It was pulled from the collection ‘fashion under construction’, and Pope’s piece was the perfect choice for a Met based around tailoring. He became part of the process, drawing attention to the labour-intensive task of bespoke tailoring. It’s a creative take on the theme and a beautiful tribute to the Black dandies who put in the work to look flawless.
(Shaboozey, Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Shaboozey arrived in custom Robert Wun, making a statement in an all-black suit layered in strands of turquoise beads. The silhouette of his look alone was brilliant—a cropped boxy jacket and coattails for days—but the standout was his accessorising. Beads have a long history in African American culture, and with his matching grill and slanted hat, Shaboozey nailed the brief.
(Andre 300, Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
André 3000 was the only guest at the gala with a piano strapped to his back. Dressed in Burberry by Daniel Lee x Benji Bixby, and styled by Law Roach, he wore a custom navy jumpsuit embroidered with miniature umbrellas. The look was a tribute to the culture of Black musicians who paved the way for modern dandyism, a culture André himself could not be more central to. It was a clear statement, Black people carry American culture on their backs.
To pull off a great look, attendees needed to know their history. Fashion, like all cultural activity, is based in precedent. Looking good and being on theme required a full understanding of what makes dandyism so fascinating, and therefore which parts one may borrow and one may leave. To break the rules of fashion effectively, one must first know them off by heart.
- Miller’s, Monica L., Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, (Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press, 2009). ↩︎
Feature Image: Cover of Miller’s Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.
Written by Greta Downes.
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See Sleeve’s fashion favourites below, by Eva Fox-Ford: https://sleevemagazine.com/2025/05/08/best-of-the-met-gala-2025-sleeves-superfine-fashion-favourites/
For all red carpet looks, see Vogue’s website: https://www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/met-gala-2025-red-carpet-fashion
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