The 2025 Met Gala: Celebrating Black Tailoring and Style

Happy Met Gala eve everyone! I’m in the midst of finals season, which hasn’t left me much time to post. I’ve prioritized my schoolwork over this blog which annoys me, but school comes first. Hopefully with summer on the way, I’ll have a lot more time to post consistently and more frequently. Now, let’s dive into discussing the 2025 Met Gala.

The theme for the 2025 Met Gala is “Superfine Tailoring Black Style”. Much of the inspiration for this year’s theme draws from Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity by Monica L. Miller. The book follows the style of the black diasporic from slaves to present day black celebrities. It shows how black individuals have used fashion to subvert limiting ideas regarding the identity and possibilities for the black community.

I’m so excited to see black tailoring and style celebrated this year. Sloppy, uncouth, tacky—these are all words that people have ignorantly used to describe black people. So many of the trends we see and have seen in fashion are accredited to black people. Black people are the connoisseurs of fashion, and the ones that are constantly changing the rules, and pushing boundaries.

The first person I can think of when I imagine “Superfine Tailoring Black Style” is André Leon Talley. That man knew how to wear a suit. More than that he knew how to style and carry the same energy as the suit. He walked around with confidence and the swagger that his pristine and well cut suits always matched. Though Talley wore suits often, when he didn’t wear suits, his outfits were still always well cut and tailored. From him I’ve learned the importance of wearing clothes that fit you well. Hemming a pant leg or adjusting the waist of a dress elevates a look. “Superfine Tailoring Black Style” highlights fine tailoring Black people have relied on to elevate their looks.

When I hear “Superfine Tailoring Black Style”, is all of the gorgeous outfits I see when I go to Nigerian weddings and parties. I find events with over a hundred people to be a bit overstimulating, but one thing about Nigerian events is that people are going to come in their best looks. The women are always wearing these tailored gowns with the most gorgeous beading and fabrics. The dresses fit everyone so well.

Even in past decades, Nigerian fashion has always been quite unique unlike western fashion in that there is so much pride and value in craftsmanship and tailors and seamstresses. My aunt is a seamstress, and I find it so amazing that she’s able to create custom clothes for people to their specifications and measurements. There are not enough people in the West, particularly the US, that value tailoring and custom clothing. This is why I’m so excited for the 2025 Met Gala. I just know that there is going to be/should be  a plethora of black designers, celebrities, and creatives on the carpet.

I suspect that the 2025 Met Gala will be the Met Gala that finally reawakens the Met Gala. The past couple of years I’ve seen some amazing looks here and there, but I think that this year we’re going to see a very cohesive and consistent standard across all the board. I can’t wait to see what everyone brings to the table.

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