The theme for fashion’s biggest night has just been revealed, and it may be one of the most iconic yet contentious themes yet.
The 2025 Met Gala theme is “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” focusing on expressions of Black dandyism.
The exact dress code for the 2025 Met Gala has not been released yet the internet has already sprouted multiple points of discourse on the theme, ranging from historical enthusiasm to humorous quips about this Met Gala’s propensity for cultural appropriation.
But what exactly is dandyism, and how does it tie in with Black style as a whole?
As many were quick to point out on social media following the announcement of the theme on Wednesday, a dandy is a man who places special importance on his physical appearance, particularly the look and fit of his clothing.
Black dandyism, however, goes a bit deeper.
Dandyism was first introduced into the Black style sphere in eighteenth-century England amidst the trans-Atlantic slave trade in which exceptionally dapper Black slaves became fixtures of wealth for white slave owners, as Monica L. Miller explains in her book: Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity. Miller’s book is a primary inspiration for this year’s theme and she will also serve as a curator for this year’s exhibit.
Like most behaviors ignited by slavery and racism, dandyism imbues the nooks and crannies of existing Black culture.
Despite its minstrel-adjacent roots and contributions to existing respectability politics, Black dandyism also represents the plight toward becoming behemoths of fashion and culture at large.
At its core, Black dandyism signifies the diasporic metamorphosis of Black men turning into style giants, a storied history that dates back to the antebellum era.
Take Julius Soubise, for example, a freed slave and dandy who was also considered by some to be Britain’s first black sex symbol.
Soubise was one of the first documented accounts of a Black person prioritizing style and taste even against tense racial backdrops of the times, a phenomenon we still see today.
Some of the best examples of modern Black dandyism include A$AP Rocky, Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton and Pharrell Williams, all of whom will serve as co-chairs for the 2025 Met Gala. This also marks the first time in the Met Gala’s history all co-chairs will be Black men.
It will be most interesting to see how this theme is acted out and received, considering the less-than-inclusive nature of the Met Gala and the fashion industry as a whole.
Perhaps most poignantly, though, is who won’t be in attendance at the 2025 Met Gala that paints the most bittersweet portrait of tragic irony.
The late André Leon Talley, a fashion powerhouse and prolific storyteller, is the quintessential dandy. His legacy is inextricably linked to this year’s theme, and his presence will be missed.
