The looks we'd like to see on the red carpet at the Met Gala 2025

The Met Gala is just around the corner, and with it, the most watched runway in global fashion. But this year, forget theatrical feathers or baroque corsets: 2025 at the Metropolitan Museum is shaping up to be a celebration of tailoring, structure, and the subtle power of Black sartorialism. The theme? Superfine: Tailoring Black Style. It’s the same as the new annual exhibition from the Costume Institute, opening to the public on May 10, inspired by Monica L. Miller’s Slaves to Fashion. The exhibition delves into the legacy of the Black Dandy, a symbol of elegance, resistance, and aesthetic subversion. This marks the first exclusive focus on Black designers, and the first time in two decades that menswear takes center stage. Yes, it’s finally time to rethink the suit. The dress code? Tailored for You. The message? Simple and direct: fashion is a political, personal, and deeply cultural act. This Met Gala shows that even the smallest detail—the knot of a tie, the cut of a jacket, the choice of fabric—can be a political statement.

Tailoring? Yes, but with spirit. And character

The Met Gala 2025 is set to become a red carpet where the three-piece suit meets attitude, where precision cuts become identity statements, and tradition bends to new narratives. Picture surreal silhouettes like Thom Browne’s, Saint Laurent’s sensual minimalism, Ralph Lauren’s preppy elegance, and queer theatricality à la Palomo Spain or a bold look by Willy Chavarria. But the real game is played by the names who’ve turned Black tailoring into a political and emotional language: Telfar, Luar, LaQuan Smith, Grace Wales Bonner, Martine Rose, Duro Olowu, Shayne Oliver, and, of course, the rebellious archives of Virgil Abloh and Dapper Dan.  But the possibilities are endless, just look at the past and present collections of Dior, Victor & Rolf, Dolce&Gabbana, Christian Lacroix, Mugler, Armani and many others. Because this Met is also an archive—not in the vintage sense, but as a radical, living, diasporic body. An open-air timeline of the Black diaspora, from 1940s zoot suits to Wales Bonner’s deconstructed layering, from post-colonial Savile Row to the Sapeurs of Congo, from Shayne Oliver’s broken vests to the queer-afrofuturist catwalks of Tolu Coker.

What looks will grace the red carpet?

How about a black vampire look in archival Chanel or Saint Laurent? Think deconstructed bouclé suit or sharply tailored tuxedo, oval sunglasses, ebony cane, and either brogues or sky-high heels. A blend of power, leather, and nostalgia, reminiscent of a character conjured in Ryan Coogler’s The Sinners starring Michael B. Jordan. We’d also love to see regal and androgynous silhouettes, with garments merging blazers and Victorian corsets, like those designed by Shayne Oliver, where tailoring becomes performance art. How could we not imagine a punk tailorcore touch—perhaps a DIY school uniform complete with a cropped jacket and bondage twist? Let’s not forget a new post-apocalyptic Black Dandy, where jackets have phantom sleeves, gothic collars look straight out of a poem, and origami trousers defy the laws of physics. And what if someone added a steampunk twist? Or perhaps echoed the elegance of Oscar Wilde or the flamboyance of the Sapeurs?

Who’s attending the Met Gala 2025?

Alongside Anna Wintour, this year’s co-chairs include Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, and Pharrell Williams, while LeBron James will serve as honorary chair. Among the host committee members are celebrities like Tyla, Edward Enninful, Doechii, Ayo Edebiri, Janelle Monáe, André 3000, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Simone Biles, Grace Wales Bonner, and Spike Lee. The full guest list remains under wraps, but as the big day approaches, rumors suggest that Nicole Kidman, Zoe Saldaña, Sabrina Carpenter, Zendaya, Hunter Schafer, Suki Waterhouse may make an appearance. Many are confident Rihanna will walk the steps, considering A$AP Rocky's role, and others hope to see Lady Gaga, Aimee Lou Wood, Chappell Roan, Charli XCX and Dua Lipa.

What would we love to see the Met Gala 2025 guests wear?

Let’s play stylist for a moment and imagine dressing one of the confirmed attendees—or those rumored to appear—on the red carpet. Pharrell Williams, co-chair and Louis Vuitton designer, might again channel the Black cowboy tradition in a denim-on-denim ensemble, complete with boots and a country hat. Many predict A$AP Rocky will wear a Bottega Veneta creation, he's an ambassador for the brand, but fans are hoping Rihanna will join him in an archival piece by Gaultier or Mugler, or a spectacular gown by a rising Afro-descendant designer. We’d also love to see her in a deconstructed maxi coat, oversized pinstripe trousers, stilettos, and an unbuttoned white shirt.

All eyes are on rising music stars like Doechii and Tyla. Some bet Doechii will go with Thom Browne, perhaps in a preppy school uniform with gothic, genderless, and exaggerated proportions. Last year, Tyla wowed in a sand sculpture dress by Balmain. What could possibly top that? Maybe something easier to walk in—but still eccentric. How about a look from the Alexander McQueen FW25 collection, or a striped suit adorned with surrealist jewelry from Schiaparelli SS20? It may be a safe guess, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see Ayo Edebiri in Loewe, there’s a tailcoat look from FW24 that would suit her perfectly. Janelle Monáe, a longtime champion of black and white style, could opt for archival Ralph Lauren, complete with a walking cane. If Hunter Schafer or Zendaya attend, it’d be stunning to see them in a baroque Palomo Spain suit, complete with oversized floral jewelry. What would you like to see on the red carpet at the Met Gala 2025?