The 2025 Met Gala Parades Against Cultural Erasure

Colman Domingo pays tribute to André Leon Talley with a majestic blue cape at the 2025 Met Gala

The Met Gala 2025 is an unmissable event in international fashion. On Monday, May 5, it transformed the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Consequently, this place became a stage for committed haute couture. Thus, the theme "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" summoned the aesthetic and political history of the African American diasporas, marking the edition as one of the most significant in the history of the Met Gala.

For the first time, the tribute to Black dandyism resonated with such solemnity. This movement was born from cultural resistance to the stigmas of slavery. Black dandyism, which appeared as early as the 18th century, reinterprets European dress codes to claim a regained dignity. Moreover, the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s-1930s reinforced this sophistication. It elevated the suit to a symbol of success. This garment became a sign of identity affirmation and political emancipation.

Under a LaQuan Smith cape worthy of the Harlem dandies, Teyana Taylor reinvents Black elegance, a vibrant nod to the
Under a LaQuan Smith cape worthy of the Harlem dandies, Teyana Taylor reinvents Black elegance, a vibrant nod to the “Zoot Suits” worn as an act of resistance in the 1940s.

In the background, this globally publicized fashion event resonated as a contemporary response to debates on cultural appropriation. Moreover, it addressed the representation of minorities and the revaluation of aesthetic expressions. These were born from Afro-descendant resilience.

Aesthetic of tailoring: between tribute and reinvention

The creations presented at the Met Gala 2025 were part of this rich memory and renewed the history of Black tailoring.

Zuri Hall embraces black tailoring with a corseted dress reminiscent of the Harlem Renaissance tailors, accented with a red handkerchief, a coded accessory of 19th-century Black dandies.
Zuri Hall embraces black tailoring with a corseted dress reminiscent of the Harlem Renaissance tailors, accented with a red handkerchief, a coded accessory of 19th-century Black dandies.

A$AP Rocky, a leading figure in contemporary fashion, drew from Harlem’s cultural heritage, wearing a three-piece suit embroidered with African motifs.

Bad Bunny, in a simple and precise ensemble, multiplied nods to buttons engraved with Pan-African symbols.

Each outfit, in sum, wove a subtle dialogue between past and present.

Fashion and politics: the Met Gala, an engaged stage

The red carpet turned into a silent platform.

Doechii, with a voluminous afro and a cigar, paid homage to the activists of the 1970s.

Janelle Monáe, in a reversed tuxedo, inscribed the names of forgotten Black artists on the lapel of her jacket.

Crossed views on artistic choices

Colman Domingo, draped in a shimmering blue cape, and Lewis Hamilton in ivory tailoring pay tribute to André Leon Talley, a Black fashion icon who passed away in 2022, honored here in majesty.
Colman Domingo, draped in a shimmering blue cape, and Lewis Hamilton in ivory tailoring pay tribute to André Leon Talley, a Black fashion icon who passed away in 2022, honored here in majesty.

Pamela Anderson reconnects with the spotlight in a dress studded with silver.

In a dress studded with silver, Pamela Anderson reinvents her image with sobriety. Furthermore, she evokes the queens of the Renaissance who used light to signify power and rebirth.
In a dress studded with silver, Pamela Anderson reinvents her image with sobriety. Furthermore, she evokes the queens of the Renaissance who used light to signify power and rebirth.

Zoë Saldaña, with her black and white inverted corset, revisits African American craftsmanship.

Zoë Saldaña plays with the codes of Victorian tailoring, with a graphic corset reversing black and white contrasts, paying tribute to 19th-century African American seamstresses.
Zoë Saldaña plays with the codes of Victorian tailoring, with a graphic corset reversing black and white contrasts, paying tribute to 19th-century African American seamstresses.

Diana Ross resurrects the opulence of Harlem’s great revues under dazzling feathers.

Under an avalanche of white feathers, Diana Ross revives the opulence of the great black revues of Harlem. Indeed, the queens of the stage paraded in dazzling capes to assert their triumph.
Under an avalanche of white feathers, Diana Ross revives the opulence of the great black revues of Harlem. Indeed, the queens of the stage paraded in dazzling capes to assert their triumph.

Jennie Kim and Gigi Hadid offer a duel of militant glamour.

Jennie Kim evokes a 1920s Chanel reimagined as a proponent of dandyism, while Gigi Hadid, as a golden goddess, celebrates American glamour in all its cinematic splendor.
Jennie Kim evokes a 1920s Chanel reimagined as a proponent of dandyism, while Gigi Hadid, as a golden goddess, celebrates American glamour in all its cinematic splendor.

Lupita Nyong’o illuminates the black suit with a celestial blue.

Lupita Nyong'o elevates the classic black suit by illuminating it with a celestial blue, a color of protection and royalty in West African history, topped with a dandy boater hat.
Lupita Nyong’o elevates the classic black suit by illuminating it with a celestial blue, a color of protection and royalty in West African history, topped with a dandy boater hat.

Sabrina Carpenter, in a scarlet corset, electrifies the scene.

Sabrina Carpenter electrifies the red carpet in an ultra-short scarlet corset-suit, a cheeky nod to the golden age of black cabaret and the power of feminine eccentricity.
Sabrina Carpenter electrifies the red carpet in an ultra-short scarlet corset-suit, a cheeky nod to the golden age of black cabaret and the power of feminine eccentricity.

Madonna, between queer tribute and defiance.

In an ivory tailcoat and bow tie, Madonna reinvents the white tuxedo of the queer icons from 1920s Harlem, cigar in hand, a symbol of defiant nonconformity.
In an ivory tailcoat and bow tie, Madonna reinvents the white tuxedo of the queer icons from 1920s Harlem, cigar in hand, a symbol of defiant nonconformity.

Nicole Kidman, with her black dress, recalls the great African American couturiers.

In a black strapless dress with sculptural simplicity, Nicole Kidman embodies timeless elegance, reminiscent of the minimalist silhouettes popularized by Ann Lowe, the great African American designer
In a black strapless dress with sculptural simplicity, Nicole Kidman embodies timeless elegance, reminiscent of the minimalist silhouettes popularized by Ann Lowe, the great African American designer

Rihanna, in a short jacket and striped corset, sublimates her maternity.

In a short jacket and striped corset, Rihanna enhances her maternity in a look inspired by early 20th-century Black dandies, a refined nod to the polka dot silk scarves favored in Harlem clubs.
In a short jacket and striped corset, Rihanna enhances her maternity in a look inspired by early 20th-century Black dandies, a refined nod to the polka dot silk scarves favored in Harlem clubs.

The epilogue of a historic evening

Anna Wintour, in a silver embroidered dress and pale blue coat, evokes a tradition through her color choice. Indeed, blue is used as a symbol of spiritual aspiration in African American culture.
Anna Wintour, in a silver embroidered dress and pale blue coat, evokes a tradition through her color choice. Indeed, blue is used as a symbol of spiritual aspiration in African American culture.

The epilogue of a historic evening

Anna Wintour, faithful to her role as the high priestess of the gala, led this 2025 edition with the distant elegance that characterizes her. Vogue, through its editorial treatment, highlighted the importance of this edition of the Met Gala 2025. Indeed, it is not considered a mere social event, but as an aesthetic, cultural, and political manifesto.

Critics from the New York Times and the Guardian unanimously praised this year for its thematic coherence and artistic depth. It was not a matter of a simple "dress code" but a true "collective cultural stance."

As for Teyana Taylor, Damson Idris, A$AP Rocky, Bad Bunny, Doechii, Zoë Saldaña, Pamela Anderson, Diana Ross, Rihanna, Lewis Hamilton, Lupita Nyong’o, Sabrina Carpenter, Madonna, Nicole Kidman, Jennie Kim, Gigi Hadid, and finally Anna Wintour, they left a strong cultural imprint on this edition.

The Met Gala 2025 not only dressed bodies: it told, through fabrics, the silent struggle of a Black history still seeking recognition.

Ultimately, at a time when debates on inclusion, cultural justice, and the recognition of invisible legacies shake American society, the gala stands more than ever as a theater where fashion, history, politics, and society dialogue, confront, and sometimes unite in a burst of fabrics, voices, and memories.