It’s your turn to walk up the Met steps.
As the Met Gala 2025 kicks off at the Metropolitan Museum of Art May 5, don’t fret if your invitation somehow got lost in the mail. While the evening’s co-chairs Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams and, of course, Anna Wintour—plus the star-studded guest list—will get to take in the view in-person, there’s plenty to take in from afar, too.
The Met Gala’s partnering exhibit, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” will be on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art from May 10 to October 26. The theme, which is inspired by Monica L. Miller’s 2009 book, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, features not only historic clothing styles popularized by Black men, but also specific fashion pieces worn by icons like Prince and members of the Black Panther Party.
And there’s a lot to take in throughout the exhibit.
After all, the display is organized into 12 sections that define “dandy”—or one devoted to how they present themselves through style—including Ownership, Presence, Distinction, Disguise, Freedom, Champion, Respectability, Heritage, Beauty, Cool, Cosmopolitanism, and “Jook,” or a quality placed on clothing that has room for movement and activity.
On top of the clothes featured in the exhibit, several pieces of two-dimensional art are displayed as well, including paintings and photographs by Torkwase Dyson, Tanda Francis, André Grenard Matswa, and Tyler Mitchell that pay homage to dandyism from the 18th century all the way to present day.
This year’s attendees, which will include co-chairs as well as othercelebrities like Hailey Bieber and Zendaya, in ensembles dictated by the “Tailored For You” dress code, will have time to take in all the exhibit has to offer after their moment on the steps.
Then, it will be time for dinner which—according to Vogue—will be overseen by chef Kwame Onwuachi. Of course, Anna still has final say when it comes to certain menu items.
Keep reading to a deeper look into the Met Gala 2025 exhibit…
Superfine
The Met Gala 2025 theme is inspired by Monica L. Miller‘s 2009 book, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.
The exhibit accompanying this year’s party will run at the Metropolitan Museum of Art from May 10 through October 26.
Prince’s Clothes
The Superfine exhibit, per Vogue, is split into 12 sections that “define” dandy style, which include Ownership, Presence, Distinction, Disguise, Freedom, Champion, Heritage, Beauty, Cool, Cosmopolitanism, and “Jook,” which refers to clothes with ample space for movement and activity.
On top of his pop legacy, Prince—who died in 2016—left behind an iconic wardrobe full of instantly recognizable prints, colors and silohettes.
Jockey Silks
A jockey suit on display in the exhibit is “possibly the earliest surviving American set,” and likely worn by enslaved riders between 1830 and 1850.
The Black Panthers
The exhibit shows how fashion played a major role in the Civil Rights Movement, particularly when it came to the Black Panthers’ iconic berets.
Black Style Through Time
The Superfine theme is the first Met Gala since 2003 for focus exclusively on menswear.
“Dandy” Style
“Dandyism” means almost excessive attention to the way one dresses, as shown in these elaborate men’s suits.
More Menswear
Miller, who also helped curate the exhibit as well as inspiring its theme, told Vogue that each piece of clothing shown is mean to “illustrate how Black people transformed from being enslaved and stylized as luxury items, acquired like any other signifier of wealth and status, to autonomous self-fashioning individuals who are global trendsetters.”
Inside the Met Gala 2025
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is decorated for fashion’s biggest night of the year.
