It's almost time for the Met Gala (aka the fashion Olympics, aka the style Oscars). Raising money for The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, with a reported ticket price of $75,000, the event is presided over by the fashion industry's most-recognised figurehead: Anna Wintour, who personally signs off every single look that walks down the red carpet. As the world gets ready to watch the steps outside The Met, eyeing the most exquisite outfits and jaw-dropping beauty looks of the 1%, here's everything you need to know about this year's theme and celebrity co-chairs.
When is the Met Gala 2025?
The Met Gala is taking place on 5 May - the first Monday in May, as the saying famously goes - while the fashion exhibition it takes its theme from every year is running from 10 May - 26 October (tickets are free with museum admission).
What is the Met Gala theme for 2025?
This year’s theme is Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, an expansive study of Black style, from the 18th century to now, through the lens of the dandy. It’s based on Monica L. Miller’s book, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, who is serving as a guest curator of the exhibition and is also professor and chair of Africana Studies at Barnard College, Columbia University.
It will certainly be one for the history books. The exhibition will exclusively spotlight designs by people of colour, an attempt by the institution to showcase voices from the fashion world that hadn’t previously been called upon by The Met. ‘I wanted to stage a show on race that could use our collection to tell a story that had been absent from the conversation both within the museum and outside,’ Andrew Bolton, curator at the Costume Institute, told The New York Times.
The exhibition will be organised into 12 sections, including 'Heritage', 'Beauty' and 'Cosmopolitanism', with both historic and contemporary items on display including clothing, accessories, paintings, photographs and decorative arts, spanning four centuries of history from the 1700s to today.
Speaking about the Black dandy in a video posted on The Met's Instagram, Miller said: 'Fashion and dress have been used in a contest of power and aesthetics for Black people from the time of enslavement to today. And dandyism has often been used by individuals to manipulate the relationship between clothing, identity and power. Style and its role in forming Black identifies in the Atlantic diaspora is at the heart of the show.' Miller continues: 'It was imposed on Black men in Europe during the 1700s as the Atlantic slave trade created a trend in fashionably dressed, or dandified, servants. Free and enslaved Black people came to understand the power of clothing and style in signalling hierarchies of race, class and gender. Over time, dandyism gave Black men and women an opportunity to use clothing, gesture, irony and wit to transform their identities, and imagine new ways of embodying political and social possibilities.'
Who are the co-chairs of the Met Gala 2025?
The Met Gala’s co-chairs are titans in their own artistic spheres and four men who have always been considered best dressed at previous Met Galas: A$AP Rocky, Colman Domingo (who stole the show at last year's Met Gala, arriving with a bouquet of calla lilies), Lewis Hamilton and Pharrell Williams. LeBron James, meanwhile, will be serving as honorary chair.
The event also has an illustrious host committee, which this year includes a legion of influential Black artists from all creative disciplines including Ayo Edebiri, André 3000, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Dapper Dan, Simone Biles, Sha'Carri Richardson, Usher and Grace Wales Bonner, whose campaign image is the cover of the exhibition catalogue.
In the press release accompanying the news about this year's Met Gala, Sha'Carri Richardson said: ‘Our style isn’t just what we wear - it’s how we move, how we own our space, how we tell our story without saying a word. Fashion sets us apart, but it also brings us together - whether you’re shining on the track, commanding the stage, or just making the streets of New York your runway.’
Usher, meanwhile, said: 'I’m honored to be part of such a long-standing tradition with The Met. The theme this year is not only timely but also speaks to our rich culture that should always be widely celebrated.'
What is the Met Gala dress code?
The dress code is 'Tailored for You', putting an emphasis on tailoring and elements of dress that you would normally associate with menswear. Expect to see high-fashion suiting with more than a dash of personal style (the dress code does specify 'you', after all).
What time is the Met Gala 2025?
The Met Gala red carpet starts from 6pm EST, which is 11pm GMT. If you plan on burning the midnight oil to be the first to see what everyone's wearing, note that it takes several hours for all the guests to walk up those hallowed steps into The Met. Is it worth losing sleep over? Absolutely.
Who will be attending the Met Gala?
Speaking of guests, who's invited is a closely-guarded secret until the night itself. We can speculate, however. As A$AP Rocky is one of the evening's co-chairs, Rihanna is expected to be there - and her look is always one of the night's 'moments'. The Kardashians usually go hand-in-glove with the Met Gala, but for various reasons, Kendall Jenner is rumoured to be the only member of the clan attending.
How to watch the Met Gala?
You unfortunately can't watch the actual Met Gala (there's a strict no-phones policy inside the venue). You can, however, follow the hashtag #metgala on YouTube, as well as finding updates on Grazia's TikTok, where we'll be covering all the biggest fashion and beauty moments from the Met Gala.
Natalie Hammond is senior fashion news editor at Grazia. She loves winter, hates summer and can often be found writing about the weather (and what on earth to wear).