It is, at the end of the day, a fundraising event.
On the first Monday of every May, the rich, famous and well-dressed gather in New York City for the Met Gala. The evening is a benefit for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. The tickets are pricey (last year, a single entry cost a reported $75,000), the guest-list is hyper-exclusive, and the goings-on are secret thanks to a strict no-phones policy behind the doors.
For celebrities, it's an opportunity to show off exquisite and often ostentatious fashions. For the rest of us, it's a chance to take in and critique their interpretation of the night's theme.
What's this year's theme?
Officially, the dress code is "tailored for you." And while guests are invited to take that to "creative interpretation," the exhibition they will be arriving at will be "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style." It's a look at how clothing and style is connected to Black identities.
The show is guest-curated by Monica Miller, and inspired by her 2009 book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.
When Miller spoke to NPR about the book in 2012, she said the roots of Black dandyism go back to the 17th and 18th centuries, when wealthy slave-owners would dress up enslaved people in fancy clothing to show off their wealth. And while that was a moment "in which Black people were dressed to be objects," Miller said, it was also the moment when Black people, men in particular, "flipped the script on that particular mode of degradation," she said.
According to a statement from The Met, "Superfine" is the first show focused on menswear at The Costume Institute in more than 20 years. So you'll likely see different takes on suiting. But don't expect the red carpet to be a wash of gray, black and navy blue fabrics. In that 2012 interview, Miller makes the point that Black fashion has historically been a clash of "respectable" outfits versus looks that are more outré.
"I think it's about looking and actually thinking," she said. "I think, sometimes, the well-dressed Black man coming down the street is asking you to look and think and even, sometimes, generate a new category."
Where can I watch?
Vogue will be livestreaming the event at 6 p.m. Eastern. You'll also be able to catch it on YouTube.
Who's going to be there?
This year's hosts include actor Colman Domingo, F1 driver Lewis Hamilton, rapper A$AP Rocky, producer and designer Pharrell Williams and, of course, Anna Wintour. LeBron James is also serving as honorary chair — chances he'll be there are higher now that the Lakers are out of the NBA playoffs.
There's also a host committee that includes names such as André 3000, Ayo Edebiri, Spike Lee, and famed designer Dapper Dan.
The Vogue livestream will be hosted by singer and actor Teyana Taylor, producer La La Anthony and comedian Ego Nwodim. Internet star Emma Chamberlain will be doing interviews on the red carpet.
Copyright 2025 NPR
