Before attendees of the upcoming Met Gala become attached to any attire that might be deemed too outlandish or costume-driven, Anna Wintour and her fellow gala planners have decreed: It’s all about the tailoring — individually interpreted, that is.
On Tuesday morning New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, site of the May 5 Met Gala, announced both the event’s dress code and the host committee that will join the previously announced co-chairs of the starry evening, which raises funds for the museum’s Costume Institute. “Tailored for You” is the official dress code and reflects the theme of the exhibition, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” which opens to the public on Saturday, May 10, and runs through Sunday, October 26. An exploration of Black style from the 18th century through present day, “Superfine” will guide exhibition attendees through a cultural and historical look at dandyism and the roles clothing and style have played in Black identities.
A 1966 image of world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali as he is fitted for a new suit in London is part of “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” opening May 10 at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky and Pharrell Williams were announced as the gala co-chairs in October, joining Vogue editor-in-chief Wintour, the chairperson who has been the force behind the Met Gala since 1995. This year planners also decided to revive the inclusion of a host committee, which traditionally takes on a role that extends beyond attending, with its influential members reaching into their networks to ensure robust attendance and an event’s overall success. Spike Lee, Regina King, Ayo Edebiri and Usher are among those who have been named to the 2025 Met Gala host committee.
“I’m honored to be part of such a long-standing tradition with The Met,” Usher said in a statement released by the museum. “The theme this year is not only timely but also speaks to our rich culture that should always be widely celebrated.”
In addition to this quartet, a variety of notable individuals from the worlds of fashion, film, sports, music and literature also have been named to the host committee: André 3000, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens, Grace Wales Bonner, Jordan Casteel, Dapper Dan, Doechii, Edward Enninful, Jeremy O. Harris, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Rashid Johnson, Tonya Lewis Lee, Audra McDonald, Janelle Monáe, Jeremy Pope, Angel Reese, Sha’Carri Richardson, Olivier Rousteing, Tyla and Kara Walker.
“I’m beyond excited to stand with my fellow host committee members in supporting The Met and this year’s spring Costume Institute exhibition, celebrating the undeniable impact of Black creativity on fashion and culture for centuries,” Richardson, an Olympic champion and one of the world’s fastest women, said in a statement. “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.”
A 1986 Arthur Elgort photograph of the late fashion editor Andre Leon Talley also will be seen in “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.”
Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
According to event organizers, “Tailored for You” should be interpreted not only as a nod to the exhibition’s focus on men’s suiting, but also that the third word in the phrase intentionally allows room for interpretation and an emphasis on individuality. That duality is reflected throughout “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” which will be divided into 12 themes, each representing a different characteristic, including Ownership, Freedom, Champion, Heritage, Beauty, Cool and Cosmopolitanism.
“The exhibition title refers to ‘superfine’ not only as the quality of a particular fabric — ‘superfine wool’ — but also as a particular attitude related to feeling especially good in one’s own body, in clothes that express the self,” explains exhibition guest curator Monica L. Miller, chair of Africana Studies at Barnard College at New York’s Columbia University and author of the 2009 book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity. “Wearing superfine and being superfine are, in many ways, the subject of this exhibition. And the separateness, distinction and movement between these two states of ‘being’ in the African diaspora from the 1780s to today animates the show.”
A LaQuan Smith ensemble from Spring 2025 is among the designs on exhibition at “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.”
Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Andrew Bolton, The Costume Institute’s curator in charge, adds that “Superfine” is the first exhibition devoted to menswear in 20 years. “The show also reflects our ongoing commitment to diversifying our exhibitions in a way that is authentic to The Costume Institute,” he says. “What makes it possible to translate Monica’s book, Slaves to Fashion, into an exhibition is our collection of high-style menswear, which serves as a foundation for imagining and realizing this important sartorial history.”
Host committee member Richardson adds that the exhibition also promises to illustrate how style is a unifying element that stretches across all communities. “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,” she says. “On May 5, our light will continue shining on the power of style, and trust me, you don’t wanna miss it.”
