Met Gala Reveals ‘Tailored for You’ Dress Code, A Tribute to Black Men’s Fashion and Culture

2025 Met Gala honors Black men's fashion with an all-Black co-chair lineup and the “Tailored for You” dress code celebrating dandyism.
Met Gala

The 2025 Met Gala is shaping up to be one to remember, especially for Black culture, as more details are released about the eventful evening.

With an all-Black male co-chair lineup—including Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams, and LeBron James as honorary chair—this year’s gala will serve as a bold and historic tribute to Black men’s fashion and dandyism.

Now, with the recent announcement of this year’s dress code, titled Tailored for You, the event is making it clear that menswear will take center stage at the annual celebration.

In alignment with the Met’s upcoming Costume Institute exhibition, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, the Tailored for You dress code challenges attendees to showcase exquisite tailoring, craftsmanship, and personal expression through a Black fashion lens.

Inspired by Monica L. Miller‘s book, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, the exhibition and dress code will explore how Black men have historically used fashion as a form of self-expression, resistance, and reinvention—from 18th-century Europe to present-day global fashion scenes.

The Met Gala’s 2025 exhibit will explore the concept of the Black dandy, a term that was originally associated with enslaved and servant-class Black men who were expected to present themselves in sharp European-style tailoring. Over time, Black men reclaimed dandyism, using it to challenge societal norms and redefine Black masculinity through fashion.

Dandyism offered Black people an opportunity to use clothing, gesture, irony, and wit to transform their given identities and imagine new ways of embodying political and social possibilities,” according to a statement from the Met.

With that in mind, Tailored for You will encourage guests and designers to reinterpret and push the boundaries of tailored fashion, blending tradition with modern innovation. Some will stay true to classic bespoke suiting, while others may infuse contemporary twists, avant-garde silhouettes, and cultural influences.

Another groundbreaking addition to this year’s Met Gala is the impressive host committee, which includes André 3000, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Simone Biles and husband Jonathan Owens, Jordan Casteel, Dapper Dan, Doechii, Ayo Edebiri, Edward Enninful, Jeremy O. Harris, Regina King, Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee, Janelle Monáe, Jeremy Pope, Angel Reese, Sha’Carri Richardson, Olivier Rousteing, Tyla, Usher, and Kara Walker.

This group of Black creatives, athletes, and cultural leaders represents the broad spectrum of Black excellence that this year’s theme seeks to highlight.

The 2025 Met Gala, scheduled for May 5, 2025, will be more than just a night of extravagant fashion—it will be a powerful statement about the impact of Black men on style, culture, and identity.

Following the gala, the Superfine: Tailoring Black Style exhibit will open to the public on May 6, 2025, running until October 26, 2025, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Photo Credit: DepositPhotos.com