Black dandyism: Met Gala to highlight Black influence in fashion
Black dandys and clothiers are being celebrated with this year’s Met Gala theme, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.”
If the Met Gala is the Olympics of celebrity fashion, these stars are going for the gold.
The annual fashion extravaganza, hosted at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, returned on May 5 with a theme that pays homage to the cultural influence of Black menswear, as seen through the lens of dandyism. The Black “dandy,” defined as a “man unduly devoted to style,” was a term associated with Black men in 18th-century Europe as a trend of smartly dressed servant staff emerged.
In keeping with the theme, the co-chairs for this year’s gala are fashionistas Pharrell Williams, Colman Domingo, A$AP Rocky and Lewis Hamilton.
Meanwhile, a star-studded host committee features the likes of Usher, Regina King, Spike Lee, Simone Biles and husband Jonathan Owens, Janelle Monáe, Doechii, Ayo Edebiri and many more.
Follow along for USA TODAY’s picks for best dressed celebs of the night (in no particular order).
Lewis Hamilton
The British racecar driver was a vision in ivory as he donned an elegant suit, which he paired with a white collared shirt and matching bowtie.
Hamilton topped off the look with a chic newsboy cap, as well as a pair of gold and silver pendants.
The Oscar-nominated actor put on a sartorial spectacle with a two-part look exuding the fashion whimsy that has made Domingo a red-carpet darling.
Domingo wore an opulent royal blue gown on the red carpet that boasted an enlarged, sparkly collar. The actor followed up the look with a more understated — but equally fabulous — ensemble featuring a pearl-embroidered blazer, polka-dotted handkerchief tie and floral brooch.
Earlier in the day, during a media preview for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute spring exhibit “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, Domingo remembered three men who shaped his sense of fashion: his brother, stepfather and biological father.
Perhaps the flashiest of the three was his father, also named Colman, whose wardrobe ranged from “white, very tight, Italian flared trousers” to “preacher robes that showed another part of him where he was representing the Lord.”
Emma Chamberlain
Chamberlain might just break the internet with this dapper frock.
The social media personality stunned on the red carpet in a sleek pinstripe dress that mirrored the crisp tailoring of a menswear suit. The dress’s halter collar and flowing train put a refreshingly feminine twist on the Black dandy theme.
Zendaya
Zendaya, aka the reigning Met Gala diva, is at it again.
The Emmy-winning actress and fashion icon, who co-chaired the 2024 Met Gala, returned in a sharp cream suit and matching hat. The billowy headpiece couldn’t mask the fierce smolder Zendaya showed as she posed on the red carpet.
Jeremy O. Harris
Harris proved nostalgia can be timeless.
The actor and playwright popped in a navy blue and white Balmain suit that paid homage to Black jockey James Winkfield and early 1900s Black Dandy culture. An enlarged lavallière bowtie and red egg-shaped ring gave the look a touch of campy flair.
Zoe Saldaña
Saldaña is suiting up and taking names her own way.
The Oscar-winning actress stunned in a beaded, pinstripe dress by Thom Browne. A sophisticated black-and-white pattern gave the frock’s sculpted bodice room to shine, while a delicate skirt brought a feminine contrast to the suit reference.
Diana Ross
Ross is “coming out,” and the fashion world certainly knows it.
Donning a bejeweled white gown from her personal archive, the pop icon made a grand entrance in an 18-foot-long train and white feathered cape. Ross was flanked by her son, actor and singer Evan Ross, who helped adjust her oversized feathered hat.
Bad Bunny
You can take el conejo out of Puerto Rico, but you can’t take PR out of Bad Bunny.
The reggaeton superstar and former Met Gala co-chair gave a playful Puerto Rican twist to the Black dandy theme with a crisp espresso brown suit. He paired the ensemble with a brimmed hat resembling a pava, a traditional straw hat made from leaves of the Puerto Rican hat palm.
That Carpenter espresso is still piping hot.
The Grammy-winning pop star sizzled on the red carpet in a merlot pinstripe bodysuit and cropped blazer by Louis Vuitton. Carpenter gave the look a pin-up girl zhuzh with a wispy train.
Cynthia Erivo
Erivo is “defying gravity” in more ways than one.
The Oscar-nominated actress and “Wicked” star radiated in a black, floral-embellished dress. The ensemble’s pronounced shoulder pads gave the look a masculine edge, while a voluminous skirt — propped up by red-carpet staff — lent itself to an ethereal finish.
Contributing: Anika Reed, USA TODAY
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