Black dandyism, a high-priced dinner, museum charity…and latex? Let’s explore what we saw, and didn’t see, last night on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the 2025 Met Gala.
Madonna, returning to the gala after nearly a decade away, wore an ivory suit, tailored trousers, a matching blazer, a white button-down shirt…and sported a cigar. 80-year-old designer Dapper Dan, took to the dandyism of the event wearing a black and white zoot suit emblazoned with a mythical Ghanaian bird, the Sankofa, across his back. Zendaya also came suited, in a custom three-piece Louis Vuitton design by Pharrell Williams (lots of attendees wore Williams last night). And Teyana Taylor, first to arrive on the midnight blue steps, wore a suit with a cape sporting the words “Harlem Rose” across its back.
It does seem suits, zoot or not, were certainly popular this time around. But dandyism also seems to skirt (pardon the pun) the steampunk aesthetic, which, of course, we love at Dawnamatrix. To this end, Janelle Monáe’s bespoke Thom Browne collab with Paul Tazewell surely mixed zoot and steampunk. One side of the singer/actor’s suit with its boxy oversized shoulders was black and white pinstripe, the other white and red geometric patterns. But the black top hat and black-and-gold clock eyepiece in Janelle’s left eye surely revealed a steampunk vibe.
Their trains were out last night as well…long and dramatic ones. Icon Diana Ross strutted in wearing a white feather-trim cape, over a silver gown, sprawling a train embroidered with the names of her children and grandchildren. Shakira, in bright pink, surely a stand-out from all the black and white (and from the X comments, her color choice was good and bad), matched a wavey long train with her curve-hugging dress. And Simone Biles’s blue mini sported its own short, yet dramatic train.
As to interesting styles…
Demi Moore was in a custom black and white Thom Browne dress designed as a tie. Damson Idris stepped across the red carpet first in an F1 race suit but soon showed off his red three-piece Tommy Hilfiger underneath. Jeff Goldblum wore a Mongolian shearling-trimmed cape over his tuxedo and Halle Berry took to ‘naked dressing’ in a black gown sporting sheer panels down its front.
And lastly, Andre 3000 wore a piano on his back, as much a sartorial choice as nodding to his latest project, a collection of “piano sketches.”
There was so much more to see, and we could write blogs for weeks about all the fashions. It was a good showing, as Met Galas usually are, but alas, no latex this time around.
