
Outside the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Fashion fanatics and pop culture fans everywhere: the time has come. The Met Gala 2025 theme has been released, and as a shock to many this year, it is solely dependent on what the men can bring to the table.
Anybody who is an avid watcher of the Met Gala can agree on the fact that the men almost never “wow” the audience. The shock factor and the ability to follow the theme and just the outright fashion importance of the night never seems to translate when it comes to the men in attendance. We are currently living in a time in which women attending the Met Gala have become more and more extravagant, but this has not been the same for the men in attendance. The men seem to be sticking to what they are comfortable with; a plain, boring, black suit.
The Met Gala of 2025, however, relies solely on the men in attendance. More importantly, the Black men in attendance.
The theme of this year is ‘Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.’ This year’s theme looks at Black Dandyism, exploring the style of black men and the use of dandyism. Dandyism refers to a type of style that involves breaking outside of societal norms, placing importance on proper physical appearance. This fact can be further confirmed by the fact that all the co-chairs, apart from Anna Wintour who co-hosts the event every year, for this celebration are black men.
All these factors push a common fear of the question of; will this cause the Met Gala to be a disaster this year? While the names of these co-chairs inspire a belief that the men will take it upon themselves to step up, with fashion icons such as Lewis Hamilton, Colman Domingo, Pharrell Williams, A$AP Rocky, alongside the guest co-chair Lebron James. Viewers are offered a strong group of men who can lead the frontlines of this gala in confidence, Hamilton, Domingo and Williams have all previously been praised for the clothes they wear and how they present themselves. However, there is a concern of just how much the other men in attendance will embrace this opportunity.
This concern comes from the popular opinion every year finds that men never show out with their outfits, instead choosing to rework the same outfit year after year. The consistency that comes from the same tired and already worn outfits can be found through many different events. Ranging from award shows to red carpet premieres, in practically any public event the viewer is bombarded by a surplus of plain black suits.
This black suit epidemic is one that has consistently been here and is frankly quite boring to see. While some might argue that this is an example of timeless fashion, others feel that this is just simply lazy fashion.
However, the problem lies deeper than the same old suit color. If there was an attempt to stray away from the traditional cut or accessories that would be another story. However, this very rarely takes place. In an event that is so heavily inspired and based around fashion, the lack of excitement from men over the years sets a bad tone for what the future of the Met Gala could look like.
For this year’s Met Gala to reach the same extravagance that it has in the past, it is crucial that the men in attendance help this event uphold its reputation and fully commit to putting in the effort. While the chairs of this year’s Met Gala set a great tone for men in the fashion industry, it is imperative that the other men in attendance take the leap and step outside of their comfort zone to embrace the night that is one of the most important within the fashion industry.
The opinions expressed by the columnist are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of The News Record. If you have any concerns or feedback, please feel free to reach out at [email protected].
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