Coco Jones and Designer Manish Malhotra Talk the Singer's 2025 Met Gala, Black Dandyism and Capturing ‘Resistance Through Elegance'

Yahoo

23-05-2025

Coco Jones made her Met Gala debut on May 5 in New York City ahead of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's spring exhibition. The singer was dressed by Indian fashion designer Manish Malhotra, wearing a look that featured a dramatic cape with a long train and embroidered trousers. The designer and singer worked together and looked to the past, taking inspiration from the Met Gala's 2025 theme honoring Black dandyism and using fashion as a tool for resistance and defiance.
'It was like wearing a piece of art,' Jones told WWD via email about her Met Gala look, adding, 'I was excited to make such a bold statement for my first Met Gala,' she said.
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'I was really excited about this year's theme, because [Black dandyism] is something that has long fascinated me,' Malhotra told WWD via email. 'The era represented defiance, elegance and identity in motion.' During the conceptual process for Jones' Met Gala look, Malhotra looked to 1930s Zoot suits for inspiration. Archival photographs from Harlem also influenced Malhotra's design, who saw the tailoring as 'an assertion of dignity and resistance.'
'What struck me most was how the Zoot suit became a sartorial rebellion, flamboyant in form yet grounded in purpose,' Malhotra said. 'Translating that spirit into couture meant reimagining it through my own cultural lens.' Zoot suits were commonly characterized by their playful approach to proportions, often highlighting high-waisted, wide-leg trousers, long coats, wide lapels and padded shoulders.
Malhotra and his team used 'sharply tailored trousers and elongated proportions' as the canvas for the design. 'Into this, we infused Indian craftsmanship, particularly our enduring pearl story and Swarovski embellishments, not as decoration but as a language.' The design featured more than 200,000 pearls and crystals hand-embroidered onto the fabric. The cape of Jones' look alone took more than six months to embroider.
'I love how Manish infuses traditional Indian influences with modern tailoring. His designs and embroidery are so intricate and luxurious. The craftmanship and details are amazing to see up close,' Jones said of Malhotra's approach.
Malhotra also turned to Jones' contemporary style and approach to fashion. Not only did the designer want to capture the essence of the Met Gala theme, but also Jones' 'unique voice as an artist, her ability to evoke emotion with every movement, every note. She embodies modern glamour, but with depth and substance.'
Though the construction took time, Malhotra found the greatest challenge in merging his own cultural design sensibilities while also honoring the Met Gala theme. 'Creating couture that reimagined Western silhouettes like the Zoot suit or the dandy through Indian craftsmanship required time, intention and technical precision. It wasn't just about the garment; it was about holding structure while letting the embroidery tell a deeper story of identity, elegance and memory,' he said.
As such, Malhotra's approach required nuance. Such details of Jones' look included 'the softened collar, the deliberate placement of each cuff, the way her presence moved in rhythm with the design.'
As for her glam, Jones kept the balance between her hair and makeup and the ornately designed garment in mind. 'We didn't want the hair to take away from the intricateness of the dress but at the same time we wanted it to match the drama of it, so we decided on an extra long braid which complemented it well,' she said.
'I really loved the look, so I felt very confident going into the day,' Jones explained of her pre-Met Gala debut headspace. 'I honestly didn't really know what to expect so I was calm for the most part but when I first stepped on the carpet it was very intimidating. I just wanted to make it up the steps without falling because the train on the coat was very heavy with the beading. It took a few people to help me but I made and it and the photos came out beautiful.'
Not only was the weight of the occasion (and the coat) front-of-mind for Jones, but also the meaning behind the theme. 'To me, Black dandyism is about pride in one's self-expression while honoring the legacy of the generations that came before me that used style as a form of resistance and power.'
As for Malhotra's own interpretation of Black dandyism, the designer elucidated his enlightened method for the design. 'For me, dandyism isn't just about style,' he said. 'It's about resistance through elegance, identity through detail. It's about reclaiming the right to be seen, to be expressive, to wear one's history with pride.'
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