Latest news with #MonicaMiller
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Met Gala 2025: A$AP Rocky, Zendaya, and Cardi B Hit the Red Carpet
The 2025 Met Gala is in full swing, with celebrities from every discipline descending on the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a night of high fashion. This year, attendees will celebrate the theme 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,' which was inspired by the 2009 book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity by Monica Miller, who curated the accompanying Costume Institute exhibit. The 2025 edition has already raised the most money in its 77-year history, bringing in $31 million to the museum. '[It's] an environment of celebration, of support, and of meaning,' Max Hollein, the director and chief executive of the Met, told The New York Times. More from Rolling Stone Sultry Savings: Skims' Bi-Annual Sale Is Offering Deals on Pop Icon Charli XCX And Sabrina Carpenter-Approved Basics Billie Eilish Says Met Gala Images of Her Are Fake: 'That's AI' No, Megan Thee Stallion Was Not Banned From the Met Gala for Using Her Phone This year's event is co-hosted by Anna Wintour, alongside actor Colman Domingo, musicians A$AP Rocky and Pharrell Williams, and F1 driver Lewis Hamilton. Basketball icon LeBron James serves as the charity event's honorary chair. Tap through our gallery to see some of the standout looks from this year's red carpet. Best of Rolling Stone Every Super Bowl Halftime Show, Ranked From Worst to Best The United States of Weed Gaming Levels Up
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Met Gala 2025: A Celebration of Black Male Style
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways The 2025 Costume Institute exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,' looks to celebrate the artistry and craft distinctive to tailoring through the lens of Black male style. The exhibition, which was inspired by Monica Miller's 'Slaves to Fashion,' explores Black male identity and expression through the sartorial lens of dandyism as a means to define a lifestyle of wealth, distinction and taste. Fashion and dandyism enthusiasts will immediately recall writings about historical fashion figure and dandy Beau Brummell, an arbiter of men's style in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Yet the term 'dandy' is an agile descriptor, applicable to the evolution of men's fashion choices — whether individual or culturally inspired — over decades. More from WWD Miller, the first cocurator of a Costume Institute exhibition and first Black woman to have this distinction, is joined by A$AP Rocky, Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton and Pharrell Williams — the first all-Black male Met Gala committee. Each committee member is noted for their global fashion influence across the genres of music, sports and entertainment. They are included in WWD's celebration of the 2025 Met Gala theme 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style' alongside icons of style and leisure, captured in the pages of WWD over decades. Included here are actor Sidney Poitier, basketball legend Walt 'Clyde' Frazier, and entertainer Little Richard, among others, whose individual style transcends race, gender and identity. View Gallery Launch Gallery: Tailoring Black Style: Celebrating Iconic Black Male Figures In Fashion Best of WWD Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Met Gala's celebration of Black materialism missed the mark
The Met Gala was a visually stunning occasion that put Black people on display — but its blatant materialism overshadowed important discussions about class and what Black power truly means. The theme — 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style' — is named after an upcoming exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that celebrates the merger of African and European clothing styles that began in the 18th century, and it was inspired by author and professor Monica Miller's book 'Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.' The Gala, an annual fundraiser that raises money for the Manhattan museum's Costume Institute, was an homage to Black materialism in what the organizers portrayed as its purest form: high fashion sense, and how it apparently has been used to assert Black identity and amass Black power. In essence: The message was that the clothes make the man. And some of the largest, most luxe fashion brands in the world selected some of the wealthiest, most famous Black people in America as models for their clothing — and avatars for Black greatness — to drive this point home. As if to say the pathway to Black liberation and respectability travels along the seams of a fine-tailored (maybe Gucci-branded?) suit. I found the looks phenomenal. (You can find some of the best ones here.) I also found the air of elitism, classism and respectability politics hard to shake. In this era of broadening wealth inequality, the idea of the Met's handpicked Black elites donning expensive threads to convey regality and power at an event largely reserved for the uber-wealthy seemed more than a little out of touch. The dandy style 'challenges social hierarchies by subverting expectations of how Black men should present themselves,' Miller said in a recent interview with The Guardian. And I think that's an idea the public should contemplate, rather than merely gawk at the spectacular fits. Indeed, Black men dressing primly may defy some expectations of people who don't think we can. But on the other hand, there's been a persistent problem of people expecting us to dress primly to receive respect and human decency, a crisis we've seen play out over decades as Black men have been targeted and portrayed as criminals for wearing hoodies and baggy pants. This doesn't mean we shouldn't celebrate Black creativity and aestheticism. I created a project celebrating Black hair — I certainly see value in praising Black innovation. But we need to be careful about associating high fashion with respectability and power, because it risks marginalizing and disempowering those who either choose not to conform or don't have the means to do so. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Met Gala First Look: Photos From The ‘Superfine: Tailoring Black Style' Exhibit
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways The 2025 Met Gala will soon be underway, with a few privileged guests arriving to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art early Monday (May 5) morning to take in the exhibit accompanying fashion's biggest night out, 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.' The exhibit is the first of the Met's Costume Institute to, 'deal directly with race, alongside, gender, class, and sexuality, and only the second-ever devoted to menswear,' according to host publication, Vogue. Alongside head curator Andrew Bolton, the presentation is curated by Monica Miller, professor and chair of Africana Studies at Barnard College and Columbia University. She is also the author of Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, the 2009 tome that initially inspired the exhibit and gala's theme. As the emphasis this year will be on tailoring, we can say goodbye to the lavish gowns of Met Galas past in favor of elite suiting, as exhibited though years of Black style and the influence of well dressed black men known as Dandies. The exhibit also highlights three aspects of Black style that speak directly to Black life; 'Respectability,' a section highlighting more traditional suiting often worn when 'code switching' or blending in with mainstream style, 'Heritage,' which takes direct influence from traditional African design styles, and 'Cool,' which showcases 'fits that have defined what's hot and what's not over the past 50 years. Following tonight's red carpet, celebrities will also enter the exhibit to take it all in. Check out some of its stand-out looks hours before the stars do below! More from Best of Sign up for Vibe's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Metro
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Hidden references and no trousers - the hits and misses of the Met Gala
I was standing outside a Tube station last October when the theme for the Met Gala 2025 was announced. It was one close to my heart, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style and when I found out I was equal parts excited and annoyed. Excited, because a fairly niche area of fashion history was about to be portrayed on such a big stage; annoyed as this theme meant so much to me and it could so easily be butchered. After reading Monica Miller's book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity several years ago, I've been on a deep dive, absorbing myself in the world that is Black Dandyism, and as a designer myself, with a love for tailoring, I waited anxiously to see what would unfold. Every year, people watch the Met Gala red carpet and pore over the hits and misses of the theme, but to truly honor a subject matter like this, all those involved need to have a strong understanding of the historical and socio-political aspects behind it. Dandyism originated in late 18th century Britain. A dandy was a person who placed extreme importance on being well dressed, presenting themselves as an intellectual and a dictator of taste. Beau Brummell is probably the most popular example of a historic dandy; wearing an immaculately fitting and laundered suit, paying close attention to all small details from grooming to perfume. In some ways Beau Brummell could also be seen as a rebel, rejecting the traditional Regency dress, led by his philosophy: 'To be truly elegant, one should not be noticed.' In this sense, playwright Jeremy O. Harris emulated the traditional dandy aesthetic on the Met Gala carpet, perfectly wearing Balmain and a one-of-a-kind ring inspired by a Fabergé egg. It's all in the details. Black Dandyism came about during the post-Emancipation period, but reached its peak during the Harlem Renaissance in 1920s -30s New York. Fueled by the Great Migration, when millions of Black Americans moved from the more overt oppression of the South, Black people relocated to areas such as Harlem. This period saw a revolution in Black art, music, identity and community. The power and importance of this era is what I wanted to feel was honoured in the theme; as well as strong tailoring choices, a nod to the history of the Black Dandy (A big ask, yes – but a big topic!) Celebrities like BJ Gray and Tramell Tillman and Keith Powers embodied this feeling of Black Excellence, wearing chic sartorial silhouettes. Teyana Taylor, in her position as host, was one of the first on the red carpet in a zoot suit-inspired look. The zoot suit was popularised in the 1930s by African Americans as a fashion statement and symbol of resistance. The large amount of fabric within the trouser allowed for better movement when dancing and was worn and made popular by Cab Calloway among many others. Teyana gave me hope we would see more women follow her lead, but with the door wide open for female suiting, I think too many missed this opportunity. That said, some did embrace it, with gorgeous examples of this including Zendaya in a pristine three piece suit by Louis Vuitton, Joey King in an embellished green suit by Miu Miu, and Cardi B, also in Burberry echoing an Oscar Wildian dandy, but overall I was slightly disheartened by the lack of trouser suits on women. I personally also didn't care for the amount of celebrities wearing leotards with a theme such as tailoring. To channel Drag Race's Michelle Visage's advice: 'a bodysuit is not a look.' Notable disappointments for me included Hailey Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter and Doja Cat and Lisa. The one exception I will make to the lack of suit is Ayo Edebiri wearing Ferragamo by Maximillian. A beautiful ivory dress adorned with sculpted red beading, finished with a leather coat, inspired by her father and her Nigerian heritage. She may not have been wearing a suit but it was intentional, considered and polished. Three important characteristics that speak to the attitude of a dandy. I can't carry on without mentioning both Colman Domingo's entrance and reveal looks (the man can do no wrong). It was a thoughtful tribute to the late Andre Leon Talley – famous fashion journalist and a lifelong dandy – and then a Valentino suit, clashing checks and polka dots to great effect. Texture and colour are important aspects when thinking of Black Dandyism. Traditional tailoring sliced with a bold use of colour or pattern. Domingo did just that and some, while looking perfectly relaxed and in his element. One of my favourite aspects of the night were the subtle references made through people's outfits. Caleb McLaughlin, wearing Dior Men, directly referenced Rihanna's May 2020 Vogue cover story. British menswear designer Charlie Casely-Hayford paid tribute to Jean-Michel Basquiat's look at an 1987 Comme Des Garcons homme show. British actress Jodie Turner-Smith in Burberry also echoes the images of Black equestrian Selika Lazevski in proud top hat and riding coat Then there was the level of detail: Pharrell Williams wore a fully beaded jacket of 100,000 pearls in a pinstripe pattern; Khaby Lame sported custom Boss, with his waistcoat adorned with pocket watches' the flash of turquoise as Shaboozey smiled, revealing grills, which perfectly matched the beads of his custom Robert Wun ensemble These are just some of the people whose looks thrilled and excited me; who I felt truly made some effort and whose teams, if not themselves, actually researched and paid tribute to the theme and to Monica Miller's incredible book. The less said about Anne Hathaway, Lorde and Shakira's looks the better. These, although well-made, felt lazy in comparison. However, one thing that must be stated, is that the Met Gala is ultimately a charity event with tickets going for $75K and tables for $350K, which are bought by designers and sponsored by companies, but with this theme extra care and attention needs to be paid. The daffodils adorning the Met steps were a lovely touch, symbolising new beginnings, rebirth, hope and the promise of positive change – but when looking at some celebrities' 'best efforts', it really felt this symbolism was wasted. The theme was a brilliant one, the hosts fantastic, in terms of Black designers we saw beautiful pieces from Wales Bonner, Ozwald Boateng, Ahluwalia and Martine Rose but what about Tolu Coker and Labrum London? Also thinking about invitees, where was RuPaul? And Billy Porter? Social media was also in uproar this week as Wisdom Kaye announced he had not been invited to the Met this year. I'm sure his seat at the table would certainly not have been wasted. More Trending I would have also loved to have seen artist Yinka Shonibare present. He might not have the same reach of many of the attendees, but anyone who knows his work would agree that he would have been a great addition. Even thought leaders such as Akala, I would have loved to have seen there. But I think the Met would need to evolve into something so much bigger than itself to see this calibre of attendee support the institution. At its core Black Dandyism goes way beyond clothes, and has forever been a symbol of wit, rebellion and resistance. Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing Share your views in the comments below.
