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Indian Express
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
The book behind the Met Gala: Monica L Miller's ‘Slaves to Fashion' and the politics of Black Dandyism
When Monica L Miller published Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity in 2009, few could have predicted that her academic study of Black style, identity, and resistance would one day shape the theme of fashion's most closely watched event. But this year, the Met Gala — known as much for its couture spectacle as for its cultural references — turned to Miller's work for inspiration, putting Black dandyism centre stage. Held annually to benefit the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Met Gala has in recent years looked to literature for thematic cues. In 2024, JG Ballard's 1962 short story 'The Garden of Time' offered a meditation on beauty, decay, and temporal fragility. This year, Miller, a professor and chair of Africana Studies at Barnard College, served as an inspiration. Published by Duke University Press, Slaves to Fashion examines how, from Enlightenment England to contemporary culture, Black men have appropriated the codes of high fashion, often born from European colonial contexts, to construct alternative, powerful identities. 'Dandyism is by definition an act of refusal to fit into or even accept given or typical categories of identity,' Miller said during remarks at the Gala's press preview, as quoted in the Vogue. The book — which received the 2010 William Sanders Scarborough Prize for the best book in African American literature and culture from the Modern Language Association (MLA) and was shortlisted for the 2010 Modernist Studies Association Book Prize — maps a lineage of style that includes Julius Soubise, an 18th-century freedman who wore diamond-buckled, red-heeled shoes; American sociologist W E B Du Bois, who embraced the aesthetic in his youth; and contemporary figures such as rappers Sean Combs aka Diddy and André 3000. Yinka Shonibare, the Afro-British artist known for the photographic suite, 'Diary of a Victorian Dandy', also features in Miller's analysis. The dandy's wardrobe becomes, in Miller's reading, a site of cultural reclamation. 'Luxury slaves,' as they were once called in 18th-century England, were Black servants styled in aristocratic garb by their masters. But, Miller shows how these individuals subverted these symbols . 'Tweaking and reworking their uniforms,' she writes, they carved out new new class identities. On June 3, Yale University Press will release, 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style', a hardcover companion book for this year's Met gala. It has been authored by Miller, who is the guest curator for this year's exhibition, and Costume Institute Curator in Charge, Andrew Bolton. The book traces the legacy of Black menswear across three centuries —from hip-hop aesthetic and popular street trends, through its use during the Harlem Renaissance and the civil rights movement. As conversations about race, representation, and cultural appropriation continue to evolve in art and fashion, the two books are a study on how style can speak volumes. Aishwarya Khosla is a journalist currently serving as Deputy Copy Editor at The Indian Express. Her writings examine the interplay of culture, identity, and politics. She began her career at the Hindustan Times, where she covered books, theatre, culture, and the Punjabi diaspora. Her editorial expertise spans the Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Punjab and Online desks. She was the recipient of the The Nehru Fellowship in Politics and Elections, where she studied political campaigns, policy research, political strategy and communications for a year. She pens The Indian Express newsletter, Meanwhile, Back Home. Write to her at or You can follow her on Instagram: @ink_and_ideology, and X: @KhoslaAishwarya. ... Read More
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
First Look at ‘Superfine: Tailoring Black Style' at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
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 While thousands milled around the Metropolitan Museum of Art Sunday afternoon and thousands more outside of the museum's walls are discussing what defines dandyism, the Costume Institute's spring show 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style' is unquestionably beautiful and complicated. Perhaps no one was more eager to see its realization than guest curator Monica L. Miller, whose 2009 book 'Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of the Black Diasporic Identity,' inspired the show. During a preview Sunday, Miller said she had never imagined that the show would spark such a global conversation. More from WWD 'It's a vessel — an unexpected lesson in history, where you can look at fashion and understand the power of fashion over time and geography. With the way that everyone is talking about it, it's also a container for those histories, but also people's imaginative and creative response,' she said. Spanning about 250 years, 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style' explores menswear through Black culture and identity with a good dose of the current street trends and hip-hop's influence, as well as such pivotal periods as the Harlem Renaissance, and the civil rights movement. There is also much to consider looking further back into our country's troubled past related to the imposed uniforms for servants and enslaved people, including two examples that are featured at the start. Visitors will walk through 12 sections — Ownership, Presence, Distinction, Disguise, Freedom, Champion, Respectability, Jook, Heritage, Beauty, Cool and Cosmopolitanism. They are meant to be defining but not definitive, Miller said. A preview of the Met's'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style' exhibit for the Met Gala 2025. The layout, which includes glass-encased garments, prompts gallery goers to look closer, as well as upward and outward, prompting a certain transcendence. The 'Superfine' name borrows from the 1789 autobiography of the enslaved Olaudah Equiano, who wrote of laying out eight pounds of his money 'for a suit of superfine clothes to dance with at his freedom.' Miller said, 'I'm giving you 12 different scenarios to think about the power of fashion in the largest terms, and in particular its power in relation to race. But there are so many other ways that you can take any one of these themes and topics and blow it out in a different direction to think much more comprehensively than we've been able to do here. That's exciting to me because I don't know what people are going to do. Younger people in particular are really ready, so go. 'Go' is what I want to say.' The exhibition also features looks from about 40 contemporary Black designers including Grace Wales Bonner, Ozwald Boateng, Labrum London, Botter, Telfar, Dapper Dan, Jeffrey Banks, Luar, Willy Chavarria, Balmain's Olivier Rousteing, Fear of God, Jawara Alleyne, Ervin Latimer, Bianca Saunders, Jacques Agbobly, and Off-White's Ib Kamara, among others. Multiple garments on view are from the past five years or so. There is also a good smattering of creations from Louis Vuitton, which is the show's lead sponsor and where Virgil Abloh served as creative director of men's collections and was succeeded by Pharrell Williams. 'You should be able to come through here and be really excited by contemporary Black fashion,' Miller said. A preview of the Met's'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style' exhibit for the 2025 Met Gala. A$AP Rocky, Lewis Hamilton and Louis Vuitton's Williams, who understand the might of self-fashioning and are among the cohosts of Monday night's Met Gala, will help to take the current interest in the show next level. To keep the pop culture conversation going, 'Superfine,' which opens to the public on Saturday and runs through Oct. 26, will be on view for eight weeks longer than any previous Costume Institute exhibition. At the entrance to 'Superfine,' the wall text defines a dandy as 'someone who studies above everything else to dress elegantly and fashionably.' During Sunday's preview, Miller, who collaborated with Andrew Bolton, the Costume Institute's curator in charge, spoke about the importance of dandyism to Black identity in the diaspora and the ways that Black designers have interpreted and envisioned that history. 'Museums are often in the business of telling history through objects. One of the things that people will learn in this exhibition is that you can learn really signal moments in Black history by thinking about it and looking at it through the lens of fashion and dress,' Miller said. 'We're also looking at things dialectically — what it means to be fashionable, when somebody imposes a perspective or idea on you, and what that means to fashion and how those two things have related over time and different geographies. I hope that people will be able to see how they've managed that dialectic even if they are not Black. But there are also very moments in here that will feel not only familiar but familial to people, like a strategy around fashion that their grandfather' may have adopted. A preview of the Met's'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style' exhibit for the 2025 Met Gala. Referring to the Cosmopolitanism section, for example, Miller noted how designers had referenced how their families really dressed up for their first flights. 'It was really a class journey to be able to afford air travel,' she said. The tensions tied to dandyism — such as when a dandy is racialized, or when a Black person uses dandyism as a tool — are also analyzed. Dandyism dates back to the 18th century, when it was imposed on Black servants who were used as figures of conspicuous consumption with fine textiles being used as form of currency and a means of exchange. A Brroks Brothers livery coat 1856-64 that was worn by an enslaved boy before the Civil War is one example of that. Deeper into the show there is a record of W.E.B. Du Bois' 1925 receipt for two Brooks Brothers suits. Knowing that some Met goers will spend a few hours in the galleries and others will skate through, Miller shared some of her must-see items, starting with the livery suits. A navy wool coat with an appliquéd braid of gold silk from John Galliano's 2000-01 haute couture Dior collection that was worn by the former Vogue journalist André Leon Talley and two spring 2023 black wool 'Body Stitch' suits by Off-White's Kamara that challenge gender norm with male anatomy stitched on one and female anatomy stitched on another are also must-sees, Miller said. 'Sometimes dandyism can be used for survival,' Miller said in the Disguise section, noting how some enslaved people dressed above their station in life to escape and then later sold their clothes to have money to live on. A preview of the Met's'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style' exhibit for the 2025 Met Gala. In the Freedom area, Miller stopped before a wall of portraits from the 1800s — including William Whipper, Abraham Hanson and Thomas Howland — to highlight the significance of their attire, expressions, jewelry and adornments. A few feet away in Respectability is an homage to the American abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass — clothing, a cane, a top hat, a comb, non-prescription sunglasses and a pocket watch. Miller noted how the latter symbolized how as a free person Douglass had control over his own time. A jockey's jacket of red silk satin with individually handstitched stripes of green silk satin and white buckskin breeches from 1830-50 is another one of Miller's essentials to see. She noted how the colors worn by the enslaved jockeys signaled the status and property of their owners, as well as the household's livery. A preview of the Met's'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style' exhibit for the 2025 Met Gala. A 1987 Dapper Dan ensemble that repurposed Louis Vuitton logo leather indicated how the designer brought luxury labels to the people, Miller said. The musician known as Prince's white ruffled shirt from Vaughn Terry Jelks from his 1984 'Purple Rain' tour and a Pat Campano jacket worn by 'Disco Queen' Sylvester James are expected to be of interest. Miller also highlighted a quartet of designs by Pyer Moss' Kerby Jean-Raymond, including a red outfit with guitar-shaped piping from the designer's final collection that focused on the singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe and her significance in rock 'n' roll. Standing near a white Western suit with a swath of monogrammed Kente cloth that Abloh created for Louis Vuitton, Miller mentioned how the design, which referenced his Ghanian heritage, may get a good amount of attention. Drawn as many may be to contemporary designers, there are also Zoot suits that are not to be missed — a 1943 navy wool twill one and a 1940-45 green wool check one from Progress Tailoring Co. are on view. 'In his autobiography, Malcolm X talks about being obsessed with the Lindy Hop at The Savoy. So when he bought his first Zoot suit, he couldn't wait to get it out on the dance floor,' Miller said. The fact that Zoot suits were created at a time of rationing led to the 'Zoot Suit Riots,' after some American servicemen got into a fracas with some Zoot-suited Jooks, Miller said. That illustrates how some of Black fashion and style means one thing to people inside of the community and something else to people outside. It may be part of community building, but also provocatively different for people outside of the community. 'That's another conversation that's happening in the exhibition,' Miller said. View Gallery Launch Gallery: The Met Previews 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style' [PHOTOS] Best of WWD Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Everything to know about the Met Gala 2025: theme, how to watch, more
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 It's the first Monday in May — cue the couture chaos. Fashion's biggest night is back, and the 2025 Met Gala promises to deliver another dazzling, drama-filled parade of style. The annual benefit for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute isn't just a fancy fund-raiser, it's a full-blown cultural spectacle, where celebrities compete to outdo each other on the museum's iconic steps in looks that range from breathtaking to bonkers. Zendaya's couture was a highlight at the 2024 Met Gala celebrating 'Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.' Getty Images A multitude of designs are on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute 2025 exhibition, 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.' Charles Sykes/Invision/AP This year's theme, 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,' draws from Monica L. Miller's 2009 book on 'black dandyism' entitled 'Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.' 'Black dandyism,' as per Vogue, refers to a movement where sharp-dressed black men used fashion as power, protest and personal expression. Last year's May 1 soirée, 'Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,' saw stars adorning themselves with a dreamy dress code in mind, 'The Garden of Time.' Ensembles boasted floral accents, wood grain embellishments and more. Inspired by a 1962 J.G. Ballard short story, the looks nodded to fleeting beauty, nature and a crystal-studded dystopia. From the red carpet to the after-hours exhibit tour, here's everything you need to know about the Met Gala on May 5. How to watch Teyana Taylor, seen here at the 2024 event, is the host of Vogue's livestream this year along with La La Anthony and Ego Nwodim. Getty Images This year's Met Gala takes place Monday, May 5, and once again, Vogue holds the livestreaming reins. You can catch every glimmering arrival live on YouTube and the outlet's social platforms. Singer and actor Teyana Taylor, actor and producer La La Anthony and actor and 'SNL' comedian Ego Nwodim will host this year's livestream. Expect red carpet commentary and behind-the-scenes moments as stars arrive — and maybe another meme-able moment like Keke Palmer and Megan Thee Stallion's 2021 chat or Jack Harlow and Emma Chamberlain's 2022 flirt fest. Coverage of the Met Gala will also air live on E!; for those without cable, you can tune in with a five-day free trial from DIRECTV. What to know about the theme A livery coat and waistcoat worn by an enslaved servant (left) and a Brooks Brothers coat for an enslaved child are displayed. Charles Sykes/Invision/AP Designs by Jeffrey Banks (left) and Morty Sills are also featured. Charles Sykes/Invision/AP Designs by Dapper Dan and Bstroy await museum visitors. Charles Sykes/Invision/AP The exhibit includes PUMA sneakers and a hat worn by NBA star Walt Frazier. Charles Sykes/Invision/AP This year's theme, 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,' is inspired by Monica L. Miller's book 'Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.' The exhibit, curated by Miller and Andrew Bolton, dives into dandyism as self-expression, resistance and celebration — splitting the show into 12 sections like Distinction, Jook and Cool, with works from artists including Tyler Mitchell and Torkwase Dyson. OG dandy icon Beau Brummell shook up stiff 18th-century Britain with razor-sharp tailoring and a cool 'let the clothes talk' energy. But black dandyism took that style and made it a statement. Designs by Jacques Agbobly (left) and Jeffrey Banks for the Met's Costume Institute exhibit. AP For generations, sharply dressed black men have used fashion to challenge stereotypes, command respect and honor their individuality. Born post-emancipation and blazing through the Harlem Renaissance, black dandyism stitched European elegance with cultural pride. As legends like Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston broke barriers in the arts, Harlem's style scene was suiting up and speaking volumes. Now, modern black dandies like Jidenna, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams, Colman Domingo and André 3000 put a fresh spin on the classic style — using bold suits, fedoras and fearless flair to honor tradition while redefining fashion norms. A portrait of an unknown American circa 1940s-1950s, which will be displayed in the exhibit. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Twentieth-Century Photography Fund Ensembles we can anticipate Keep your eyes peeled for a fierce fusion of vintage and modern black style — think old-school dandies rubbing elbows with today's rule-breaking icons. We can likely anticipate crisp tailoring, oversize lapels, figure-flattering zoot suits and statement accessories loaded with meaning. This could be the year many fellas steal the spotlight — though don't be surprised when the ladies show up suited and booted. What happens inside Phones are notoriously not allowed inside, though some rule-breaking celebs usually post a few snaps. REUTERS After working the carpet in theme-drenched couture, guests head inside the Met for an exclusive first look at the Costume Institute's latest exhibit. Once inside, phones are (theoretically) off, and the press is kept out Then, it's cocktail hour — where A-listers mix, mingle and low-key gossip over Champagne — followed by a swanky sit-down dinner with strategically assigned seats. Fashion houses foot the bill for many of the celeb guests, and the night wraps with showstopping surprise performances — last year, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo brought down the house. The co-chairs A$AP Rocky (from left), Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, LeBron James and Pharrell Williams. AP This year's Met Gala is co-chaired by Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams and, of course, Vogue queen bee Anna Wintour. LeBron James joins as honorary chair. This year's host committee is stacked — André 3000, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Jordan Casteel, Dapper Dan, Doechii, Ayo Edebiri, Edward Enninful, Jeremy O. Harris, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Rashid Johnson, Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee, Audra McDonald, Janelle Monáe, Jeremy Pope, Angel Reese, Sha'Carri Richardson, Tyla, Usher and Kara Walker — so it's clear the night will be equal parts glitz and game-changer. Notable attendees Rihanna, seen here at the 2023 Met Gala with A$AP Rocky, is rumored to be attending the 2025 bash. Getty Images While the full guest list is tightly guarded, some familiar faces are expected. La La Anthony, Teyana Taylor and Ego Nwodim will co-host the livestream. Rihanna — a Met Gala MVP — is rumored to attend alongside beau A$AP Rocky. Past showstoppers like Blake Lively, Jennifer Lopez and Zendaya are likely contenders, as are Met Gala mainstays like Serena Williams, Lady Gaga and the Kardashian-Jenner clan. The history of the Met Gala Anna Wintour, seen here at the 2024 Met Gala wearing Loewe, presides over the event. Getty Images Founded in 1948 by fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert, the Met Gala was originally a $50 dinner to support the Costume Institute. Now, a single ticket will set you back a reported $75,000 — up from last year's $50,000, as reported by the New York Times. Since Wintour took the reins in 1995, the event has morphed into the Oscars of fashion, with every A-lister vying for an invite. Despite the gaudiness, the gala remains a key fund-raiser, generating millions annually to support the Met's exhibitions and acquisitions. So buckle up, fashion fans: The Met steps are about to become the most star-studded runway on earth once again.
Express Tribune
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Shah Rukh Khan among Indian stars who dazzled at Met Gala 2025 with Priyanka, Kiara and Diljit
The Met Gala 2025, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, featured stunning appearances from India's top celebrities. Shah Rukh Khan, making his debut at the event as the first Indian male actor to attend, dazzled in a black suit by Sabyasachi Mukherjee. The Bollywood icon accessorized with gold details, a walking cane, and a pendant bearing the letter "K," marking a significant moment for Indian cinema. Following Khan, Priyanka Chopra Jonas made a striking appearance at her fifth Met Gala, turning heads in a tailored polka dot suit dress by Olivier Rousteing of Balmain. Complementing her look, Chopra wore dazzling Bvlgari jewelry, reflecting her role as a global ambassador for the brand. She was accompanied by her husband, singer Nick Jonas, adding glamour to the evening. Kiara Advani, making her Met Gala debut, glowed in a black, gold, and white gown that celebrated her impending motherhood. The gown, adorned with a heart-shaped plate for the baby, marked a tender moment for the actress, who is expecting her first child. Indian pop star and actor Diljit Dosanjh made a memorable Met Gala debut, donning a royal Punjabi ensemble designed by Prabal Gurung. His outfit, rooted in cultural heritage, adhered to the evening's theme of 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,' inspired by Monica L. Miller's Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.
Hamilton Spectator
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Inside the Met Gala: Under a petal-filled sky, guests honor Black style, hail a ‘monumental night'
NEW YORK (AP) — 'Well, it took a minute,' said Spike Lee, surveying the glittering Met Gala crowd during cocktail hour through bright orange glasses that matched his New York Knicks cap. 'But we're here now, that's the most important thing.' Lee was referring to the fact that for the very first time, the Met Gala was making a point of celebrating Black style and Black designers — something he felt was an overdue milestone, but a very welcome one. 'Long overdue,' Lee repeated. 'But we're here to celebrate. And who knows what's gonna happen because of this event? There's gonna be reverberations around the world.' Lee was echoing an excitement that many of the approximately 400 guests — luminaries in sports, music, fashion, film, theater and more — shared as they sipped cocktails or toured the gala's accompanying exhibit, 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.' The show is an exploration of Black menswear from the 18th century onward, with dandyism as a unifying theme. Another film director, Baz Luhrmann, was touring the exhibit, designed by curator Monica L. Miller, a Barnard professor who literally wrote the book on dandyism: 'Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity. He, too, mused on the importance of this year's theme. 'Sometimes the subjects are fun, sometimes you go, that's interesting. But this is a subject where you go, why has light not been shone on this before?' Luhrmann said. 'Black sartorial power on culture is so great but how much talk has there been about it?' Thinking of a departed friend For Whoopi Goldberg, the most important person of the evening wasn't actually there. It was her late friend, André Leon Talley, the fashion editor and personality who was so important to Black style, and with whom she'd attended previous galas. Talley, who died in 2022, is honored in the exhibit; there's a caftan he wore, among other objects. And Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton has said he was an inspiration for the show. 'I think they did him proud,' Goldberg said during cocktails. 'I'm very happy to be here again, but spectacularly happy to see how they took care of him.' Asked what Talley would have thought of the show, she guessed he'd say: 'I'm glad you understand.' And she added: 'What better way to honor him?' Goldberg was dressed head to toe — meaning mini-top hat to spats-inspired shoes, to handbag – in Thom Browne. 'He said. 'Will you come?'' Goldberg said of Browne, whose suits, particularly, are hugely popular. 'And I said, when you're done, just put it on me, and I'm good. I feel incredible.' So what is dandyism? It was a favored topic of conversation; every guest had a slightly different way of defining what a dandy is. For director Lee, it was simple: 'Doing your own thing.' For Audra McDonald, it was about 'a sense of reclaiming' one's own identity and worth. The Broadway actor, currently starring in 'Gypsy,' was among the first guests examining the exhibit, along with her husband and fellow actor, Will Swenson. Over at cocktails, the Rev. Al Sharpton was describing dandyism as a form of activism: the silent kind. 'It means to me that even in the midst of being in a socially limited situation, we celebrate. I refuse to submit to just having a menial job. I'm gonna dress up . I'm gonna tip my hat. It's a sense of rebellion without having to speak it.' A crucial sense of timing Sharpton was full of praise for the Met having chosen this moment to honor Black style. 'It comes at a very important time,' he said. 'To make a statement of diversity at the highest cultural level — which is the Met Gala — when diversity is under attack by the highest office in the land is more than if I could do a hundred marches. This is a monumental night.' Broadway actor Alex Newell agreed. It was the performer's third Met Gala in a row, but this one had a special meaning. 'It's nice to see us represented this way,' Newell said. 'Just when it is needed the most.' A flower-filled night sky Once gala guests climb the steps outside and enter the museum's Great Hall, they encounter each year a monumental centerpiece, usually floral. This year, it was hundreds — thousands? — of flower petals suspended from the ceiling, with lighting evoking a starry sky. The petals also hung over the Great Hall staircase, which guests ascended to greet the awaiting receiving line of gala hosts. The petals — made of fabric, truth be told – were meant to symbolize narcissus flowers, and there were also reflecting pools, nodding to the myth of Narcissus. The greeting was not only visual but musical: An orchestra, accompanied by swaying singers, played favorites like Al Green's 'Let's Stay Together' and Stevie Wonder's 'Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing,' Guests then either proceeded to view the exhibit, or head straight to cocktails in the airy Engelhard Court. Often, they seem to prefer socializing, but this year the exhibit was filled with guests. Honoring Oscar (Wilde, that is) One of the more famous dandies, historically speaking, was Oscar Wilde. And so there was symmetry in the fact that Sarah Snook — the 'Succession' star — was dressed in a way Wilde would have liked. It was certainly intentional. Snook now is appearing on Broadway in 'The Picture of Dorian Gray,' the stage adaptation of Wilde's 1891 novel in which she plays all 26 roles. 'Yes, There's definitely an echo,' Snook said with a smile, about her striking (and aristocratic-looking) black suit. 'Oscar would be happy.' Snook said she was enjoying her night off at the gala — conveniently for the many guests from Broadway, theaters are dark on Mondays. 'I'm loving the celebration of beautiful things,' Snook said of her gala experience. There are always first-timers At every Met Gala, there are newbies — and they're often rather starstruck. One of them was model Christian Latchman, 19, wearing a dramatic white ensemble that combined trousers with a long skirt. If he looked familiar, that's because Latchman is the face in the photograph on the cover of the exhibit's massive hardcover catalog. Asked to sum up his feelings about the evening, he said simply: 'Astonishment. That's the word for it.' Also new to the gala was actor Keith Powers, who sat on the sidelines, soaking it in. Was it all intimidating? Overwhelming? 'All of the above,' he said. 'It makes me anxious — and happy, and inspired.' A call to dinner, tuba included Cocktails are fun, but dinner at the Met Gala sounds even more fun — that's where guests get an A-plus musical performance, for one thing. But music also accompanies the call to dinner. This time, it was the New York-based High and Mighty Brass Band who did the honors, snaking through cocktails with drums, trombones, a tuba and trumpets. Then guests headed off — slowly — to dinner, where they feasted on a menu by chef Kwame Onwuachi. Dinner began with papaya piri piri salad, and moved on to creole roasted chicken with a lemon emulsion, and cornbread with honey curry butter and barbecue greens. Dessert? That was a 'cosmic brownie' with powdered sugar doughnut mousse. ___ For more coverage of the 2025 Met Gala, visit:
