What does the Met Gala 2025 have to do with Texas? And why should we care about Texans at the Met Gala and designer fashion that costs more than your entire car payment, while we’re struggling with trying to keep pregnant Texans alive, our health departments and public schools funded and prevent our beaches from becoming rocket launchpads?
Glad you asked. This year it’s about basking in Black joy. The theme, “Tailored for You,” is based on the Costume Institute’s first exhibit to focus exclusively on Black designers, and the first in more than 20 years devoted to menswear. There will be notable Texans on the red carpet, and more references Black personal style that will be hard to talk about without discussing southern and Texas history.
So, join us as we pour a glass of a Texas Hill Country red and sip away into fashion dandy land.
What is the Met Gala?
So, first things first: the Met Gala is an annual fundraising event for The Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan that happens every first Monday in May. The benefit helps raise money for exhibitions, publications, acquisitions, operations, and capital improvements, according to the Met website. The gala also serves as the opening night exclusive for the first-look at the museum’s spring exhibition, which this year is “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” and runs from May 10 through Oct. 26.
What is the Met Gala theme?
Every year, the gala has a theme set by the event organizers with input from Anna Wintour, who’s the editor-in-chief of Vogue, and chief content officer of parent company Condé Nast. This year’s theme is “Tailored for You,” a nod to the exhibition’s focus on suiting and menswear.
Why is the exhibit important to the gala?
This year marks the first time the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute’s exhibit will focus exclusively on Black designers, and the first in more than 20 years devoted to menswear. The theme is influenced by Monica L. Miller’s 2009 book, “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.”
There are 12 themes that divide the exhibit: Ownership, presence, distinction, disguise, freedom, champion, respectability, jook, heritage, beauty, cool and cosmopolitanism. As Celebrity stylist Law Roach told ELLE: “I want to see amazing tailoring. I want to see different takes on tailoring. Because tailoring doesn’t necessarily have to mean a suit. There’s so many other ways that it can be expressed….When I think of a tailor, I always also think of a beautiful wedding gown.”
Roach said, “there’s a female counterpart to the dandy—the quaintrelle—I think of someone like Cardi B, Mae West, and Jayne Mansfield, and those women with those bodies. Everything’s perfectly tailored. The waist is perfectly tiny.”
How much money has the gala raised?
During a time where companies and institutions are slashing funds for diversity, equity and inclusion, the Met is making sure it’s front and center. And it’s been well-received among the elites. This year, the event has raised a record $31 million, which is a first in the event’s 77-year history. While there is some praise for the large sum, others are left questioning if Black designers or the Black community will actually profit from the money. Influencers on TikTok are reminding the public that this gala helps raise money for the preservation of the arts, something that the current administration is committed to ending.
Texas ties to the Met Gala
This year, the Met will revive its longstanding tradition of a host committee, which is a group of influencers from different areas including actors, artists, athletes, designers, filmmakers, musicians, and writers. They are responsible for organizing and promoting the gala and supporting the gala festivities.
Simone Biles and Sha’Carri Richardson are part of the host committee and are representing Texas. Houston-native Biles was in attendance with her husband, NFL football player Jonathan Owens (whom she met when he played for the Houston Texans.) She teased to People magazine that her dress will require her to “wear at least five to six inch heels.”
Dallas-native, Richardson posted her glam preparations ahead of tonight’s red-carpet walk. “I’m beyond excited to stand with my fellow Host Committee members in supporting The Met and this year’s spring Costume Institute exhibition, celebrating the undeniable impact of Black creativity on fashion and culture for centuries. Our style isn’t just what we wear—it’s how we move, how we own our space, how we tell our story without saying a word,” Richardson said in a press release. “Fashion sets us apart, but it also brings us together—whether you’re shining on the track, commanding the stage, or just making the streets of New York your runway. On May 5, our light will continue shining on the power of style, and trust me, you don’t wanna miss it.”
Houston rapper, Megan Thee Stallion, dazzled in a beautiful silver Michael Kors gown and a white fur coat. According to People magazine, it’s Meg’s first time attending the gala since 2022.
Nick Jonas, Dallas native, also made an appearance on the carpet with his partner Priyanka Copra.
Fort Worth’s Leon Bridges wore a bespoke pinstripe suit by Nicholas Daley. The London-based designer posted on Instagram that the two collaborated to pay homage to Black dandyism, “something I believe Leon naturally embodies through his music and personal style,” Daley wrote.
