The Met Gala is a fundraiser for The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. The 2025 Met Gala theme was “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” which explored the history and influence of the Black dandy, a cultural figure within the black community who uses fashion as a form of self-expression and to interpret social hierarchies. The outfits worn by celebrities this year shows their interpretation of Black dandyism and how they chose to use their outfits as their own expression of their identity. This year’s Met Gala has a very impactful and historic theme tied to it as it emphasizes on the past leading to liberation through how society has continued to progress and expand equality to everyone.
“I’ve seen some of the clips on Tiktok, some of them have been ugly, some of them have been really good,” Sophia Faudoa stated, a freshman in fashion design, offering her insight on Met Gala looks seen on social media.
Many have seen the outfits and theme on social media which expands the threshold of people who see the Met Gala and get interested in it.
“Rihanna’s was good—Chappel Roan’s was actually not good,” said Sophia on her opinion on the outfits she decidedly likes and dislikes.
People have different tastes and opinions when it comes to celebrities’ outfits, especially in such significant events such as the Met Gala where conflicting views and styles are very outspoken.
“That’s what design is though, it’s different,” Evyn Davidson states, another student in the fashion design class, adding her opinion on the various Met Gala outfits.
The Met Gala is known for extravagant and unique outfits as all designers choose to do something different with the theme they’re given, which allows for various outfits to be shown on the Red Carpet.
“I feel like it could have come across weird in some ways if that makes sense. Like, it was kind of hard for the designers to make sure that everything was respectful and good, but also get the theme,”said Mrs. Vellinga, the fashion design teacher, speaking her opinion on this year’s Met Gala theme.
This year’s theme has deep historical ties to Black culture and brought out peoples’ differing views about how to go about it. While many were able to praise the prominence of drawing attention to Black dandyism and its cultural ties to the Black community, others criticized the theme for having the potential to cause cultural appropriation.
“So, I think it’s really good that it’s a charity event and it’s fun to look at the designers and it’s fun to give the designers attention–but sometimes I do think it’s over-hyped,” continues Mrs. Vellinga. “I do understand when people refer to it as like the Hunger Games and it’s like watching from District 12; in some ways it does feel out of touch.”
Many people compare the Met Gala to the dystopian world of the Hunger Games where people with wealth are able to show off their expensive outfits and fame while the rest of the world watches and observes from their homes. Many point out how problematic it becomes due to its exclusivity as it’s very inaccessible to the general public. However, the Met Gala still has many good aspects as it brings a significant amount of attention to the fundraising for the Art’s Costume Institute through the mass support of social media. In fact, this year’s Met Gala raised a record amount of money for the Costume Institute, grossing about $31 million, the most successful fundraiser in the event’s history.
