Beyond the blue carpet: Met Gala Monday unpacked

With the arrival of the first Monday of May, we welcomed the always iconic Met Gala. It’s pretty easy to guess the theme based on this year’s phenomenal outfits, but in case you missed it, this year was: ‘Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.’

With the focus on Black dandyism, there were high hopes for the usually disappointing crowd of men who cling to their designer suits. Every detail of this year’s Gala was planned to perfection, introducing a stunning blue carpet made in Kerala and a wonderful performance of ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ from Silk & Sound.

This year’s theme provided a fantastic opportunity centred around suits. As always, we celebrated a mix of standout successes and notable missteps from our beloved celebrities.

Let’s start with those that may have disappointed the masses:
Hailey Bieber was wildly disappointing in her Reformation-esque suit dress, and honestly, the Kardashians weren’t much better. After Kim and Kendall turned heads last year, we all expected more. Sydney Sweeney also severely missed the point of this year’s theme, even though her Miu Miu dress paid homage to Kim Novak. Pharrell Williams had flair, but considering the other outfits gracing the blue carpet, it was a let-down. There isn’t much to be said about Central Cee’s outfit, which honestly speaks volumes.

Lewis Hamilton’s all-white ensemble was perfection, introducing one of the first cropped jackets of the night, beautifully complemented by his stunning brooch and signature jewellery

Moving on to bigger and better things, we have the high achievers of 2025:
Of course, our chairs Colman Domingo and Lewis Hamilton knocked it out of the park with their suave and finely tailored suits. Domingo’s suit was downright dapper, but it was his Valentino cape, prior to the outfit change, that completed the look. It practically screamed royalty. Lewis Hamilton’s all-white ensemble was perfection, introducing one of the first cropped jackets of the night, beautifully complemented by his stunning brooch and signature jewellery.

Gigi Hadid wore Miu Miu, and looked radiant in her gold halter-neck dress, but despite this, one has to question how relevant it was to the theme. On the other hand, Lupita Nyong’o absolutely aced it with her perfectly tailored baby-blue suit and matching cape.

For the first time, Shah Rukh Khan, the biggest celebrity to ever come out of India, attended the Met Gala accompanied by the iconic designer Sabyasachi. Despite a terrible interview on the hosts’ part, both men stayed true to the theme. Shah Rukh was in an understated yet elegant suit, matched with gold jewellery, whilst Sabyasachi leaned more into the dandy side of the night.

Following this theme of South Asian designers is Coco Jones in Manish Malhotra, and of course, the designer himself. Both were the definition of resplendent, with their perfectly embellished and accessorised outfits.

Megan Thee Stallion, reminiscent of the glamour of Diana Ross, leaned into pure luxury and elegance with her gorgeous Michael Kors gown, fur cape, and diamond-encrusted hair.

Naturally, Dapper Dan outshone everyone in his truly magnificent three-piece suit

Doechii and Ayo Edibiri took the traditional suit and made it their own, still matched with immaculate tailoring. Both presented wholly unique looks, featuring Doechii’s perfectly tailored shorts and Edibiri’s artful red detailing.

Zendaya has an incredible history with the Met Gala, her most iconic looks being the 2019 Cinderella look and her 2018 Joan of Arc moment. Whilst this year’s outfit was the definition of tailored, it was also significantly understated compared to her previous successes. However, it was a perfectly executed nod to dandies, and both her and Anna Sawai’s closely matching outfits were a classic addition to the lot.

Our notable mentions for the evening are Bad Bunny with his hat get-up, Walton Goggins’ black and white ensemble, and Tracee Ellis Ross’ intriguing pink suit. Naturally, Dapper Dan outshone everyone in his truly magnificent three-piece suit.

For me, this year’s winners are:
Laura Harrier in Zac Posen. Her look was perfectly timeless, featuring ethereal, floating sleeves and trousers, paired with a gorgeously cut suit-blouse hybrid. There truly was nothing else like it.

As the evening’s host, Teyana Taylor ensured her work didn’t hinder her fashion choices for the evening. Inspired by the once-illegal zoot suits, Taylor arrived in Marc Jacobs, stunning the blue carpet with her three-piece suit. The combination of deep burgundy and pinstripes was truly divine.

Overall, this year has been a successful one, with many of our favourite celebrities embracing the theme and providing us with some truly memorable looks

Diljit Dosanjh showcased his Punjabi heritage as he arrived in the style of a Maharaja, even wearing the infamous ‘Patiala necklace’. He appeared regal, entirely adorned in jewels and equipped with a sword; however, Cartier’s refusal to complete the necklace with the Maharaja’s original choker, which they willingly gave to Emma Chamberlain in 2022, was sadly disappointing.

Arriving in style, Damson Idris delivered a captivating display as he promoted his new Formula One film. Initially donning a racing jumpsuit after driving his character’s car, complete with new livery, Idris executed an incredible stunt. His impeccably tailored suit exuded dandy flair and its reveal in the resulting photographs may be among the most iconic of this year.

Finally, we have the queen herself, Diana Ross. Wearing Nigerian designer Ugo Mozie, Ross graced the blue carpet after more than 20 years in her jaw-dropping, feather-trimmed cape and matching hat. The personal details of the outfit are touching, as the names of her children and grandchildren were embroidered along the cape. Ross created one of the most iconic Met Gala looks of all time and gave new meaning to the word “glamorous”.

Overall, this year has been a successful one, with many of our favourite celebrities embracing the theme and providing us with some truly memorable looks. Here’s hoping next year can even aspire to top this!