As the annual Met Gala began Monday night, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York came alive with celebrations of Black history, culture, and fashion. The rain didn’t dampen the mood on fashion’s big night out. A-list celebrities from the entertainment, sports, and art industries joined designers, models, and stylists as they climbed the Met’s famous, and for the evening, blue-carpeted, steps.
The Costume Institute’s companion exhibition, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” which examines the history of Black dandyism, inspired this year’s much-awaited dress code, “Tailored for You.” According to the Met, the purpose of its yearly theme is to “provide guidance and invite creative interpretation.
Both were accomplished, as several guests gave zoot suits—wide-shouldered, high-waisted suits made popular by African American males in the 1940s—a modern twist. Fashion designer Dapper Dan told CNN that “real dandyism” started with zoot suits, jazz, and the Harlem Renaissance movement before he arrived at the event. “That’s when Black creatives and artists started dressing how they felt,” he continued.
This year, the first-ever menswear-focused Met Gala dress code was implemented, pushing designers to reinvent tailoring customs for their female clientele. Exaggerated suiting was all over the red carpet, from the wide shoulders of Doja Cat’s Marc Jacobs blazer, which was inspired by the 1980s, to the wide-lapeled jackets worn by rapper Doechii and actress Tessa Thompson.
Also Read:
Purple Émotion Ltd (2013): Audacity at the Heart of the Customer Experience
