Everything to Know About the 2025 Met Gala

The Met Gala, a.k.a. fashion’s Oscars, has become a spectacle beyond comparison — and seems to attract more and more attention and, sometimes, controversy (like when Kim Kardashian publicly discussed starving herself to fit into a dress). Now, the gala finds itself in uncharted territory with an ever-growing, global audience, one that is equal parts obsessed with every happening on the red carpet and offended by the blatant display of wealth central to the event (thinking about Priyanka Chopra’s $25 million Bulgari necklace). Nonetheless, as interest in the Met Gala grows, as does the never-ending list of questions about the night. We’re here to help.

First of all, when is the Met Gala?

It’s always the first Monday in May. This year it falls on May 5.

Why do people care about the Met Gala?

Simply put, it raises money. The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute gala celebrates the museum’s annual fashion exhibition and serves as a yearly fundraiser for the Costume Institute. If that sounds alarming, not to worry: Last year’s gala reportedly raised $26 million. And in the best of circumstances, it includes a show that highlights an important part of fashion’s history. (At its worst, it’s about Karl Lagerfeld.)

This event is an anomaly in that it’s a cross-industry snapshot of the who’s who in the cultural Zeitgeist. Simply put, it’s great people-watching, for better or worse. Where else could you see Miuccia Prada, in tailored satin cigarette pants, walk briskly past Lil Nas X in a bedazzled thong?

Despite the gala’s impact on the museum and its grandiose cultural footprint, it has come under fire in recent years for seeming out of touch.

What is the 2025 Met Gala theme?

The 2025 Met Gala theme is “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” meant to be an expression of Black dandyism.

The show draws inspiration from the work of Monica L. Miller, a professor and chair of Africana studies at Barnard College, and her book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity. The exhibition will be curated by Miller and the Costume Institute’s Andrew Bolton, and it plans to explore “the importance of clothing and style to the formation of Black identities in the Atlantic diaspora.”

According to Vogue, Miller describes Black dandyism as “a strategy and a tool to rethink identity, to reimagine the self in a different context. To really push a boundary — especially during the time of enslavement, to really push a boundary on who and what counts as human, even.” The outstanding question is how will an institution like the Met, where concerns about racism have long arisen through exhibition, and an industry like fashion, which is not one for inclusivity, approach this topic with care? We will have to wait and see.

What is the 2025 Met Gala dress code?

This year’s dress code is “Tailored for You” — which, if it sounds vague, you’re right. According to Vogue, the dress code is a “nod to the exhibition’s focus on menswear.” It’s “purposefully designed to provide guidance and invite creative interpretation.” Leah Faye Cooper, the magazine’s digital director, wrote that she expects to see “versions of the zoot silhouette popularized by jazz musicians in the 1940s to the bold, colorful styles worn by Congolese sapeurs” and other menswear staples like “hats, ties, canes, brooches, and pocket squares.”

Who are the Met Gala 2025 hosts?

The Met Gala co-chairs will include Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams, and Anna Wintour herself, of course. LeBron James will serve as an honorary co-chair.

Who else is going to the Met Gala this year?

Apart from the hosts, Vogue is also touting a host committee this year for the first time since 2019, and the list is massive. Simone Biles, Angel Reese, Sha’Carri Richardson, Ayo Edebiri, Audra McDonald, Jeremy Pope, Doechii, Usher, Tyla, Janelle Monáe, André 3000, Grace Wales Bonner, Edward Enninful, Olivier Rousteing, Dapper Dan, Spike Lee, Tonya Lewis Lee, Regina King, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Jordan Casteel, Rashid Johnson, Kara Walker, Jeremy O. Harris, and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (WHEW) are all on the committee and expected to walk the carpet.

Bonus guests include Zendaya and her longtime “image architect” Law Roach, who told E! News the duo will be attending. We’re also hoping the main event of the Met Gala (Rihanna) will also be in attendance, considering her partner is one of the hosts.

Is anyone banned from the Met Gala?

First and foremost, Wintour confirmed to Stephen Colbert that Donald Trump is forever banned from the event (as he should be). Jack Schlossberg is boycotting the event this year becasuse, “it’s not the time for a party like that,” but not banned per se. Tim Gunn is famously banned from the Met Gala for having an “open war” with Wintour ever since he publicly claimed he saw her getting “carried down five flights of stairs by two bodyguards — two big hulking men — from a fashion show.” Lili Reinhart believes she also won’t be invited back after criticizing Kardashian for openly admitting to “starving” herself to fit into a dress. Gwyneth Paltrow was also apparently in Met Gala time-out for a minute after saying the event “sucked” in 2013 but made a return to the carpet in 2017. Other celebrities, like Zayn Malik and Tina Fey, have expressed that they personally wouldn’t attend the event again. In fairness, it does sound like an introvert’s nightmare.

Do celebrities pay for their Met Gala tickets?

Typically, no. Brands or designers usually purchase tables and invite certain celebrities (approved by Wintour, of course) as their guests, apart from Kate Upton, who reportedly paid her way into the gala in 2012?

How much does it cost to attend the Met Gala?

Last year’s tickets cost $75,000 each (gulp — now you can see where the “out of touch’ allegations come from), which was a significant hike from 2023’s $50,000 tickets. We can likely expect this year’s event to fetch an even higher price point. Yeesh.

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