With a theme like "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style," the 2025 Met Gala carpet was guaranteed to feature an exuberant celebration of the culture, and Teyana Taylor clearly understood the assignment. Taylor's Met Gala look, designed by Marc Jacobs in collaboration with Ruth E. Carter, was not only unapologetically Black; it was both Black and joyful. Taylor accessories paid particular sartorial homage to elements of Black style that have been traditionally dismissed or denigrated by mainstream fashion culture. Her chains hung low. She carried a cane and had a feather in her cap. And under that cap? A beautifully color-matched durag. From gloves to brooches to platform heels, her drip was, in a word, immaculate.
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Back in my day, you could be sent home from school for wearing pants that sagged or having a wallet chain that was deemed "too long." It isn't difficult to identify these dress codes as subtle microaggressions or attacks on culture. I couldn't help but think of those wallet chain restrictions when taking the near-floor-length chains adorning Taylor's baggy, but perfectly fitted trousers. Her cape—a major trend of this year's Gala, we're calling it now—was inscribed with the era of Black excellence it, in part, homaged: The Harlem Renaissance. Swag, thy name is Taylor. Also Carter. And, yes, Marc Jacobs, we see you too.
It's no accident that one of the minds behind Taylor's epic Met Gala ensemble is known for her work in bringing Blackness to the forefront of American mainstream culture. Ruth E. Carter is a two-time Best Costume Design Oscar-winner for her work on Black Panther and Black Panther II: Wakanda Forever, but she's been bringing Black style to film since the '80s when she first teamed up with Spike Lee on School Daze and Do the Right Thing. In other words, Carter's been in this game for a while, and it's a sheer delight to see her bring her keen eye to fashion's biggest Monday night.
