If you’re an avowed lover of fashion, there’s likely one space you’re watching every first Monday of May: the grand staircase of the Met Gala. Staged each year on the famed steps of New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, the 56-year-old event, which, according to CBS News, launched in 1948 as “a midnight supper club known as The Costume Institute Benefit” entered its current iteration as an annual themed gala in 1973. Since that time, the annual showcase has aligned with showstopping exhibitions — and equally memorable fashion moments.
Like the fashion industry itself, many of the event’s most eye-catching moments are the result of Black influence. From Rihanna’s perennial shutting down of the carpet to Serena Williams’ 2023 pregnancy reveal, to 2024 co-chair Zendaya‘s fantastical appearances, to thought-provoking moments from Lil Nas X, Jeremy Pope, Lena Waithe and more, Black ingenuity has been at the heart of some of the gala’s most famous (and infamous) moments in recent years. So as our eyes turn to the Met’s steps this year, trust: We’re still rooting for everybody Black.
So, what should we be watching for this year? Aside from co-chair Zendaya, expected to create yet another Met Gala moment alongside fellow chairs Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, Chris Hemsworth, and Vogue’s editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour — and Rihanna, who has coyly teased she’ll be playing it cool this year, the event’s A-list crowd is expected to artfully interpret this year’s exhibition theme, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” — a nod to the 250 garments in the Costume Institute’s permanent collection which have been “reawakened” to celebrate their timeless craftsmanship. As an extension of that theme, the event’s dress code, “The Garden of Time,” was inspired by a 1962 short story of the same name, written by J.G. Ballard. While we may not know the full guest list for tonight’s…
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