Fall 2024 has only just begun, but the first Monday in May of next year is already on the calendar, as the theme and co-chairs of the 2025 Met Gala were shared with the fashion elite at a press conference inside New York City's famed Metropolitan Museum of Art on October 9.

Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton, along with Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue, and just-announced co-chairs Pharrell Williams and Lewis Hamilton, said, “Superfine: This exhibit is, It will be the first ever museum exhibit to explore dandyism and the influence of black men on style. Everything you need to know about the 2025 Met Gala, from the theme to the co-chairs to the dress code, will be shared in detail down the road, just a few months before May 5, 2025, for what will be one of the most notable and historic Met Galas in long memory, There is plenty of time to study and prepare.

“Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” is the theme of the 2025 Met Gala. The title and scope of the exhibit derives from “Slaves to Fashion: Styling Black Dandyism and Black Diasporic Identity,” a book by Monica L. It is explored through the lens of “dandyism,” defined as a sophisticated lifestyle from the 18th century to the present. The exhibits include clothing, photographs, paintings, and much more.

The list of co-chairs for the 2025 Met Gala includes leaders in style and sports. Pharrell Williams, musician and creative director of menswear for Louis Vuitton, will co-chair the Met Gala for the sixth time. It is also the second time he has helmed the event: he also co-chaired the gala celebrating Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: in 2017, he co-chaired The Art of the Inbetween. [Williams is the official co-chair, along with Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton, rapper Asap Rocky, and actor Colman Domingo. Basketball legend LeBron James will also serve as honorary co-chair. Expect to see major “fits” by A$AP Rocky, who has always been a leader in street style with his partner Rihanna, and Colman Domingo, who has worn various experimental red carpet suits on the awards circuit.

Lewis Hamilton is a particularly important pick in this lineup. First, because he is widely considered the best-dressed driver in Formula 1 racing. Second, because Hamilton has big ambitions in the fashion world: his league recently signed a major advertising deal with LVMH, the conglomerate that owns Louis Vuitton and Dior. And in an interview that appeared on the cover of GQ magazine in April 2024, he described his ambition to launch his own luxury house, with an emphasis on black-owned brands. (In other words: Hamilton has invited three up-and-coming black designers to sit in on the 2021 Met Gala: Theofilio, Kenneth Nicholson, and Jason Lembert.)

And, of course, Anna Wintour will co-chair the event. Vogue magazine co-chairs the gala each year and broadcasts a live stream of the official red carpet.

According to exhibition curator Andrew Bolton, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” will be the first museum exhibit to explore black dandyism. It is also the first time in decades that the Costume Institute will have an exhibit dedicated to menswear.

Sorry, no word yet on what celebrities will be wearing at the 2025 Met Gala. The theme (“Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”) was announced on October 9, but the co-chairs plan to keep the dress code under wraps until closer to the event.

With Louis Vuitton co-sponsoring the event, expect to see a lot of LV logos and tags on the red carpet. Suits of all shapes and sizes will also play a role in interpreting the tailoring theme. The exhibit's focus on black dandyism is also a call for guests to support black-owned brands in their choice of designers.

Of course, celebrities have taken all sorts of detours to interpret past Met Gala themes. (Kim Kardashian's controversial cardigan at last year's “Garden of Time.”) So even if the dress code is set, you never know what they will show up wearing.

The 2025 Met Gala will be held on Monday, May 5 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Historically, the Met Gala has been held on the first Monday in May.

Each year, the co-chairs and sponsors invite approximately 450 guests to view the Costume Institute's new exhibition before it opens to the public. (The exact guest list is kept secret until the night of the event, but expect to see some of the biggest stars in fashion, entertainment, sports, and politics: at the 2024 convention, Gigi Hadid in a glamorous Thom Browne gown; Taylor Russell in a wooden Loewe dress, Dodger Cat, clad only in a wet towel, and others stood out.

Technically, the biggest red carpet of the year is actually just a fundraising event with an exaggerated dress code. Tickets to the star-studded Met Gala are used to raise funds for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. Individual tickets cost about $75,000 per invited guest. Typically, the designer's fashion house covers the cost and sponsors the guest (while also providing the dress for the red carpet).