The 2025 Met Gala: Everything to Know, From the Dress Code to the Guest List

Clear tonight's calendar: the first Monday in May and the 2025 Met Gala—filled with hours of live fashion updates—are finally here.

Each year, the Met Gala brings together the biggest names in fashion, film, sports, and music for two reasons. First, to fundraise for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. Second, to turn out their best red carpet looks of the year in accordance with a highly-specific, often over-the-top theme.

The 2025 Met Gala theme and co-chairs were shared with fashion's elite at an Oct. 9, 2024, press conference. Never fear if you weren't in the room with Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, and freshly announced co-chairs Pharrell Williams and Lewis Hamilton, to hear all about "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style"—which is set to be the first-ever museum exhibit exploring dandyism and Black mens' influence on fashion. Everything to know about the 2025 Met Gala celebrating the exhibit is shared in detail ahead, from the theme and "Tailored for You" dress code to the ever-expanding guest list. (Good news: Zendaya is Met Gala-confirmed.) With the May 5, 2025 event finally underway, there's still plenty of time to study up and prepare for what will be a notably historic event in a long list of memorable Met Galas.

What Is the 2025 Met Gala Theme?

Drumroll, please. "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" is the 2025 Met Gala theme. The title and scope of the exhibit derive from Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, by Monica L. Miller, Barnard College professor of African-American and American literature. The game-changing style of Black men will be the exhibit's sole focus, explored through the lens of "dandyism"—defined as a lifestyle cultivating refinement—from the 18th century to the here and now. Items included in the exhibit will span clothing, photographs, paintings, and more.

How Can I Watch the 2025 Met Gala?

Each year, fashion fans can tune in to the 2025 Met Gala red carpet from home, and 2025 is no different. Look no further for how to watch the 2025 Met Gala: Vogue's Met Gala livestream begins on Vogue.com at 6pm ET and will stream on all the outlet's social media channels. E! News will also host its Live from the Red Carpet broadcast on E! and Peacock.

Who Are the 2025 Met Gala Co-Chairs?

The 2025 Met Gala co-chairs list is a who's-who of leaders in style and sport. Pharrell Williams, musician and the creative director of Louis Vuitton menswear, fronts the roster for what will be his sixth Met Gala. It's also his second time at the helm of the event: He also co-chaired the gala in honor of "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between" back in 2017.

Williams will be joined by Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton, rapper A$AP Rocky, and actor Colman Domingo as official co-chairs. Basketball legend LeBron James will also serve as honorary co-chair. Expect to see major 'fits from A$AP Rocky—who regularly takes over street style with his partner, Rihanna—and Colman Domingo, who's worn a range of experimental red carpet suits while on the awards circuit.

Lewis Hamilton is a particularly significant choice for the lineup. First, because he's widely considered the best-dressed driver in Formula 1 racing. Second, because Hamilton has big ambitions in fashion. His league recently inked a major advertising deal with LVMH, the conglomerate that owns Louis Vuitton and Dior. And, in his April 2024 cover interview for GQ, he expressed ambitions to start his own luxury house with an emphasis on Black-owned brands. (To wit: Hamilton invited three emerging Black designers to his table for the 2021 Met Gala: Theophilio, Kenneth Nicholson, and Jason Rembert.)

And of course, Anna Wintour rounds out the list of co-chairs. Vogue co-hosts the annual gala and broadcasts its official red carpet livestream every year.

This year's Met Gala also includes a Host Committee filled with style experts across every major industry. Designer Grace Wales Bonner, gymnast Simone Biles, actor Ayo Edebiri, and WNBA star Angel Reese are among the star-studded list of contributors.

Who's on the 2025 Met Gala Guest List?

Each year, the co-chairs and sponsors invite around 450 guests to take in the Costume Institute's new exhibition before it opens to the general public. (And, they take over the famed Met steps in an array of custom outfits.) Expect to see megawatt stars from across fashion, entertainment, sports, and politics. For the 2024 edition, standout guests included Gigi Hadid in a glamorous Thom Browne gown, Taylor Russell in a wooden Loewe dress, and Doja Cat clad in nothing but a wet towel.

The exact guest list is technically kept under lock and key until the official night—but some celebrities can't help sharing their plans early. Law Roach, stylist to Zendaya, confirmed that both he and his top client plan to attend this year. A roster shared to social media also suggested the Kardashian-Jenner clan would show up and show out (mainly, Kim, Kendall, and Kylie), alongside singer Sabrina Carpenter and Wicked stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.

Some "No" RSVPs have also made their way through the press. Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds—a couple who usually takes the theme to heart with elaborate, self-styled looks—are reportedly sitting out the 2025 edition. There's also no word yet on Taylor Swift, who hasn't attended the Met Gala since 2016.

Why Is the 2025 Met Gala Theme Significant?

According to the exhibition's curator, Andrew Bolton, "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" will be the first museum exhibit to explore Black dandyism. It's also the first time in decades that the Costume Institute has dedicated an exhibit exclusively to menswear.

What Is the 2025 Met Gala Dress Code?

While the theme ("Superfine: Tailoring Black Style") was announced on Oct. 9, the dress code was kept under wraps until Tuesday, Feb. 4. Its name? "Tailored for You."

Vogue reports that the 2025 Met Gala dress code was "purposefully designed to provide guidance and invite creative interpretation." While leaning into the exhibition's expected focus on menswear and suiting, it can take many forms. Vogue mentioned zoot suits from the height of the jazz age; '80s power suiting could also come into play.

With Louis Vuitton as the lead co-sponsor, observers can expect to see plentiful LV logos and tags on the eventual red carpet. Suiting in all forms will also have a role to play in interpreting the tailoring theme. The exhibit's focus on Black dandyism, meanwhile, invites guests to champion Black-owned brands with their designer selection.

Of course, celebrities have taken all sorts of circuitous routes to interpreting the themes of Met Galas past. (See: Kim Kardashian's controversial cardigan for the "Garden of Time" last year.) So there's no telling what they'll show up in even with an official dress code to reference.

When Is the 2025 Met Gala?

The 2025 Met Gala is scheduled for Monday, May 5, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The red carpet often starts around 5 p.m. Eastern Time.

Historically, the Met Gala has been held annually on the first Monday in May. Only in 2021 was the schedule upended, when the Met Gala was moved to September due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2022, the event returned to its May time slot.

What Color Is the Met Gala Carpet This Year?

Intrepid fans got a sneak peek at the 2025 Met Gala red carpet and confirmed it isn't red at all. Instead, the steps are coated in a navy, floral-printed carpet by artist Cy Gavin.

Wait, How Are the Costume Institute and the Met Gala Connected Again?

Technically, the biggest red carpet of the year is a fundraiser with an over-the-top dress code. Tickets for the star-studded Met Gala raise funds for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. Individual tickets can cost around $75,000 per guest. Designer fashion houses typically foot the bill and sponsor guests (while also dressing them for the red carpet).