MET GALA OFFERS MENSWEAR INSPIRATION THAT WE THINK IS JUST DANDY

 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art hosted the annual Met Gala last night, celebrating the opening of its latest exhibition at The Costume Institute, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style. This is the first show to focus on menswear since Men in Skirts in 2003, and the first time that an exhibit has focused solely on Black fashion. While the celebrity-fueled gala always marks who’s hot in the worlds of fashion, entertainment, and music, it’s also often marked as a “must-watch” for upcoming trends, transcending even the red-carpet moments of the Oscars, Emmies, Grammies, etc. In this editor’s opinion, last night’s opening held even more inspiration and influence than ever for menswear collections, with effects that will last for many seasons to come. One interviewee on the Vogue YouTube simulcast said, the exhibition “celebrates the incredible color ‘black,’ and ‘the sport of dandyism’.”

The evening opened with the Silk And Sound men’s choir performing on the steps leading to the Museum. The stairs were covered in a gorgeous navy-blue carpet with a white daffodil print echoed in the tent that protected the promenade from an early evening New York City rainstorm. The evening’s costumes included a predilection for ivory and black, almost echoing black and white photographs from the 1920s, with canes and walking sticks as the preferred accessories of the evening. Diana Ross made a spectacular entrance in an all-white outfit that included a fluffy portrait hat and a dramatic white coat with a train that cascaded down the steps and required six assistants to help her move through the space. The jacket was embroidered with the names of her children and grandchildren, and her son Evan Ross accompanied her to the soiree. Janelle Monae wore an astounding Thom Browne tromp l’oeil ensemble that included a literally square-shouldered coat in black and red with an overall print that echoed what she was actually wearing beneath. Speaking of reveals, Tommy Hilfiger dressed Formula 1 driver Damson Idris in overalls that was pulled away from both sides to reveal a 1970s-inspired cabernet-red vested suit with an asymmetrical gold thread jacquard plaid side panel and back, paired with solid bell-bottom pants. Drama and elegance.

There was so much great fashion, it’s hard to say where to start, but here are a few outfits that I particularly liked that will be great additions to your Fall/Winter 2026 mood board.

Formula 1 racing has apparently caught the attention of the editorial team at Vogue: British driver Lewis Hamilton wore an elegant ivory Wales Bonner tuxedo that included a beret, several dramatic broaches, and an embroidered ivory sash. This could well be the singular look for winter grooms later this year.

Colman Domingo also made a grand entrance in a Maison Valentino pleated cape with a dramatic gold embellished collar that was part royal, part choir robe, and partly a fitting posthumous tribute to former Vogue editor Andre Leon Talley. While the look was undoubtedly theatrical, I was delighted to see that beneath the cape was a gorgeous mixed-media suit with an ivory windowpane on navy DB jacket, a polka-dot silk scarf, and textured gray trousers with a deep cuff. True style perfection that could be an updated addition for black tie events, but would, toned down a bit, make for great custom suiting inspirations.

Chance the Rapper wore a khaki-hued double-breasted silk suit by Versace that was set-off winningly with a black leather vest and a flame-print necktie. His gray felt hat was an elegant finish with a silhouette that echoed the lamb skin that was part of Malcolm X’s signature style.

Patrick Schwarzenegger was a singular champion for the return of pinstripes, but expressed in an updated Balmain suit where the peak lapel jacket tucked into the pleated pants, magnifying the effect of a wide claret belt with a matching belt-inspired handbag The draped, pleated canary yellow top was a dramatic contrast to the navy suit.

Musician Jon Batiste wore an outstanding Tom Ford DB black satin jacket with a white microdot pattern on the jacket that was echoed in black-on-black for the trousers.

I suppose technically if Zendaya and Madonna both wear men’s suits, it’s menswear-inspired womenswear, but each of them clearly got the memo that the dress code was to be “tailored for you.” Zendaya carried on the ivory story in custom Louis Vuitton: she’d have made Tom Wolfe proud, making it her own with a 1970s floppy hat and bell-bottom pants.

Madonna, also in Tom Ford, echoed the look with a DB jacket and a cigar, projecting some major Gladys Bentley style.

Speaking of Louis Vuitton, the brand’s creative director Pharrell Williams stunned in a relatively unassuming pale jacket that, upon closer inspection, was coated with pearl beading. Paired with a simple pair of flare-bottom pants, this could truly be a next-level look for grooms and formal for this coming holiday season, perhaps rendered in textured jacquard fabrics or classic velvet.

A$AP Rocky wore an AWGE suit and parka (his own label), which was made in technical wool. The look was both polished and sporty. Apparenly his pistol-shaped umbrella handle generated some controversy, but I suppose we just chalk that up to his Fashion Killa style.

Model Alton Mason showed that it never pays to skip a day on the bench press, modeling a custom Boss look with lots of flash and lots of skin. A sort of sexy Zorro look, a heart-shaped cutout bared his impeccable pecs, and, according to the Boss website, was “crafted from bonded silk crepe encrusted with crystals….” I’m seeing metallics for next prom season, for sure.

Boss also designed a look for S. Coups, the leader of K-Pop group Seventeen, who was wearing a Korean hanbok jeogori jacket in various shades of gray Italian wool flannel. The look was Eastern elegance personified, yet why do I feel like this look could also appeal to Star Wars fans?

You can watch Vogue’s “blue carpet” coverage here, but with all that celebrity influence, I can barely wait to see the exhibit itself. Vogue ran an introductory article on the show here, but we’ll bring you some “MR style” coverage soon that we think you’ll find fine and dandy.