It’s almost time for fashion people’s favorite night of the year: the Met Gala. The first Monday in May promises to bring out stars on the carpeted stairs of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in custom looks that are sure to make waves on Instagram and hopefully cement themselves as memorable moments to look back on fondly. This year’s exhibition is titled “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” and according to the Met’s official release, examines “dandyism as both an aesthetic and a strategy that allowed for new social and political possibilities.” The exhibition will take into account Black style from the 18th century to today, and the dress code for the event is “Tailored for You,” which promises to let personal style shine — and have a heavy focus on suiting.
There’s a vast array of places to pull inspiration from for this dress code, from Dapper Dan to zoot suits, to the Harlem Renaissance and Thom Browne’s penchant for dressing athletes, all the way up to A$AP Rocky’s modern-day dandyism. In honor of the theme, we took a dive into the Met archives to see who’s doing tailoring their own way before. There are some surprising takes on suiting, like Emma Watson’s corset and pants combo, plus Solange’s bodysuit-cum-snakeskin-tuxedo. Before we round up our favorite looks from this year’s staircase extravaganza on May 5, see our favorite tailoring moments from over the years below.
André Leon Talley, 1999
The legendary dandy and right-hand to Anna Wintour was the ultimate modern flâneur. This brocade-style suit and gold necklace is prime inspiration for this year’s theme, as is most of his wardrobe, some of which is actually on display in the exhibit.
Alexander McQueen & Sarah Jessica Parker, 2006
Who better to capture the essence of England than Lee McQueen? This tartan moment is not only one of the best suiting-inspired looks, it’s one of the best of all time, full stop. (Shoutout to the pre-social-media red carpet with its questionable lighting.)
Rihanna, 2009
RiRi’s first Met was also the only one where she wore pants. This was during her Rated R era, thus explaining the undercut.
Alexa Chung, 2010
This custom Phillip Lim suit was fit for the times, and shows us what Chung would look like as Betty Catroux.
Emma Watson, 2016
This deconstructed tailoring shows the infinite possibilities of a suit, and how you can still show of your décolletage in a tux.
Cara Delevingne, 2017
Alien Superstar for the night.
Tessa Thompson, 2018
Tessa Thompson never misses at the Met Gala, and this bespoke Thom Browne moment was a feminine way to do tailoring that still hit the theme-appropriate notes.
Kendall Jenner & Virgil Abloh, 2018
A legendary outing for Kendall, and a “I made it” moment for Virgil.
Solange, 2019
This custom Ferragamo bodysuit shows how Solange pushes boundaries and always insists on being one of the more daring dressers in the room. Even if you didn’t get it then (or get it now), that’s kind of the point.
RuPaul, 2019
The queen of drag made it to the pink carpet for the camp-themed Met Gala in zebra-print Moschino, channeling Prince by way of Sesame Street.
Timothée Chalamet, 2021
Another modern-day flaneur in his own right, Timmy’s first Met was a statement in itself: An impeccable suit on top, and slouchy pants and Converse on bottom.
Adut Akech, 2021
One of our favorite supermodels of all time went with Michael Kors to the “In America” Met, wearing a suit that fits this year’s theme to perfection.
Amandla Stenberg, 2021
Thom Browne will indubitably rule this year’s Met for American designers, and back in 2021, Amandla gave us all a sexy take on culottes and capes.
Jeremy Pope, 2021
Jeremy Pope is a Met Gala darling, and his first-ever look was a deconstructed suit by Dion Lee.
Evan Mock, 2022
Love it or hate it, Evan Mock’s custom Head of State suit showed how designers today are still experimenting with mixing the past, present, and future into tailoring.
Alton Mason, 2022
The world’s most prominent black male supermodel of our times is always on his dandy flow at the Met Gala, but this Prince-inspired Prada moment deserves extra snaps.
Teyana Taylor, 2023
Another killer Thom Browne look with another peep of hip bones.
A$AP Rocky, 2023
Pretty Flacko is on the advisory board for this year’s Met Gala, and if his past looks (including this triple-belted Gucci) are any indication, he’ll be on our best-dressed list this year.
Robert Pattinson, 2023
We rarely get a daring red-carpet moment from Pattinson, so this pleated-skirt Dior suit was a pleasant surprise.
Bad Bunny, 2023
Who could forget Bad Bunny’s moisturized, muscular back in this Jacquemus suit?
Kendall Jenner, 2023
This was a divisive look as soon as Kendall stepped out of The Mark Hotel, but personally, it works.
Kristen Stewart, 2023
Kristen kept it casual in Chanel to honor Karl Lagerfeld.
Conan Gray, 2023
Balmain in honor of Karl, pearls and all.
Bad Bunny, 2024
A man who won’t say no to pushing boundaries is a man who earns our attention.
Colman Domingo, 2024
Another member of this year’s advisory board knows how to do both awards season and the first Monday in May in true dandy style.
Raul Lopez, 2024
The diva of New York brought his very best out for the 2024 Met.
Wisdom Kaye, 2024
Who could resist shipwrecked, burnt couture on an Instagram-influencer-turned-Met-Gala-attendee?
