5th May 2025 was the date of the famed Met Gala. It is a charity ball. Basically a fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute. This year the theme focused on the black male dandy, how suiting became an act of individual stylistic expression and rebellion, and a bold assertion of one’s right to exist.

As expected, we saw suits, in exaggerated silhouettes, with embellishments and as ball gowns.

Some of my favourites for the night were Rihanna, who my friend Attillah felt referenced the Dame Lorraine as the divine feminine with her styling.

Teyonna Taylor, who worked with Ruth Carter, costume designer for Sinners and Black Panther, for her sartorial tribute to Harlem. Jodie Turner, Ayo Edebiri and Bad Bunny were brilliant.

Met Gala is enjoyed by many but understood by so few. As a Trinidadian I feel so inspired by the setting of a theme and seeing how these creative teams get together to try and interpret it in a way that aligns with their personal aesthetic.

I also felt that some of my faves missed the mark. Like Colman Domingo has dressed more like a dandy to any of the awards show he attended last year than for this. I loved his suit, and his honouring of ALT by donning a blue cape. But his suiting felt daytime, and Met is an evening event. I would have loved to see him reinterpret a tux, as a dandy.

Also, if our Colonial past is good for anything (and there isn’t much it is good for) I would have loved someone to have been inspired by the Jamaican Defence Force uniform. That red pops.

Mel Gabriel of Caribbean Lookbook created a all encompassing list of the Caribbean people who showed up and out at the Met. You can see her post here.