From brooches to statement necklaces and diamonds galore, the Met Gala, which always takes place the first Monday in May, was a veritable feast for the eyes when it came to jewelry and how celebrity guests interpreted the theme of the evening, “Tailored For You.” As always, the theme for the gala left room for creative interpretation — in this case, menswear tailoring and suitings that will be on display as part of Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute’s exhibition. For 2025, the exhibition is entitled “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” and is partly inspired by Monica L. Miller’s book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity. Miller is a guest curator of the exhibit with the Costume Institute’s curator in charge, Andrew Bolton. The exhibit features a cultural and historical look at Black style and dandyism, which dates to the 18th century. It is the first exhibit to focus exclusively on designers of color. As for the gala, the turnout couldn’t have been more star-studded, with big names from arenas such as film, music and sports.
Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour, longtime chair of the gala, wore an antique Briony
Raymond diamond riviere and a jaw-dropping brooch that I have yet to figure out. Her co-chairs — LeBron James along with Pharrell Williams, A$AP Rocky, Lewis Hamilton and Colman Domingo — all wore awe-inspiring jewelry as well. Domingo paid homage to Andre Leon Talley with a blue Valentino cape when he first arrived.
The men looked dapper and interpreted the dandy theme with multiple brooches, as did many of the women who attended the event. I had a more difficult time choosing who would be featured in our roundup of the event than usual. But here are the picks for best bejeweled, in keeping with the theme.
STORY By Beth Bernstein
