Threads of Glamour: Decoding the Met Gala 2025

Cluttered with Camp, Couture, and Chaotic discourse

The Met Gala is back again with full force. 

The Met Gala has returned, not with a whisper, but this time with a powerful statement, all woven in culture and draped in drama. 

Illustration by The Geostrata

Hosted on the first Monday of every May, the Met Gala serves to raise money for the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute. Over the years, the party has evolved from a sophisticated dinner of Manhattan socialites to a glamorous costume party including star attendees from all over the world, truly showcasing its grandeur and opulence. 

ABOUT THE THEME

This year, the theme and the dress code “Tailored For You” was rooted deep in both culture and style.  It was heavily inspired by author Monica L. Miller’s book, “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.” 

This book basically talks about how fashion can be used as a political tool, enveloped around the defiance of racist stereotypes, adhering to the history of slavery (especially how black people have traditionally been mistreated, tortured and enslaved). This consequently led to fashion emerging as a pathbreaking force to reclaim dignity, identity, and power. 

“ Black dandyism is confidence. It’s culture. Clothing is armor” remarked Dandy Wellington. The word “ Black Dandyism”  nods to blending  fashion with resistance, whereby black men dress extravagantly and in an outlandish  manner so as to stand out and make an impact. Transforming style into political  expression, representing Eurocentric fashions from their own lens and subsequently serving a force to reckon with, paving way for individuality and free will. 

It is noteworthy that this is the first Met Gala in more than two decades to focus exclusively on menswear. Therefore, we had popular male fashion icons like Formula One champion, Lewis Hamilton and leading hip hop rapper A$AP Rocky serving as this years’ co-chair.

It becomes imperative to note that events like the Met Gala bring together the most popular icons around the globe and cultivate a vital aspect of soft power diplomacy. As they rightly say the Met is all about fashion, fabric and fame, all draped in drama. 

INDIANS STEPPING UP THE GAME

This year, the global icon Shah Rukh Khan ( popularly called Mr. King Khan) officially joined the Met Gala's constellation of luminaries. He wore a Mughal-inspired court jacket drawing inspiration from India’s rich menswear tradition that served as a perfect mix of indigenous style with a sprinkle of colonial-era tailoring.

Image Credits: Rightful Owner

The open shirt was further layered with stacks of jewellery symbolizing the historic portraits of maharajas draped in pearls and gemstones, using ornament as a representation of status and authority. Further, we had famous singer Diljit Dosanjh also making his Met Gala debut in a Prabal Gurung outfit,  flaunting his Punjabi roots all the way.

He wore a regal traditional attire, topping it up with a gurmukhi jewel-studded look inspired by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, the erstwhile ruler of the princely state of Patiala. Embracing his “Punjabiyat” Diljit instantly became the star of the show.

INDIA’S SOFT POWER

Additionally,  Extraweave, the parent company of Neytt Homes in Kerala weaved Met Gala 2025’s expansive carpet for the third time, citing that it took 480 people to work on the carpet for over 90 days to meet the Met Gala standards. Handmade with intricate designs,  it truly gives a hindsight of the rich artisan culture in India at the global level. 

Not only artisans, we also saw Indian designers stepping up and  making an impact at the global level. This years’ Met saw the debut of one of India’s most celebrated designers, Manish Malhotra. Whether it be designing Natasha Poonawala’s opulent masterpiece paying tribute to her Parsi heritage or styling Grammy award winner Coco Jones in a long heavily embroidered cape, Manish Malhotra truly seized the game and made headlines for the right reasons.  

From Sabyasachi to Manish Malhotra, Anamika Khanna and Gaurav Gupta, Indian designers were successful in making a mark by leveraging India’s creativity and fine craftsmanship within international tapestry, fueling India’s soft power. 

In conclusion, to say that the Met Gala is a night of fashion and opulence would perhaps be a reductionist claim. It brings in a whole a different dimension entailing : fine craftsmanship, artistic expression (deep rooted in cultural significance), global representation and adds depth to our understanding of soft power. From stunning silhouettes to soft power, the Met truly serves it all.

---

BY URJA

TEAM GEOSTRATA

info@thegeostrata.com