Meeting the Met Gala head on: a final say on fashion and the future

After four years of writing this fashion column, the last one has finally arrived. I played around with what I wanted to write about, of course, there would be the spring and summer trends, the Met Gala or a third option.

I do remember my first year when I pitched this idea of letting me just write articles on fashion, the main reason being I wanted to be a fashion designer, but I soon learned that was not the job field I wanted. However, writing these articles still kept me close to my love of fashion, so I landed on this idea to talk about trends and why I hate them.

Oh yes, I have covered many trends in the past because that is what makes the fashion world spin. While looking at this year’s Met Gala, I was reminded of why having individual fashion is so important.

Earlier this year, I was talking with one of my friends, and they mentioned that they have been wearing cargo shorts each summer and would always get weird looks.

Now, this summer, there was an uptick in wearing cargo shorts, which became a large focus for a micro trend. I think the most interesting part of what trends and what doesn’t is the repetition of fashion in the mainstream. I am not saying trends are bad; that is how I learned what I like to wear, mainly high- waisted pants, colorful pieces, etc. — which brings me to the Met Gala 2025. The theme was Superfine: Tailoring Black Style. We looked at the Met Museum, which examines the cultural and historical examination of Black style over 300 years through the concept of dandyism. We scrolled through different covers of the Met Gala, even though some stylists are not listed yet. The importance of exploring this style is looking at a part of history that is not often looked at, especially when it comes to fashion. I talked about Black dandyism when I talked about using fashion as a protest.

At the core, Black dandyism is a way to show resistance and pride and an act of protest. On social media, there has been a mixed reception to how the theme is being received. While some point out how the Met Gala might be finally going back to the root of the reason why it is an event in the first place, which is to highlight unexplored aspects of fashion, in the recent years the Met Gala almost serves as a reminder of a dive of celebrities and the rest of America.

In 2023, the Met Gala celebrated a man who was racist, homophobic and the list goes on. So, while yes, this year’s theme does seem to highlight a more historical take on fashion, the Met has let me down before in the past. Trends will never stop, and mistakes will always be made. However, for me, fashion will always stand to be this point of expression.

With dandyism, it serves as a testament of protest, of gaining equality.

No matter how you view fashion, I hope that while writing, I could at least leave this campus with at least one other person thinking just a bit more about their fashion and our impact on the world around us.