Met Gala reveals attire code and a slate of new celeb hosts

Met Gala -Guests, Watch up!

That was the order from On High when the Metropolitan Museum of Art revealed Dress Code for its annual lavish celebration of fashion in May: “Tailor to you,” a nod to the accompanying exhibition’s focus on looking after and men’s clothing.

It is a suitable concept – of course intended to be liberally interpreted – for the first Met Gala exhibition for more than 20 years to focus exclusively on men’s clothing, specifically black style in menswear for centuries.

Met’s Costume Institute also announced on Tuesday that it will revive what it called a long-lasting tradition of a “host committee”-deep a new slate of high-profile celebrities on top of the previously announced Gala hosts: Pharrell Williams, Lewis Hamilton, Colman Domingo, A $ AP Rocky and LeBron James. (Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who oversees the gala every year, round off the list.)

The new selection includes a number of luminaires from different areas: Athletes Simone Biles and husband Jonathan Owens, Angel Reese and Sha’Carri Richardson; Filmmakers Spike Lee, Tonya Lewis Lee and Regina King; Actors Ayo Edebiri, Audra McDonald and Jeremy Pope; Musicians Doechii, Usher, Tyla, Janelle Monáe and André 3000; Author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; Artists Jordan Casteel, Rashid Johnson and Kara Walker; Playwrights Jeremy O. Harris and the fire Jacobs-Jenkins; And fashion figures Grace Wales Bonner, Edward Enninful, Dapper Dan and Olivier Rousteing.

The celebrity chef Kwame Onwuachi creates the menu for the gala. A huge fundraiser for the Costume Institute, the annual event – which last year brought a record sum of more than $ 26 million – also launches the jump show. This year’s exhibition, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” Running longer than previous shows after six months and is inspired by Monica L. Miller’s book, “Slaves for fashion: Black Dandyism and Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.”

“The theme this year is not only timely,” Usher said, “but also speaks to our rich culture, which must always be celebrated broadly.”

Added Richardson: “Our style is not just what we carry – that’s how we move, how we own our space, how we tell our story without saying a word.” Both members of the host committee spoke in a statement from MET.

MET says the show “presents a cultural and historical study of black style from the 18th century to today through the lens of Dandyism.” Miller, a Barnard -professor and guest curator for the show, along with Met’s Star Curator Andrew Bolton, Noted at a museum event last year that “Dandies” back in the 1780s were often defined as “men who were different and sometimes excessive attention to dress.”

“Historical definitions of dandyism range from absolute precision in dress and tailor to flamboyance and fabulousness,” Miller said. The show will focus specifically on black dandyism; More broadly, it will chronize the ways in which black people have used dress and fashion for centuries to transform their identity, the museum said.

Among the artists who contribute to the exhibition design is Torkwase Dyson, who will use her signature “Hypershapes” to create free monumental sculptures or “architectural zones.” Artist Iké Udé, a consultant for the show, will curate a section that highlights Julius Soubise, one of the first black Dandies that challenged societal norms in the 18th century London.

The show will be divided into 12 sections, each representing a trait that defines “dandy” style: ownership, presence, distinction, disguise, freedom, master, respectability, joot, heritage, beauty, cool and cosmopolitanism.

Met Gala takes place 5 May. “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” is open to the public from May 10 to October 26.