The Met Gala takes place yearly and is a reminder of how fashion can signal future color trends. No exception, this year displayed both trending and timeless looks. As far as color was concerned – always my main concern as a color consultant – classic black and white retained their classic popularity, but wine reds and members of the brown family showed increased staying power.
Zoe Saldana in Thom Browne. Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
For instance, we saw what seemed to be an unusual number of celebrities appearing in black, white, or black-and-white outfits. Garments in black and white offered a hint of nostalgia that connected naturally to the Met Gala theme of “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” inspired by Monica Miller’s 2009 book “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.” The official dress code is “Tailored for You”, a nod to the spring 2025 exhibitions’ focus on menswear, and is “purposefully designed to provide guidance and invite creative interpretation,” according to Vogue.
Demi Moore in custom Thom Browne. Photo by Michael Loccisano/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images
Many attendees in black and white paid sincere homage to Black dandyism through numerous menswear-inspired silhouettes and patterns. The theme spawned spectacular designs and finishes in black, while outfits in white offered a beacon of light and clarity into what the future might hold. In the case of monochrome looks, garments with extended trains, extreme tailoring, capes, and volume provided much of the drama.
Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz in Moncler x EE72 by Edward Enninful. Getty Images for The Met Museum.
We also saw many garments in deep wine reds and maroons; these shades were reflective of Windsor Wine, a color that was featured in the London Fashion Week Pantone Fashion Color Trend Report for Spring/Summer 2025 (to which I contribute each season). Windsor Wine and like colors appeared on several celebrities in attendance. Interestingly, blues and reds were sometimes combined to create an illusion of a maroon shade, where pattern and structure added drama to the luxurious shade.
The popular longevity of these wine-influenced colors comes from the perception that deeper tones are rich and robust – they are thought of as power colors that take brash red to a more sophisticated level. This is a red that has longevity – where one can buy a great lipstick red dress, wear it a few times and get great compliments, a Windsor Wine piece, such as a man’s tie, is more likely to be a forever purchase. It’s an item that might be worn seasonally but that you reach for whenever you want something that feels elegant and extravagant.
Bad Bunny in Prada. Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images
Brown is another versatile color with outsized longevity. I pointed out in my previous blog on the color brown that, for a long time, we didn’t necessarily associate the brown family with glamor, but this perception is shifting. Celebrities in brown, particularly in browns similar to the Pantone Color of the Year 2025 Mocha Mousse, include last year’s Met Gala co-chair, Bad Bunny.
Aurora James in custom Thebe Magugu at the Met Gala. Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Brown is both a growing trend and a perpetual wardrobe mainstay, and part of its longevity comes from its versatility. With its innately grounded qualities, brown can represent something rich and indulgent to eat one minute and simultaneously be the color of earth itself. Brown is perpetually en vogue because it offers us both ends of the mood spectrum.
Jodie Turner-Smith in Burberry with Daniel Lee. Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Although the Met Gala meets only once a year, this star-studded event’s color and style directions will continue to influence designers and consumers (and color consultants!) throughout upcoming seasonal collections. In the museum’s own words, the “Superfine Collection” will continue to be on view at the Met until October 16th, displaying a sartorial mood that is “purposefully designed to provide guidance and creative interpretation”, and we know that this memorable collection and theme will do just that.
For more information on becoming a color consultant or on color in general, please visit our educational programs and our books on color pages.
Our cover photo shows Zendaya in Louis Vuitton by Pharrell Williams and Savannah James in Anifa Mvuemba at the Met Gala. Photos by Michael Buckner/Penske Media via Getty Images.
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