Filipino fashion experts weigh in on Met Gala 2025

I was really excited about this year’s theme. I’ve always had a deep appreciation for superfine tailoring and sharp, structured silhouettes—it’s a style I personally love. There’s something incredibly empowering about slipping into a well-cut suit; I’ve always been drawn to luxury menswear from the likes of Yves Saint Laurent and Tom Ford to Helmut Lang. I was eager to see how this genre would be interpreted at the Met Gala. 

I imagined daring reinventions of classic menswear codes, maybe nods to Seventies icons, the sensuality of superfine fabrics like wool, cashmere, silk and mohair.

I hoped to see tailoring pushed into new territory—whether exaggerated, subverted or infused with personal narrative. But I have to admit, I found many of the interpretations underwhelming. I wish more had leaned into that discipline while finding ways to tell a story through the cut and craft.

There was so much potential to explore proportion, structure, texture—and even colour (hello, Seventies glam!). Yet the carpet felt dominated by greys and blacks, with many looks either playing it too safe or overshooting into costume territory, missing the mark on couture.

Favourite look: Joey King in Miu Miu is hands down my favourite look of the night, Angela Bassett in Burberry comes in a close second. There’s a clear Seventies glam rock undertone on both these looks, a playful subversion of menswear codes and a fearless embrace of texture and pattern. 

The sharp, structured silhouette of King’s Miu Miu suit is there, but it’s made irreverent with ornate crystal embroidery and a riot of patterns underneath. Both looks feel like an homage to maximalism and dandy menswear all at once.

Least favourite look: Where to even begin—ranging from absolute duds to the confidently confused. Kendall Jenner and Heidi Klum top the list: both felt like they showed up with zero effort, completely phoning it in. Simone Biles and Jessica Kayll looked like they forgot their pants at home—and then rolled through a sequined flower bush on their way to the Met.

The only thing worse than a boring suit is an ill-fitting boring suit—and [Tom Francis’s] look managed to deliver both. That said, his hair is on point though.

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I have to admit, I don’t know much about Black dandyism, so I was excited to see the looks and learn more about its revolution and history.

Favourite looks: Hunter Schafer in Prada, styled by Dara. I just like the simplicity and quietness of the look. I also love her after-party outfit where she wore Dilara Findikoglu. Another favourite is Tracee Ellis Ross in Marc Jacobs. 

Least favourite looks: Lisa from Blackpink. She’s beautiful, but I feel like it’s missing something. Maybe some pants or a skirt. And I love my girl Sabrina Carpenter, but I was wanting more from her. I loved her after-party look, though. I wish she wore that for the red carpet instead.

“Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” is a very timely introspection on the contributions of the Black community not only to American fashion but obviously to any country that seeks inspiration from the West. A lot of the looks were super on point, and the curated guest list made sense. I appreciate how this year uplifted their talent, vision and creativity which is, honestly, very much overdue.

Favourite looks: Designers Maxwell Osborne and Dao Yi-Chow of Public School NYC with their muse, football athlete Justin Jefferson. I’m such a fan of the duo and for them to stunt on the red carpet like they did—using formal menswear fabrics but reworked and styled in such a contemporary way—makes them such authorities of what men like today.

Least favourite look: Hailey Bieber in YSL. I love her, and I love Anthony Vaccarello, but it looked like an outfit she'd wear on the daily. It felt like a girl in SoHo kind of look, just uninspired.

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