The Met Gala's Hats, Hair and Black Grandiosity

The first Monday of May had its turn and It’s time to scrutinize fits at the Met Gala from the comfort of your bed. 

The 2025 Met Gala, themed “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” offered a moment to reflect on how Black identity moves through the language of hair and the legacy of La Sape.

The Black Dandy, an aesthetic rooted in resistance, self-expression, and refinement hits close to home Channeling the essence of Congolese Sapeurs, whose refined style is rooted in pride and postcolonial rebellion, attendees used hair and hats alike to honor a legacy that’s both personal and political. 

When we talk about Black Dandyism, we must talk about La Sape and when we talk about La Sape, we must talk about self-determination. The 2025 Met Gala reminded us that Black elegance is commentary. And in a world still learning to respect Black hair, the quiet resistance of an Afro defying gravity or a durag under a fedora becomes revolutionary. 

In Jodie Turner-Smith's case, the hat is elongated in an equestrian-inspired look, all leather, paying homage to Black Horsewoman, Selina Lazevski in custom Burberry. The ravishing look was an enchanting with every colour of the outifit enhancing and appealing to Jodie's skin.

The experience of owning black hair is a blessing and the styles are reflective of the individual and never failing to be beautiful, bold and head-turning. Black hair, with its coils, curls, braids, and sculptural possibilities, has always been a language of identity. Whether covered with wide-brimmed hats or left exposed in gravity-defying styles, hair styles and preservation is the unspoken dialogue of the night.

The Black Dandy has long been a symbol of resistance, much like the Congolese Sapeur. Style consisting of tailored suits, flamboyant details, and, often, hats served not to hide the hair but to preserve it. The hat becomes a metaphor: a crown, a cover, a strategy of resistance against assimilation.

Zendaya in her all white look was a black statement itself with its reserved detailing, selling this look just with her stance. Well known as Law's muse, the stylist emphasized the 'tailoring' in the theme reminiscent of Bianca Jaggers 70's suits.

Teyana Taylor, being the talk of the night and likely days to come, brought colour and personality to the carpet, wearing custom Marc Jacobs styled by Ruth E. Carter. In times of quietness and self-shrinkage, Teyana stays on theme by bringing grandiosity to the forefront. To complement the look, Teyana wears a staple velvet durag– significant to style and self preservation with black hair.

With origins in both West and Central Africa, it emerged as a recurring motif. In Nigeria, Dandyism has long been part of nightlife culture, marked by bold tailoring and self-directed flair. The owners of L’enchnatueur, Dynasty and Soull Ogun showed up in outfits reflecting this idea with Soull’s head adorned with a hat. 

Rihanna walked the carpet in custom Marc Jacobs and the news that she’s once more pregnant, custom A$AP ROCKY. Rihanna’s hat sat in a downward swirling structure that covered half her face yet wrapped her head, turning the headpiece into a center piece. Alongside A$AP in an intricate hairstyle, of which he is known for.

In Brazzaville and Kinshasa, Sapeurs dress to reclaim dignity, challenging historical poverty and colonial judgment with brightly colored suits and choreographed grace. At the Met, that same spirit emerged in how Black hair was shaped, styled, or preserved under wide-brimmed hats, echoing the meticulous pride of the African Dandies. 

Diana Ross also appeared with a wide brimmed hat and an 18-foot gown embroidered with her family names designed by Ugo Mozie, in collaboration with her son Evan Ross after a 22-year hiatus. Amongst the audience, Diana seems to be envisioned as the dream for younger women, being 81 and still gracing the public with her sensational appearance each time. 

Hair was central. In a world where Black hair is still policed, politicized, or misunderstood, the Met became a stage for intentional beauty. Whether sculpted into braids or concealed under fedoras, it was preserved, not hidden. These choices carried weight. In a world that still questions Black hair, styling became a form of quiet resistance. Doechii showed up in Louis Vuitton, with an Afro, one of two with the hairstyle— The other being Lauryn Hill. 

Doechii is already infamous for afrocentric hairstyles and a light that cannot be set out, even with the simplistic outfit choice by Pharell Williams, she just so happens to carry the weight of being an eye-catching attendant.

For the Sapeur, elegance is ritual. And at the Met, the care shown to Black hair reflected a parallel ritual of self-respect. The hat is not meant to obscure the crown; it elevates it. This duality mirrored the Sapeur’s paradox: flamboyant yet deeply disciplined.

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