"Tailored For You": Fashions from the 2025 Met Gala Blue Carpet, Part II

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Tailored For You" - Dressed: The History of Fashion
Episode: "Fashions from the 2025 Met Gala Blue Carpet, Part II"
Release Date: May 9, 2025

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Introduction

In the second part of their extensive coverage of the 2025 Met Gala, hosts Cassie Zachary and April Callahan delve deeper into the event's rich celebration of Black dandyism and the intricate tailoring showcased on the Blue Carpet. This episode, titled "Tailored For You," offers an insightful exploration of the cultural and historical significance behind the fashion statements made during the gala.

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Homage to Black Dandyism

The Zoot Suit Revival

Cassie opens the discussion by highlighting the resurgence of the zoot suit, a garment deeply rooted in Black and Latinx culture. She explains, “[00:00] The zoot suit is considered the first truly American suit by design...” The zoot suit’s distinctive long, oversized coat with wide lapels and padded shoulders, paired with high-waisted peg-legged trousers, made a powerful statement on the red carpet. Originally popularized in the 1930s by jazz musicians like Cab Calloway and later adopted by Mexican American youth during World War II, the zoot suit symbolizes resistance and defiance against societal norms—a theme that resonated powerfully at the gala.

Teyana Taylor’s Statement Ensemble

One of the standout mentions is Teyana Taylor’s homage to Black dandyism. Cassie describes her ensemble in detail: “She’s wearing this burgundy fedora with this huge ostrich feather... paired with this gray and burgundy pinstriped zoot suit” (04:30). The collaboration between costume designer Paul Tazewell, Todd Brown, and Ruth Carter resulted in a look that is both a fashion history homage and a contemporary statement piece. April adds her perspective, noting that while the ensemble was visually stunning, it may have been a bit overwhelming with too many elements competing for attention (04:33).

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Dapper Dan’s Iconic Presence

Dapper Dan, a legendary figure in the fashion industry, was another focal point of the gala. Cassie provides a brief history: “He opened up a custom clothing business in Harlem in the 1980s... collaborating with Gucci since 2017” (07:25). April elaborates on his ensemble, a fully sequined suit featuring his newly debuted logo—a heart-shaped scroll with two intertwined "D"s representing Dapper Dan (09:15). This logo is imbued with cultural significance, referencing the Sankofa symbol from Ghana’s Akan society, symbolizing learning from the past to build a better future. Dapper Dan’s presence underscored the gala’s celebration of Black dandyism and his pivotal role in shaping contemporary fashion.

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Collaborations with Black Designers

Kendall Jenner and Torres Shaeju Dumi

A surprising highlight was Kendall Jenner’s ensemble, which initially seemed understated but revealed deeper collaboration upon closer inspection. Cassie notes, “She collaborated with the black British designer Torres Shaeju Dumi... inspired by the queer nightclub singer Gladys Bentley” (17:20). This collaboration paid tribute to Bentley’s pioneering embrace of tailoring and her legacy in the Harlem Renaissance, blending traditional Nigerian influences with British tailoring techniques. April praises the sustainability aspect, mentioning the use of deadstock fabric and the extensive craftsmanship involved (18:28).

Jordan Roth’s Laquan Smith Collaboration

Another notable collaboration was Jordan Roth’s outfit, designed in partnership with Laquan Smith. April describes it as a "silk satin suit with a multi-layered Stephen Jones hat" that exemplifies Roth’s penchant for thoughtful and high-fashion collaborations (18:24). This ensemble represented the pinnacle of tailored artistry, marrying avant-garde design with classic tailoring elements.

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Sustainability in Fashion

Lauryn Hill’s Ensemble by Chaney Chan

Sustainability was a recurring theme, exemplified by Lauryn Hill’s stunning outfit designed by the self-taught Chinese couturier Chaney Chan. April describes the suit: “It has an enormous undulating, layered wave of chiffon that swoops behind one side of her head and trails into a long train” (24:04). Additionally, the jewelry was crafted by Ametha Cole, a curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum, using 100% recycled metals and jewels (25:56). This blend of haute couture and sustainable practices highlighted the gala’s commitment to environmentally conscious fashion.

Natasha Poonawalla’s Handcrafted Ensemble

Cassie discusses Natasha Poonawalla’s ensemble, designed by Manish Malhotra using vintage Parsigara sarees. She explains the intricate Parsi Ghara embroidery technique, which intertwines Persian and Chinese influences, showcasing a dedication to preserving cultural heritage through sustainable fashion practices (32:39). Despite initial reservations about the ensemble's elaborate ruff, Cassie acknowledges the beauty and historical significance once the textile details were understood.

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Honoring Andre Leon Talley

The gala paid tribute to the late Andre Leon Talley, a towering figure in fashion history. Cassie mentions several attendees who echoed his legacy through their attire, notably Anne Hathaway and Colman Domingo, who wore looks reminiscent of Talley’s signature caftans (14:35). This homage underscored the profound impact Talley had on the fashion world and the ongoing influence of Black dandies in shaping modern style narratives.

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Fashion Successes and Misses

Successes

The hosts celebrated numerous successful fashion moments that aligned with the gala’s themes. Jeff Goldblum’s ensemble was particularly highlighted for its joyful embodiment of tailored elegance, crafted by Grace Wales Bonner (38:22). Meanwhile, Beyoncé’s choice to embrace the Cowboy Carter Tour theme added a unique twist to traditional red carpet looks (35:59).

Misses

Conversely, Cassie and April also critiqued some fashion choices that didn’t resonate with the gala’s objectives. Cassie expressed disappointment in Nicole Kidman’s Balenciaga look, Kim Kardashian’s Chrome Hearts ensemble, and Charli XCX’s sloppy goth attire, noting these choices lacked the thoughtful engagement with Black dandyism that the event aimed to celebrate (34:15; 36:15).

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Humorous and Memorable Moments

The gala was not without its lighter moments. April recounted a humorous interaction where Madonna was playfully slapped on the ass by Stella McCartney (38:03). Additionally, Jeff Goldblum’s exuberant display while showcasing his outfit added a touch of pure joy to the evening (38:53), demonstrating how fashion can elevate spirits and create memorable experiences.

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Conclusion and Future Content

As the hosts wrapped up their Met Gala coverage, they hinted at ongoing discussions related to Black dandyism and future episodes exploring various facets of fashion history. Cassie expressed excitement about upcoming interviews and collaborations, while April encouraged listeners to engage with their content on social media and through their website (39:24; 40:03).

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Notable Quotes

• Cassie Zachary: “The zoot suit is considered the first truly American suit by design... It comes with a powerful history...” (02:10)

• April Callahan: “I think there's too many elements happening here all at once...” (06:20)

• Dapper Dan: “All those years when I was underground and working with those European brands symbols, I came to understand just how powerful they were...” (09:40)

• Torres Shaeju Dumi: “You can see in the detail the way the shirt wraps around the body and hangs over the shoulders. That's what I wanted to emulate in Kendall's blazer.” (21:09)

• Ametha Cole: “Within her work, she uses 100% recycled metals and jewels. All of her designs are rooted in the processes of nature and the notion of belonging.” (26:11)

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Final Thoughts

"Dressed: The History of Fashion" masterfully intertwines the historical significance of Black dandyism with contemporary fashion expressions showcased at the 2025 Met Gala. Through detailed analyses, personal insights, and critical evaluations, Cassie Zachary and April Callahan provide listeners with a comprehensive understanding of how fashion serves as a powerful medium for cultural expression and historical homage.

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For more insights and detailed explorations of fashion history, follow Dressed on Instagram at @essedpodcast and visit their website at dressedhistory.com.

Transcript

[Cassie Zachary]

This episode is brought to you by ebay. We all have that piece, the one that's so you. You've basically become known for it. And if you don't yet fashionistas, you'll find it on ebay. That Miu Miu red leather bomber, the cousteau Barcelona cowboy top, or that Patagonia fleece in the 2017 colorway. All these finds are all on ebay, along with millions of more main character pieces backed by authenticity guarantee. Ebay is the place for pre loved and vintage fashion. Ebay Things People Love this episode is brought to you by State Farm. Knowing you could be saving money for the things you really want is a great feeling. Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can choose to bundle and save with a personal price plan. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there Prices are based on rating plans that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer. Availability, amount of discounts and savings and eligibility vary by state.

[April Callahan]

The History of Fashion is a production of dress media. With over 8 billion people in the world, we all have one thing in common. Every day we all get dressed.

[Cassie Zachary]

Welcome to Dressed the History of Fashion, a podcast that explores the who, what, when of why we wear. We are friends, fashion historians and your.

[April Callahan]

Hosts Cassie Zachary and April Callahan.

[Cassie Zachary]

Dress listeners, welcome back to Part two of our Met Gala coverage for this year.

[April Callahan]

Yes, we thought this was gonna be one episode, but apparently not.

[Cassie Zachary]

Yes, and if you have not tuned into Wednesday's episode, we started our coverage of the annual Met Gala, which was this past Monday. Of course, it was in collaboration with the new Costume Institute exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Superfine Table Tailoring Black Style A Celebration of Black Dandyism and we are here to continue our coverage of the Blue Carpet with the theme of tailoring for you. And as you will remember from Wednesday's episode, we had lots to say. And we still have lots to say, April.

[April Callahan]

Exactly.

[Cassie Zachary]

And what better homage to the history of Black dandyism in general than the thing I want to talk about first today we which is the Zoot suit. There were various versions worn by various attendees at the gala last night, which was really cool to see. And the Zoot suit is a style distinctive to Black and Latinx culture. And whenever you see it, it makes a powerful statement and it comes with a powerful history which I'm going to briefly talk about here. And so the Zuk suit is considered the first truly American suit by design it and it has if you did not know what I'm talking about, it is usually comprised of this long, oversized coat, complete with wide lapels and padded shoulders. You heard April and I talking about on Wednesday this distinctive sharp shoulder that was on the red carpet a lot on Monday and that is employed in the zoot suit that is paired with these high waisted peg legged trousers. And this is a style that was first developed by black Americans in cultural centers like Harlem, Chicago, Detroit in the 1930s, and most notably made popular by jazz musicians such as, most famously, Cap Calloway. And During World War II, the suit was adopted by defiant Mexican American youth, most notably in Los Angeles as part of the pachuca and pachuco youth subculture. And it was then that it took on this kind of politically racially charged meeting as its wearers were deemed unpatriotic. Its excess was interpreted as directly challenging and blatantly defying the wartime principles of clothing rationing. And that's where you get the famous zoot suit riots. So again, a lot of history embedded in this garment, a long history of resistance and distinctive style. And a lot of it was seen on the red carpet last night and including one of the very first people on the red carpet. And I know you have things to say about this as well, April, but my favorite homage came to the zoot suit came at the hands of a woman, not a man. Because, mind you, women also wore the zoot suit historically. And there were also many a woman black dandy historically. What? We'll talk more about that in a minute. But the actress, singer Tiana Taylor made quite the statement.

[April Callahan]

In my opinion. Maybe a little too much.

[Cassie Zachary]

Yes. In her homage to the Black Dandy in the. It is a lot. I will say this. It is a statement. She's wearing this burgundy fedora with this huge ostrich feather. It's worn over a do rag and it's paired with this zoot suit ensemble. So this strong shouldered burgundy cape that trails on the ground. It has flowers, it has brooches, and then it's worn over this gray and burgundy pinstriped zoot suit. And April, you talked about how Paul Tazewell, Oscar award winning costume designer of Wicked, collaborated with Todd Brown and Janelle Monae on her look. While this look was a collaboration with Teyana and groundbreaking black costume designer Ruth Carter, who was the first black costume designer to win an Oscar for her work on Black Panther. So they collaborated to create this creation, which might explain why it is part fashion history, homage and part costume.

[April Callahan]

Yes. And I think it's that costume aspect that got me a little bit, because I get it. I get it. And she does look great. The thing is, I think there's too many elements happening here all at once, and especially given the fact that she was the host of the Blue Carpet, because I kept getting distracted by all these various elements of her outfit and not paying attention to the interviews that were happening. So what I'm saying is it's not that she didn't look good. I'm saying there was too much jewelry, too many brooches, like the watch chain, the belt chain, the walking stick, the hat. Take a few of those things off in order to put the light and shine it on the guest, on the interviewees, and not on the person hosting.

[Cassie Zachary]

Yes.

[April Callahan]

That's my feelings on this.

[Cassie Zachary]

Her and Ruth said, go big or go home. And that's what they did. I personally liked it, and I really enjoyed seeing all of these collaborations all on the red carpet.

[April Callahan]

Yes. Okay. Moving on to another attendee who has described their ensemble as zoot suit. The one, the only, Mr. Dapper Dan.

[Cassie Zachary]

Yes.

[April Callahan]

And for any of you who might not necessarily know who Dapper Dan is, he is a legend within the fashion industry. He opened up a custom clothing business in Harlem in the 1980s, and he became really well known for creating looks for many hip hop artists at that time, including knocking off luxury brand logos year after year. And this got him in some legal trouble, but it also made him a style icon at the same time. And then in the 2010s, at one point, Gucci knocked off one of his knockoff looks, and then they got in hot water, and it turned into this whole kerfuffle.

[Cassie Zachary]

But.

[April Callahan]

But it ended very well because it ended up in a partnership between Dapper Dan and Gucci starting in 2017. And now Dapper Dan also has his own custom business in Harlem called Dapper Dan of Harlem. So that's just a very brief Dapper Dan history.

[Cassie Zachary]

Yeah. And I wouldn't even say necessarily that they're knockoffs. What I find particularly fascinating about his work is he was actually able to get his hands on Louis Vuitton leather, and he incorporated it into his design. So he's not, like, imitating a Louis Vuitton look and selling it to his customers. He's just. He was using Louis Vuitton material and incorporating.

[April Callahan]

Yeah, he was using the garment bags. Yeah.

[Cassie Zachary]

And incorporating that actual material into creating these really distinctive silhouettes and looks that, again, yeah. Were knocked off years later themselves. So it's a really interesting conversation happening between this Harlem designer and. And Paris fashion beginning in the 80s.

[April Callahan]

Let'S just say there was borrowing that happened in various capacities, and he became very well known for that. So Dapper Dan on the blue carpet, wearing Dapper Dan, of course. And I want to describe what he's wearing first before I start to break down some of these motifs that are in it. He's wearing a fully sequined suit. The entire thing is made up of sequins. You really couldn't read that on the red carpet immediately. And he's wearing a cutaway jacket that ends and tails in the back. And the entire jacket is a white ground of sequins. And then it has this black all over logo, which I'm going to talk more about here in a second. Underneath that was a sequined vest in all black. And there's also some portions of it that are that same white ground logo pattern. And then his pants are fully black sequined. So amazing.

[Cassie Zachary]

He brought it as to be expected.

[April Callahan]

Yeah, as always. But what I really want to talk about here is this logo that we're seeing. And the logo itself, the black logo, is a sort of scrolly heart shape and it has two Ds facing each other inside. And that stands for Dapper Dan and Cass. What this is, if you haven't already heard, that was the debut of the brand new Dapper Dan logo.

[Cassie Zachary]

Oh, I did not know that.

[April Callahan]

Yeah. So despite being known for his work with logos, legally or otherwise, he's never actually had his own.

[Cassie Zachary]

Oh, interesting.

[April Callahan]

And he says, quote, all those years when I was underground and working with those European brands symbols, I came to understand just how powerful they were, and I'm doing something with my own symbol. And this is that event. So we now have a Dapper Dan logo, which is amazing. And if you don't know anything about Dap, he does not do things without careful consideration. He also loves to do his own research. He loves history. So, of course, this logo is embedded with a lot of deep meaning. The scrolls of the heart itself are actually a reference to ironwork. And a few days ago, he took an interview with Vogue and he explained, quote, this symbol itself has a whole history. There were slaves who used to be assigned to ironworks, and when they made the iron, the fences and the windows and whatnot, they added a symbol like this. And it's called a sankofa. And this word, sankofa, Vogue explains, goes back to Ghana's Akan society, and it loosely translates to go back to get it. And then on the rear of Dapper Dan's jacket is a bird and this bird has his head turned to the rear and is retrieving an egg from his back. And this is also a very well known Sankofa symbol. And that one has a meaning of learning from the past to build a better future. So there we have it. We have the debut of Dapper Dan's logo. And as soon as I really, truly began to unpack all of this and understand what this all meant, I picked up my phone and I texted his son Jelani, who I had been conspiring with for several years now to get daft on the show. So I texted Jelani. I was like, is it the moment? Let's do it. So I have not heard back from him yet, but we hope to have Dap on to talk further about the premiere of the Dapper Dan logo.

[Cassie Zachary]

Yeah. And because you cannot talk about black dandies and contemporary black dandies without Dapper Dan. And I'm sure his work is featured in the exhibition and he has been a central part of the programming, but he is the heart of that in many ways. And so of course, he was going to be on the red carpet along with many other contemporary black dandies. This event was an homage to them. This exhibition is dedicated to them. So of course we're going to see the fullest expression of black dandyism on the red carpet with so many people featured there that embody that title that I can't possibly mention them all. But you had people like A$AP, Rocky, Lewis, Hamilton, Colman Domingo. The list really goes on. And that also included the artist Ike Ude, a Nigerian American photographer, really important visual artist, image maker, and Dandy, he is actually on the COVID of Monica' book, so it was only fitting that he was there, although I could not find out who he was wearing. He's kind of understated, but impeccably dressed. He has this red and blue striped cardigan coat, a matching tie, a white scarf and pant and shoes. And so he was impeccably dressed, looked fantastic. And then just so many incredible artists and fashion artists on the red carpet. Although I have to say that I was disappointed to not see Dandy Wellington past dress guest there. Our talented jazz singer, friend, style activist, front and center in this exhibition process, and contemporary Dandy, who dresses almost exclusively in vintage fashion, or if not vintage fashion, he's paying homage to vintage fashion. And he actually wrote an essay on zoot suits for the exhibition catalog. So we missed you, Dandy. And if you weren't a black dandy yourself, a lot of people were paying tribute to famous black dandies like of course, the one, the only Andre Leon Talley who has also been front and center to this exhibition conversation. It's all over the Internet, everywhere. He's featured in the exhibition, I think. And actually Andrew Bolton, I read in an interview said that Andre Leon Talley's passing a couple years ago was inspiration for this exhibition because of his seismic influence. And he was certainly felt last night with people from did you notice that Anne Hathaway, did you hear her talk about it? She was wearing, I think Carolyn Herrera. She had a white blouse and skirt. She was paying homage to Andre Leone Talley.

[April Callahan]

I was like what?

[Cassie Zachary]

I didn't get it either. But I yeah, she talked about him and was really sweet. Colman Domingo paid tribute to him as well. And of course his signature, Andre's signature caftan. And there was a a couple different people who had kind of Andre Leon Talley homages.

[April Callahan]

Brian Tyree Henry had on this burgundy suit that had like a caftan esque garment draped over it.

[Cassie Zachary]

Yes.

[April Callahan]

Which was a reference to him as well.

[Cassie Zachary]

Yeah, that was really beautiful.

[April Callahan]

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[Cassie Zachary]

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[April Callahan]

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[Cassie Zachary]

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[April Callahan]

Free paint or exterior stain sample to.

[Cassie Zachary]

Test your look and find the perfect color to confidently refresh your space. Lowes we help you save offer Valid in store only 58 through 514 limit one per customer while supplies last, discount taken at time of purchase. See Associate for details Program subject to terms and conditions details@lowe's.com terms subject to change. This exhibition is about Black dandyism. But this Met Gala was also a celebration of black men and women's contributions to the history of fashion and an homage in many ways to black designers. And there were so many black designers who were on the red carpet themselves and accompanying people wearing their creations. And I think for me, the people who either paid homage to black dandies in some way historically or the tailoring profession historically or collaborated with black designers to celebrate this monumental event in celebration of black fashion identity historically and today. And there was so many black designers on the blue carpet, like I said, either themselves or their creations. So you had Grace Wales Bonner, Bianca Saunders, Sergio Hudson, Christopher John Rogers, Pharrell Williams for Louis Vuitton. Did you look closely at his double breasted jacket, by the way?

[April Callahan]

I did not.

[Cassie Zachary]

Okay, so he shows up in a seemingly simple white double breasted coat paired with a white collared shirt. Very traditional black tie, black flared trousers. Closer inspection, much like that Whoopi Goldberg, Tom Brown I talked about on Wednesday. That coat, April, is entirely made out of pearls. 100,000 pearls. 980 hours of work.

[April Callahan]

And he, as you said, it's all in the details.

[Cassie Zachary]

Yes. And he told Vogue, to me, dandyism is about intentionality, a sport of getting dressed. It's not just about dressing well. It's about using style as a form of self expression and freedom. Pearls have become a part of that for me, which is why I created a pearl double breasted jacket for this look. Yes. So many details. And speaking of collaborations with black designers, I have to talk about Jordan Roth, who is our annual favorite. We always are waiting to see what Jordan is going to wear.

[April Callahan]

Jordan was only 12ft tall this year. Cement.

[Cassie Zachary]

JORDAN Roth, PAST DRESSED GUEST and you're probably getting annoyed of us saying that at this point, but we were present on the Met Gala carpet even if we weren't there. Yeah. Jordan Roth is a Broadway producer and owner, but also a fashion artist, an icon, patron of the fashion arts, just always brings it to the red carpet in the most thoughtful collaborations. This year was no exception. He collaborated with the designer Laquan Smith in this silk satin suit which was comprised of a jacket, flared trouser and then what? Looking more into Laquan Smith's designs, I think this is one of his signatures. But it was this like tiered beaded top that glistened and glimmered and then this whole look is topped with this multi layered Stephen Jones hat that's sheared and it just had different tiers of little tiny top hats in it.

[April Callahan]

It's like hats. Top hat within a top hat within a top hat.

[Cassie Zachary]

Exactly. And as April just alluded to, he must have been like 10ft tall because as he said in his Instagram, we're taking tailoring to new heights, literally. And. And so that was really fun as. And Laquan himself was on the red carpet. I don't know if you saw he was with Halle Berry. Did you see her dress, by the way? Because another theme of the night was sheer and yes, you could see everything.

[April Callahan]

Yeah, I noticed pretty much of Halle Berry's wow ensemble.

[Cassie Zachary]

But I have to say, one of the most unexpected collaborations that I was not prepared for and surprised me, pleasantly surprised me, was did you see what Kendall Jenner was wearing? So it's this two piece gray tailored suit and it has those power shoulders, those sharp shoulders we keep talking about. Has a very plunging neckline and she's not wearing a shirt underneath. Nipped waist, mermaid skirt, understated elegance, tailored to perfection. And I looked at it. It's interesting, but you know, I was like, it's Kendall Jenner. No offense. Moving on. However, a second glance today and I learned that she actually collaborated with the black British designer Torres Shaeju Dumi. And her. She has an eponymous label, Torres Shayju. And I never heard of her before. And there's a fantastic Vogue article that tells you more about their collaborative process. But essentially when Torah Shaeju and Kylie were talking about what they wanted to create for the Met Gala, they were really inspired by a specific female dandy. And here we go into fashion history that I was not expecting. They were inspired by the queer nightclub singer Gladys Bentley.

[April Callahan]

Oh yeah.

[Cassie Zachary]

And Tor Shayju stumbled across Bentley, quote, when researching black women who engaged with tailoring. And she found her story particularly poignant. She says she had a really strong sense of self being a woman and taking tailoring, something that many people just perceive to be a men menswear aesthetic, she turned it into her own and she dressed it up, took it apart and made it something that really resonated with her own style, her music, everything. And then what I loved about this article is it went into more of Bentley's history, who embraced suiting from a young age. She's really is associated, especially if you've seen images of her historically. She's always wearing like a three piece suit and apparently this is Something she started to do when she first took a job as a pianist at the gay speakeasy Harry Hansberry's Clam House during the Harlem renaissance in the 1930s, 20s. And so it wasn't Torres Shaeju and Kylie's goal to imitate her, but more to pay homage to her. And they really did that with this impeccably tailored skirt suit. And then on top of that, this look also pays homage to Torah Shaeju's Nigerian heritage. And she talks about in this article how the British Empire, British colonialism, really had an effect on Nigerian style and what they wore and how they dressed. She talks about, quote, they started to trade other clothing for spices, and they would pair that with their own traditional attire. And she says this is still present in day to day attire in Nigeria. And then she points to her grandfather's Nigerian Lapa shirts, which are heavily influenced by British tailoring. And she says, you can see in the detail the way the shirt wraps around the body and hangs over the shoulders. That's what I wanted to emulate in Kendall's blazer. And I'm all about taking something that people are very familiar with, but tweaking it ever so slightly. And then the skirt is this form, fitted mermaid silhouette. And this is also an homage to wrap skirts favored by Nigerian women. So I just loved how multi tiered that suit was, unexpectedly. And April, you know how much we love sustainability on the show. This look was created with nearly 100ft of dead stock fabric over 242 hours. And apparently she has an ongoing commitment to sustainability. So I'm personally a huge, new, huge fan of hers, and I will be following her. So very cool.

[April Callahan]

Also, too, if you all want to learn more about Gladys Bentley, you can tune into our lesbian fashion history episode that we did, I don't know, a year ago, two years ago. Now, because we do discuss her in further detail, this segues exactly into maybe the second to last kind of thing that I wanted to talk about. And that was actually some appearances of sustainability on the red carpet that a lot of us might not have necessarily picked up on. I know I didn't when I marked this look as one that I definitely wanted to speak about. And I know you were a fan, too, Cass, of Lauryn Hill's ensemble.

[Cassie Zachary]

Oh, my goodness. I'm so glad you're talking about that, because that was a shot stopping.

[April Callahan]

Let's just say Lauryn Hill appearing out in public is a treat and enough.

[Cassie Zachary]

On time for all of us.

[April Callahan]

Yes. And then she really brought it stunning.

[Cassie Zachary]

Like Showstopper. I think actually you had asked me on Wednesday's episode what was my favorite. That was my favorite look.

[April Callahan]

Oh, okay. Let me tell you more about it. If you didn't go into detail. But the ensemble itself was by a Chinese couturier, Chaney Chan. And get this. He was entirely a self taught cast. He started his brand in 2012 and recently has been showing at Paris Haute Couture Week. So the ensemble itself is this buttercream double breasted suit. It has really wide tailored trousers. It fits her impeccably, but it's a smidge oversized and you can tell that that's on purpose. She's wearing a traditional button up white shirt. She has on a burgundy tie. But what really sets this ensemble wildly apart is the jacket has this enormous undulating, layered wave of what looks like might either be chiffon or a ganza that swoops behind one side of her head and then that wave continues underneath one of the sleeves of her jacket and back down and trails out into this super, super long train.

[Cassie Zachary]

And this is stunning.

[April Callahan]

All part of the jacket. It's so amazing. And then she has on some pretty spectacular jewelry as well. And this is where I'm about to surprise the hell out of you. Probably. The jewelry designer Ametha Cole is one of us.

[Cassie Zachary]

It's one of us.

[April Callahan]

Do you know what I mean? Do you know what I mean by that?

[Cassie Zachary]

Fashion historian?

[April Callahan]

She is not only a jewelry designer, she is a fashion curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

[Cassie Zachary]

Yes.

[April Callahan]

So she's a London based Ghanaian jewelry designer and she is also the curator of Diaspora jewelry at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Wow. Yeah. And within her work, she uses 100% recycled metals and jewels. And all of her designs are rooted in the processes of nature and the notion of belonging. So I just thought that was such a fun thing that, like, not only do we get to see some really amazing sustainable jewelry, but also it's made at the hands of a fellow fashion.

[Cassie Zachary]

Curator who maybe will be a future past dress guest.

[April Callahan]

And that's exactly. I was like, I think that she needs to come on the show. But this other little bit that I had a really hard time unpacking from Lauren's outfit, I couldn't figure out what it was for the longest time. She had this thing in her hand that looked like a little scepter or something. And then I realized what it was. It was actually a battery operated fan that they had jewel encrusted. She was fanning herself with it. I was like, oh, this is not necessarily part of like a fashion expression. This is a utilitarian object that's been a fashion fied. But she was also carrying a blue Kelly bag, Hermes bag, which pops against this, you know, butter buttercream yellow outfit. It was good. It was real good.

[Cassie Zachary]

And April, have you, you haven't even mentioned that she has an attendant who is holding an umbrella for her. Yeah, a matching umbrella which matches.

[April Callahan]

Which matches her ensemble speaks to the.

[Cassie Zachary]

Majesty and the regal ness of what she's clearly trying to portray on the blue carpet. And yeah, she was hands down one of my all time favorite looks. Eczema isn't always obvious, but it's real. And so is the relief from Ebglis. After an initial dosing phase of 16 weeks, about 4 in 10 people taking EBGLIS achieved itch relief and clear or almost clear skin. And most of those people maintain skin that's still more clear at one year with monthly dosing. EBGLIS Lebricizumab, LBKZ, a 250mg per 2ml injection, is a prescription medicine used to treat adults and children 12 years of age and older who weigh at least 88 pounds or 40 kilograms with moderate to severe eczema, also called atopic dermatitis, that is not well controlled with prescription therapies used on the skin or topicals, or who cannot use topical therapies. Eglis can be used with or without topical corticosteroids. Don't use if you're allergic to Ebglis. Allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. Eye problems can occur. Tell your doctor if you have new or worsening eye problems. You should not receive a live vaccine when treated with Eglis. Before starting Epglis, tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection searching for real relief? Ask your doctor about epglis and visit epgliss.lilly.com or call 1-800-lilyrx or 1-800-545-5979.

[April Callahan]

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[Cassie Zachary]

Medley of lemon, lime and mandarin.

[April Callahan]

And Tic Tac Orange is the perfect mix of tangy and sweet. Visit us at Tic Tac USA on social to refresh your summer with Tic Tac. So I have one more thing to mention and I Happen to know this is not one of your favorite looks, but I think that you're going to like it a little bit more when I explained to you what's going on here. And that was Natasha Punawalla's ensemble. You guys saw it. She was the one who was, like, looking like she was wearing a gigantic ruff. And she had on a kind of like a pearl bodice and this trailing skirt that was completely covered with embroidery. First of all, who is Natasha Poonawalla? If you guys don't know, she has been going to The Met since 2018. She is a Met staple. She is known as the Empress of Indian fashion. She is a huge fashion icon in India. She's also a philanthropist and a businesswoman. She is executive director of the world's largest vaccine manufacturer and heavily involved in philanthropy as well. Okay, so let's cut to this ensemble, because what I really want to talk about is the skirt and the jacket that she's wearing. I want to talk about the textile. So this ensemble was designed by the Indian designer Manish Malhotra. And all of the embroidery that you see on this skirt and on her little jacket that she's wearing is hand done. And the reason why I'm pulling her into this sustainability category is these two pieces were made from vintage Parsigara sarees. And let me tell you a little bit about this particular Parsi Ghara embroidery technique. And this goes back to Natasha's own Parsi heritage. Parsi gara embroidery is a very specific type of embroidery that is prized in India. It's like an heirloom piece. It's only worn on special occasions because it's painstakingly done. It takes thousands of hours. And this technique and basically the associated motifs were brought to India by the Parsi community from Persia that emigrated into India. And that Parsi community had been long established in trade with China. And so they had pulled in a lot of Chinese embroidery techniques and Chinese motifs. So within this one textile, you're seeing the history of trade. And this ensemble that she's wearing was made of two different parsigaria saris that had formerly been in the collection of the designer Manish Malhotra. And one of them was at least 100 years old. So he's repurposing these. These treasured embroidered sari for her Met look. So thousands and thousands of hours must have gone into creating the embroidery on these. If you look. And the embroidery is used with this technique called iktar. And all of that is one single thread that each over and over. They're not doubling up the threads to make it go quicker. Harper's Bazaar India said of her look, they said, quote, poonawalla's look isn't just maximalism. It was memory work. A love letter to her lineage draped in lace, Gaura and history. So, okay, I like it a little bit more now.

[Cassie Zachary]

That is really beautiful. It does bring a whole new look to it. I think what you said about Tiana's look being too much and having too many elements, I think the same thing happened here, because she has. It really is a beautiful dress and silhouette, but then it's paired with this giant ruff that kind of frames her face and makes it costumey and campy and distracts from these exquisite textiles. So that would be my note on that.

[April Callahan]

We both have some other fails.

[Cassie Zachary]

Yes.

[April Callahan]

You want to mention a couple of yours.

[Cassie Zachary]

I don't really want to end on fails, but it feels like what that where we're going. So we'll come back. We'll come back some.

[April Callahan]

I have some funny moments to mention. We can. I have something positive to add at the end.

[Cassie Zachary]

So there was a lot of hits and a lot of misses. And for me, misses aren't necessarily having to do with your garment, if that makes sense or the aesthetics of your garment, like a typical fashion pale would be. To me, it's. This is a groundbreaking exhibition celebrating the black dandy and the influence of black culture on fashion. And if you did not engage with that conversation at all, then you failed. So if you did not hire or collaborate with a black designer, pay homage to a black dandy or a black fashion designer. You just showed up in a pretty dress, which is what blackpink's Ginny did in a custom Chanel look. And when asked about the meaning of it, she just basically talked about how it was an homage to Chanel and Chanel's legacy and relationship to tailoring.

[April Callahan]

Chanel was a female dandy. We can say that.

[Cassie Zachary]

Yes, but it can.

[April Callahan]

It's a stretch. It's a stretch in terms of, like, people understanding that today there was a definitely different path that could have been taken.

[Cassie Zachary]

But then do Chanel's homage to Black Dandyism or something. Just do something. Do not center Chanel. Please do not center Chanel in this story about Black dandyism. So that I was really disappointed in Nicole Kidman. Same thing showed up in this Balenciaga that was very, like, 1950s inspired. They just didn't try. There was a lot of people just swearing pretty dresses. And to me, Those are fails. Kim Kardashian in Chrome Hearts. I did not get it at all. It was entirely made out of crocodile. It had nothing to do with anything as far as I could tell, except for her black fedora, which was so misplaced.

[April Callahan]

I have a couple things to say about this. Rise of Britannia. Before Met Galabingo earlier in the day had started, she sent me the card.

[Cassie Zachary]

Tell people what Met Gala Bingo is, because we haven't explained it.

[April Callahan]

Okay. We've talked about it on the show before, but. But what she does is. And you can follow along every year on her Instagram feed, she makes a bingo card that's associated with each year's theme. And then each square has a funny little thing or a category of what we might expect to see on the red carpet. And then as we see it come down the red carpet, she will bingo out that square and then she'll post a photo of what it is. And then whenever the card gets the actual line of the bingo line, then the game is over. But it is highly entertaining. I promise you, you're going to want to play along next year, if you haven't already. But the one square that especially cracked me up on this year's card was dressed for the Cowboy Carter Tour.

[Cassie Zachary]

Beyonce's Cowboy Carter Tour.

[April Callahan]

Yeah. And as soon as I saw Kim K. Come down the Runway, I texted Risa and I was like, kim K. Carter Tour. She's absolutely. Yeah. So that was a funny thing. Also, too. Chrome hearts.

[Cassie Zachary]

Yeah.

[April Callahan]

What an odd choice to wear to the Met Gala.

[Cassie Zachary]

Yeah. That was the designer she was in.

[April Callahan]

Yeah. And they're. They mainly. I mean, they do some clothes, but they're mainly known for jewelry in classic Kim fashion.

[Cassie Zachary]

It was incredibly form fitting and. But it was nothing to write home about. And it just is so disappointing because she is such a central fashion figure, whether you like her or not. And so there was no thought put into it, as far as I could tell. Whereas Kendall, her sister, did this incredibly thoughtful collaboration. And Kim, basically, it was a throwaway. So highly disappointed.

[April Callahan]

Yeah. You know who else I actually do like as an artist, but I was not a fan of their ensemble. And we should give her credit because she's been working her ass off here in New York City the last week or so with three concerts, but it was Charli xcx. Did you see what she was wearing? She looked like a mess. Like, it was just in the context of tailoring, it was sloppy Goth. Is sloppy goth cotton or tornado is like how I would describe it. And it didn't make any sense. It didn't seem to have any particular point of view.

[Cassie Zachary]

And I'm aging myself, but I did not know who she is. I don't know who a lot of these singers are. Sorry, y' all, but I just.

[April Callahan]

Have you heard of Brat Summer?

[Cassie Zachary]

I just googled her, and People's headline says, charli Xiax goes from Brat to gothic glam for the 2025 Met Gala. And she's wearing Anne Demoulimeister. But, yeah, I don't care.

[April Callahan]

It didn't translate for the dress code of the evening. Yeah, I would say, but we give her a break. She's probably real tired.

[Cassie Zachary]

But other than that, I really didn't have any. I mean, this. These episodes are always more about the fashion successes than they are about the fails, but that was my main complaint. If you didn't actually bother to engage with this exciting conversation, then why show up at all?

[April Callahan]

I have two funny moments that I would like to mention. Sure. So depending on what feed, maybe you were watching, maybe you caught this moment or maybe you didn't, and it was just a tiny, little brief moment. But did you see the part when Madonna first stepped onto the blue carpet and Stella McCartney runs up and slaps her on the ass and then ran off?

[Cassie Zachary]

No.

[April Callahan]

I was like, okay, they're friends. But it was, like, really funny. And then I want to end on a moment of pure sartorial joy by way of none other than Jeff Goldblum, who you would not necessarily expect this from, but his ensemble was perfectly lovely. It was great. He was wearing this dapper little cape, but, Cass, his body language and his demeanor, if you see him on the video, he was feeling this outfit.

[Cassie Zachary]

He was singing from what I've seen.

[April Callahan]

And his whole demeanor was so happy and so joyful. And you could tell part of it came from the clothes. And that just put a huge smile on my face. I felt like he was the very embodiment of his ensemble.

[Cassie Zachary]

Do you know who he was wearing?

[April Callahan]

I don't, but let's look it up.

[Cassie Zachary]

Okay. So Jeff was wearing one of those many black designers featured on the red carpet. He worked with Grace Wales Bonner on this suit. Yeah.

[April Callahan]

Was very fun, and he was clearly having a fantastic time, as have we.

[Cassie Zachary]

Dress listeners had a fantastic time recounting the Met Gala with you over these last two episodes. It is always such a highlight of our year. We always have so much fun doing it, and we hope that you enjoyed our commentary on fashion's biggest night out. And this might conclude our commentary on the Met Gala, but it is not in any way conclude our commentary on the Black Dandy this exhibition. We have seen so much more coming your way, including hopefully I am in contacts with the museum about having Monica on the show and we have a lot of different episodes planned around the history of Dandyism. So stay tuned Dress listeners.

[April Callahan]

Yes, and if you would like to follow along with some of the imagery pertaining to the things that we have been talking about all this week, you can use the hashtags dressed538/539 across all of our social platforms and I think that does it for us today. Dressed Listeners, may you consider dandifying your closet next time you get dressed? Please head over to essedpodcast on Instagram ordcast without the underscore on Facebook to check out the visual content associated with each week's episodes.

[Cassie Zachary]

Remember, we love hearing from you dressed listeners, so if you'd like to write to us, you can do so@hellorustsdusters. Dressedhistory.com is also our website where you can sign up for our monthly newsletter, our in person tours and online fashion history courses. And there you can also check out whatever else we have up our finely tailored sleeves.

[April Callahan]

We get so many questions from you all about our recommendations for fashion history books, so if you're interested you can always find a link in our show notes to our bookshop.org bookshelf so that address is bookshop.org shop dressed and there you will find over 150 of our favorite fashion history titles.

[Cassie Zachary]

Do you love Dressed but want to skip the ads? We are so excited to now be a part of the Airwave Network and their premium ad free history subscription Airwave History plus and this is available on Apple Podcasts and the subscription brings you our podcast as well as 27 other popular history podcasts ad free for $5.99 per month. More information is available at the link in our bio.

[April Callahan]

Thank you as always for tuning in and more Dressed coming your way soon. The History of Fashion is a production of Dressed Media.