Skipping the 2025 Met Gala ... it’s a bad idea ... right? Unfortunately for fans of Olivia Rodrigo, the 22-year-old pop star did just that.
Despite a star-studded roster of pop royalty turning out for fashion’s biggest night (See: Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, and even Lorde), Rodrigo was sadly not on this year’s guest list.
While Rodrigo hasn’t publicly explained the reason for her absence, it’s possible that she’s simply taking a well-deserved break from the festival run of her Guts World Tour. In the past few months, Rodrigo has headlined music festivals in Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. Next on the line-up is Governors Ball, which takes place in New York City in just a few weeks. Rodrigo also skipped last year’s Met Gala, which took place a few months after the start of the North American leg of her tour, so it’s likely safe to assume that she decided to step away from this year’s event for the same reason. She has thus far attended the Met Gala three times, with her latest appearance (in custom Thom Browne!) occurring in 2023.
The dress code for this year’s Met Gala is “Tailored for You,” which is derived from the Costume Institute’s exhibition theme, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” The Institute developed the theme by taking inspiration from Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, a 2009 book by Barnard College professor Monica L. Miller.
“I feel that the show itself marks a really important step in our commitment to diversifying our exhibitions and collections, as well as redressing some of the historical biases within our curatorial practice,” head curator Andrew Bolton said. “It’s very much about making fashion at the Met more of a gateway to access and inclusivity.”
This is the first exhibition since 2003 that will be solely focused on menswear. Appropriately, Pharrell Williams, Colman Domingo, A$AP Rocky, and Lewis Hamilton have been appointed as co-chairs.
