The Met Gala 2025 was held in celebration of the Costume Institute’s Superfine: Tailoring Black Style exhibition, which examines the history of the Black dandy and the importance of clothing and style to the formation of Black identities in the Atlantic diaspora.

It makes sense, then, that for the first Monday in May, stars turned to the history books in order to pay homage to this year’s theme. Diana Ross’s Tracy Chambers from the 1975 film Mahogany was a popular reference point, with Zendaya, Anna Sawai, and Kerry Washington all sporting sharp white tailoring and matching wide-brimmed hats in tribute to the character. As was dancer and civil rights activist Josephine Baker, who inspired Gigi Hadid’s gold Miu Miu gown, FKA twigs’s Wales Bonner flapper dress, and Dua Lipa’s custom Chanel look, as well as Megan Thee Stallion’s sculptural ponytail and all the ’20s kiss curls on the red carpet. Expanding the concept of dandyism further was Maluma and Willy Chavarria—both the Colombian musician and Mexican-American designer together looked to the mid-1940s, between the Chicano culture and the Pachucos, who found their distinct sense of style as a way to occupy space.

Then there were the tributes to the late André Leon Talley, the former Vogue editor whose enormous influence could be felt not only within the exhibition itself, but also on the red carpet—from Colman Domingo’s blue Valentino cape referencing Talley’s 2011 Met Gala look to Tessa Thompson’s church fan, which was emblazoned with an image of the legendary creative.

Below, see all the direct references you might have missed on the Met Gala 2025 red carpet.