Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
then open in external browser
and click "Open in External Browser" 
“Gorgeous but where’s the theme!?” one viewer wrote, echoing dozens of comments criticizing Gigi Hadid’s radiant gold getup at the 2025 Met Gala.
Stunning onlookers with a classy Miu Miu gown, the model caused confusion among a large number of netizens who, unaware of the deeper meaning behind her choice of dress, labeled her look as looking “like something one would wear to a prom.”
Highlights
- Gigi Hadid’s 2025 Met Gala gown sparked criticism for seeming off-theme.
- The attire was actually a deliberate homage to Black actress Josephine Baker.
- Hadid’s gold Miu Miu gown also recreated a design by Zelda Wynn Valdes, a pioneering Black designer known for glamor and elegance.
In reality, Hadid’s appearance was a meticulously thought-out homage to an actress considered by many as one of the most important Black fashion and entertainment icons of the 20th century—even if the reference flew over the heads of many viewers.
Far from what her critics thought, her dress perfectly aligned with the night’s theme, which focused on the contributions of Black designers and their particular style.
BP Daily - Your Source for Unbiased Reporting
Netizens criticized Gigi Hadid’s 2025 Met Gala gown, unaware of the deeper meaning behind it
Image credits: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
The 2025 Met Gala, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City today (May 5), followed a theme dubbed Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.
Inspired by the Costume Institute’s spring exhibition of the same name, the event was curated to celebrate an aesthetic known as Black dandyism.
The style is defined as a flamboyant yet sharp look historically used by Black men and women to make their unique mark in a fashion world that was, according to some experts, “dominated by white aesthetics.”
Image credits: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
“This exhibition explores dandyism as both a pronouncement and a provocation,” explained curator Monica L. Miller, who authored a book called Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, exploring the complex link between fashion, race, class, sexuality, and power.
Gigi Hadid #MetGalapic.twitter.com/32zHn3KWA6
— 📸 (@metgalacrave) May 5, 2025
Taking this into consideration, Hadid’s golden, crystal-covered Miu Miu gown was anything but “random,” as one netizen wrote. It was, in fact, a tribute to Josephine Baker, an iconic Jazz Age entertainer and civil rights activist.
Known not only for her daring performances but also for her cutting-edge fashion, Baker is considered by many to be the first Black woman to star in a major motion picture and a symbol of elegance, defiance, and freedom.
The gown is a recreation of a gown designed by Zelda Wynn Valdes, a pioneering Black designer of the ’40s
Image credits: Theo Wargo/Getty Images
The look in question specifically mirrors one of Baker’s most celebrated gowns, which was originally designed by pioneering African American designer Zelda Wynn Valdes.
Valdes created iconic looks for many other prominent entertainers of the era, including Ella Fitzgerald, Dorothy Dandridge, Marian Anderson, Constance Bennett, Diahann Carroll, and Eartha Kitt.
Gigi Hadid is referencing Josephine Baker, the first Black actress to star in a major film, wearing custom Miu Miu at the #MetGalapic.twitter.com/aZzZcBwBO7
— 📸 (@metgalacrave) May 5, 2025
“It’s a celebration of Zelda Wynn Valdes,” Hadid told reporters on the carpet, confirming the connection. “She really took on the essence of Black dandyism.”
Valdes was known for her elegant, glamorous, and curve-hugging gowns, a style that helped define an era. She was also the first Black woman to open a boutique, the Chez Zelda, in Manhattan in 1948.
Perhaps one of her most famous contributions is the design of the first Playboy bunny costume, an attire that perfectly encapsulates what it means to reinvent formalwear in daring and creative ways.
“Go home.” Hadid’s reference flew over the heads of many viewers
Image credits: KingJLover
Image credits: sofarespresso
Image credits: rokioA
Image credits: Aylin_2442
Image credits: supernutsurals
Image credits: swiftieaferrada
Image credits: nani19866
Image credits: Jb_for_lifee
Poll Question
Total votes ·
Thanks! Check out the results:
Total votes ·
Newsletter
Subscribe to Access
Exclusive Polls
By entering your email and clicking Subscribe, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Privacy Policy.
Thank you! You've successfully subscribed to newsletters!
Explore more of these tags
What do you think ?
You May Like
Related on Bored Panda
1
1