Suits and Saints: Revisiting the 9 Men Who Moved the Met

By now, the Met Gala has become less a red carpet and more a pageant of visual essays. Each stitch, each silhouette, a thesis. And while women have long claimed the night’s most iconic images, the men—once resigned to black-tie anonymity—have in recent years begun to rise to the same level of narrative ambition. Looking back, certain moments glimmer with artistic intent and cultural weight worthy of being framed—not just on Instagram grids, but in museum archives.

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Colman Domingo

Take Colman, 2024. It was his first Met Gala, but he walked like someone whose silhouette had already been mythologized. Wearing a custom Willy Chavarria suit—white and buttery as fresh cream, blooming with delicate bouquet appliqués that echoed the flowers clutched gently in his hand—Colman turned tailoring into poetry. The look did not shout. It murmured. A slow romanticism was stitched into every lapel, the design itself in conversation with the exhibition. Willy, known for injecting softness into masculinity, crafted not just a look, but a future archival artifact—tailored love letter as much as fashion statement.

A$AP Rocky

There was rebellion too, of course. Rocky’s 2021 ERL ensemble was practically folkloric. Topped with a quilt discovered in a thrift store, transformed by Eli Russell Linnetz into a stately robe for a modern dandy, it became an ode to the unsung textiles of American history. Beneath it, a slim tuxedo tethered the outfit to tradition, while the quilt soared beyond it—an embodiment of the evening’s theme, which sought to examine the confluence of innovation and heritage. That Rocky returns in 2025 as a co-chair feels less like a promotional gesture and more like a coronation.

Virgil Abloh

Then there was Virgil, also in 2021, in a Louis Vuitton suit that read as both manifesto and costume. “Modernism” was scrawled across the jacket, but there was nothing cold or clinical about the styling. He wore it with rabbit ears, blue leather gloves, and a pleated panel that suggested both skirt and sculpture. Virgil’s gift was in blurring lines—between streetwear and luxury, absurdity and clarity, costume and clothing. He understood that tailoring could be an act of theory, and he performed it accordingly.

Andre Leon Talley

But for all the newer names, history remains the unseen guest at every Met Gala. Andre knew that. In 2004, he wore Yves Saint Laurent, and it wore him like a crown. Swathed in an immense cape, regal and unapologetic, Andre echoed the opulence of the “Dangerous Liaisons” theme not with gimmick, but with grandeur. The cuffs and trimmings were whispered references to the pieces within the exhibit; the rest was pure ALT—larger than life and rooted in legacy. The first Black creative director of Vogue, he embodied not just fashion history, but fashion future.

Timothée Chalamet

More recent men have danced between homage and innovation. Timothée, a 2021 co-chair, wore Haider Ackermann like a downtown prince. His satin tuxedo, lapels slashed with contrast, was styled with beat-up Converse. Uptown and downtown kissed on his collarbone; street and ceremony merged. It was casual only in the way that a hand-written note can be casual—informal, yes, but intentional.

Conan Gray

Conan’s 2023 Balmain look went the other way entirely: maximalist, romantic, even a little manic in its commitment to the Karl Lagerfeld fantasy. His tweed suit was deconstructed into an off-shoulder corset, delicately beaded, styled with a fan, tie, and full-button shirt—Karl in silhouette, but queered and made new. It was high camp, but somehow still elegant, reverent in its mischief.

Chadwick Boseman

It would be dishonest to omit Chadwick from any such list. His 2018 Versace ensemble—priestly, beaded, otherworldly—was not merely a look, but a turning point. That year’s “Heavenly Bodies” theme had invited celestial drama, and he responded not with bombast but with majesty. The religious embroidery, the cream cape—it was less red carpet than altar. In his wake, the plain tuxedo began to feel almost inappropriate.

Bright Vachirawit

In 2024, Bright walked the carpet as the first Thai star to do so, wearing Burberry with a sharp modernity that refracted the old codes of the suit into something kinetic. A pleated georgette jacket embroidered with bullion florals, a gold mesh tank shimmering beneath—it was elegance remixed, power refracted through gentleness.

Cai Xukun

And finally, Cai’s 2023 Prada look paid tribute to Karl not through costume, but clarity. A beaded trench over classic black tie, and in his hand—a fan. Subtle, but unmistakable. Sometimes the quietest notes are the most persuasive.

What links all these men isn’t flash, though there’s plenty of that. It’s fluency. They understand the assignment—not just to look good, but to speak. Through fabric. Through symbolism. Through memory. They aren’t just wearing clothes. They’re crafting myth.

Photos courtesy Getty Images