The Met Gala 2025 Red Carpet was dominated by 1940s glitz, from Gigi Hadid to Gabrielle Union-Wade.
Wrapped in silk lapels and sculptural hairstyles, this year's Met Gala was a time-traveling ode to Black elegance, self-expression, and history. It was more than just a feast for fashionistas. The red carpet reacted to the 2025 theme, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, which celebrated three centuries of fashion excellence. One beauty trend, however, shone out with historic accuracy amidst the glittering golds, experimental designs, and references to cultural heritage: the return of 1940s glamour.
2025-05-07 09:12:32 - TayTayWilson
Yes, the red carpet became a time capsule from a movie. Imagine pompadours with an architectural lift that defied gravity and contemporary convention, and sculpted pin curls so flawless they could have been taken directly from a silver screen still. Furthermore, these were statements rather than merely adornments for the evening's custom corsetry and fitted tuxedos.
A Return to Style with a Nod to the Past
Despite the extensive historical scope of the Costume Institute's exhibition, which covered 300 years of Black storytelling and fashion, the 1940s subtly stole the show. And it is no surprise. During this decade, there were many beauty norms that simultaneously conveyed elegance and opposition.
Beauty was never merely aesthetic in an era when Black dandyism rebelled against the limitations of segregation and conformity; it was also poetic, political, and intensely personal. The attendees of the evening were aware of this background.
With an extravagant, side-parted wave set that evoked vintage Hollywood with a decidedly contemporary sheen, Gabrielle Union-Wade leaned into this past. In contrast, Gigi Hadid had finger waves that resembled water and bounced down her cheekbones, evoking the glory days of Harlem and Josephine Baker. These outfits yelled elegance in slow motion rather than merely whispering it.
Beyond the 1940s: Glossy Nostalgia and Kisses from the Twenties
The red carpet was not strictly decade-specific, of course. Kiss curls from the 1920s made multiple appearances; they frequently sat amusingly against elegant buns or curled close to the temples like question marks. Finger waves were so finely detailed that they appeared to have been Photoshopped on. These hairstyles combined to create a fantastical chronology of Black and Black-inspired hair history, honoring tradition more than fads.
It was no coincidence that delicate, romantic beauty was paired with rigid tailoring. A well-placed curl can store a thousand stories, just like a suit that has been trimmed precisely. This type of visual tension conveys the idea that beauty does not need to shout to be noticed; it can flutter, hum, and still bring generations with it.
Why Now, Why the 1940s?
In 2025, there is something new and poignant about the 1940s. Maybe it is the combination of flare and discipline. The beauty routines of the time, such as setting hair at night and carefully smoothing edges, call for attention, patience, and purpose. They are an act of slowness at a time when speed is everything. A sort of uprising.
And it made perfect sense at a banquet that honored tailoring as an identity as much as a craft. The last stitch, the link between contemporary artistry and ancestry pride, was hair.
The Bottom Line
The Met Gala 2025 was more than a relic of beauty from the past. It paid homage to the way fashion, particularly Black fashion, folds time. The red carpet served as a real, breathing record of fortitude, elegance, and cinematic glitz, from Gabrielle Union-Wade's sophisticated waves to Gigi Hadid's delicately shellacked kiss curls.
Think of it as a resuscitation of the 1940s. Better yet, a reminder that some things are always in style, particularly beauty derived from history.