Charli XCX Channels Gothic Dandy at 2025 Met Gala
Modern dandy meets goth—totally on brand for Charli XCX at the 2025 Met Gala. The 32-year-old Grammy winner made her third appearance on May 5 in New York City, swapping her usual pop-princess palette for a noir-tailored moment that Vogue couldn’t stop gushing about. In a first for the event, Charli tapped Belgian label Ann Demeulemeester by Stefano Gallici, sliding into a sharp black suit jacket paired with a diaphanous skirt and dramatic trail. Over-the-knee boots and a feathered hairpiece sealed the gothic-glam deal, proving she’s not here to play it safe.
Charli’s collaboration with Ann Demeulemeester was no last-minute fling. “I’ve always been a huge fan of Ann Demeulemeester—the house has always spoken to me and felt intrinsically related to my personal style,” she told Vogue. Embracing this year’s “Tailored for You” dress code, she explained that tailoring is the heartbeat of dandyism and that the Belgian label’s fearless androgyny syncs perfectly with her aesthetic. Sources confirm this look was in the works for months, and People magazine’s red-carpet coverage noted the outfit’s pristine construction and haunting silhouette.
Behind the scenes, the Met Gala’s star-studded co-chair team—Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams and Anna Wintour, with LeBron James as honorary chair—was raising funds for The Costume Institute’s spring exhibition, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” Curator Andrew Bolton and guest curator Monica L. Miller curated a runway through history, celebrating Black dandyism from the 18th century onward. The Museum’s Instagram post highlights how the exhibit “explores the Black dandy as both concept and identity signifier,” offering the cultural context that Charli’s look tapped into.
Charli’s Met Gala debut was back in 2019, where she stunned in a ruffled lemon gown, tassel belt and pink eyeliner. In 2024 she surprised in a custom Marni dress patched together from vintage T-shirts dating back to the 1950s–’70s—proof she’s always in dialogue with fashion history. From her nipple-baring Grecian gown at Variety’s Hitmakers Brunch to the corset moment at the 67th Grammy Awards, she’s been on a fearless style run since dropping her latest LP, Brat, and its October remix album.
Anyway, that’s the tea—Charli XCX just proved gothic dandyism is officially a Met Gala mainstay. If this trend catches fire, don’t say I didn’t give you the heads-up.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and People magazine, Vogue
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
