I thought I’d do a light little number on the usual over-the-top fashions at the Met Gala, but I ran into the fact that the following story has taken over and dominated everything else. I think it’s a tale for our times, very emblematic of the changes that have gone on in our culture in general.

Some actress I’ve never heard of wore what looks like a jacket, panties (as in “underwear”), and pantihose as her ensemble. But that’s not quite it – as if that weren’t enough. The real news – and what created controversy even among many people who ordinarily wouldn’t be shocked by that sort of thing – was a portrait embedded in the lower part (see how delicately I put that?) of the panties.

Here:

Why does Lisa have Rosa Parks in her pants? ?? one of the historic women who fought against racism https://t.co/r4koVZvERr pic.twitter.com/ZFr0LgeU84

— . (@BLACKPINK_FFLOP) May 6, 2025

That’s what it’s come down to, although I must admit I might have looked at that outfit and completely missed the Rosa Parks reference if it hadn’t been the talk of “X”.

The theme of the entire Gala was this:

In support of this year’s exhibit, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” the Met Gala 2025’s dress code was Tailored for You, a concept inspired by the show’s focus on menswear and suiting.

Follow that link and scroll down and you’ll find lots of photos. A few of the outfits are even quite attractive, such as Zendaya all in white (it’s very hard to duplicate the photos here, so you’ll have to go there). Demi Moore resembles a leftover extra from the Ascot scene in the movie My Fair Lady, Al Sharpton (so thin now!) seems to be sporting a vaguely Captain Hook-ish ruffled cuff look, Jeff Goldblum channels Count Dracula, someone named Colman Domingo resembles a royal blue lampshade with an antimacassar on top, and Diana Ross is – well – Diana Ross.