Andra Day Feels "At Home" While Wearing Her Symbolic Met Gala 2025 Look

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On the eve of Monday, May 5, Andra Day found herself at the Carlyle Hotel amidst a whirlwind of last-minute touch-ups and pre-event photo sessions. The award-winning singer and actress was officially in the thick of Met Gala preparations.

“I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t some pressure, but I’m truly grateful to be here,” Day says. A certain level of anxiety comes with any major red carpet, but for Day, attending her first-ever Met Gala, the moment feels especially significant.

It’s an incredibly special moment for the star, not only because she’s making her debut on the iconic steps of the Metropolitan Museum, but also because this year’s Met Gala theme is one with which she resonates deeply.

Officially titled “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” the charity event’s theme pays homage to Black dandyism, a culturally rich movement in fashion, especially bespoke tailoring and bold accessories, as a form of liberation and self-expression. By honoring this symbolic concept, the Met Gala chose to champion the enduring legacy of Black identity—a mission that has always been at the forefront of Day’s artistry.

In 2015, Day wrote the hit single, “Rise Up,” a soulful piece adopted by the Black Lives Matter movement as its unofficial anthem. Two years later, the star teamed up with Common to produce the song "Stand Up for Something," used for Thurgood Marshall’s 2017 biopic. Cut to 2021: Day starred as legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday in The United States vs. Billie Holiday, earning her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress and a Grammy for Best Compilation Soundtrack.

“I’m very reverent when it comes to Black artists and creatives who came before me, so it’s an honor to be a part of that legacy while making history at the Met Gala tonight,” Day says. “I feel like I’m home.”

For the momentous occasion, Day collaborated with her stylist Wouri Vice to pay tribute to the ceremony’s theme. “Recognizing the art of tailoring, we chose a zoot suit designed by Jérôme LaMaar, a modern-day dandy,” explains Vice. Traditionally worn by Black dandies during the Harlem Renaissance, zoot suits feature billowing jackets with padded shoulders and high-waisted draped pants.

LaMaar, however, added a contemporary twist to the retro look by constructing Day’s jacket with a sculpted silhouette, glove-attached sleeves, and a dramatic floor-sweeping train adorned with Swarovski crystals. Complete with a matching pair of straight-leg trousers, Vice explains that Day’s polished set is rich in symbolism. “The five leaves that form the train represent tobacco leaves once picked by enslaved people who, in their own way, were dandies,” he says. “Meanwhile, the saturated shade of pink pays tribute to dandies of the Congo.”

Vice anchored Day’s look in pink satin platforms, bedazzled binoculars, and an embellished black clutch to unify the outfit. But Day’s scintillating Cartier gems truly made her look sparkle under the spotlight.

“Tonight, I’m wearing the brand’s Panthère rings and bracelets, and a drop necklace crafted with sapphires, onyx, and diamonds,” Day says. As her favorite design house, it only fits that she was drenched in Cartier jewels that add an "Art Deco edge to my Afrofuturistic zoot suit," seamlessly blending these worlds, she adds. “In a way, it represents my aesthetic—a mix of various influences."

With a penchant for fashion that refuses to be confined to one category, Day applies the same fluid philosophy to her glam. In harmony with the color palette of Day’s Met Gala outfit, makeup artist Porsche Cooper enhanced Day's features with a deep mauve smokey eye and a swipe of baby pink lip gloss. Hair stylist, Joel James, assembled her copper-colored hair into voluminous, soft waves.

Most Met Gala attendees might feel as though they’re playing dress-up for the night, but Day shares that her look made her feel authentically herself. “My uncle Curtis has been a dandy his entire life—he’s always decked out in top hats and pocket watches,” she says. “When I was younger, he influenced my love for dandyism, and now, I feel an even greater connection to the style."

While weaving through the rain-slicked streets of Manhattan en route to the event, Day speaks to continuing the legacy of Black dandyism beyond the Met Gala. “I’m just going to keep being fly and Black, while elevating others who are doing the same.” After all, dandyism is in her DNA.

Photographer Deon Hinton | Stylist Wouri Vice | Hair Stylist Joel James | Makeup Artist Porsche Cooper | Location The Carlyle Hotel