Yesterday, ahead of the 2025 Met Gala, Chris Rock shared that he was expecting to see some impressive fashion choices. He added that the looks would potentially be a mixture of state dinner ensembles and perhaps others leaning into the territory of Halloween costumes. The comedic legend and actor was right on the nose regarding what landed on the blue carpet yesterday evening. To attend the star-studded affair, Rock worked with Gabriela Hearst and his stylist Chloe Hartstein on an exceptional white suede look. It featured a suede tailored single-breasted blazer, a straight-fit trouser, and a lightweight cashmere shirt. His fashion moment was an elegant tribute to the theme of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s latest exhibit “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.”
Aside from the designer sharing that she’s an admirer of Chris Rock’s work, she also explained that after watching his last stand-up show “Selective Outrage,” where he was dressed in white, she chose to incorporate white into yesterday’s look. “He is one of the funniest people I know, which makes him one of the smartest people I know,” she expressed. “I wanted the design to be white. I wanted a white suit. Nothing is more sexy and simultaneously brings trepidation like a white suede suit. For a brilliant talent such as Chris, only white suede would be appropriate,” she added.
With her vision of white, Hearst set off to the races. Once she received permission she continued to visualize what this would look like. In an email, the designer shared that the process took around four months: from confirmation and choosing the materials, to the fitting, and sending the pieces to Italy, from there it was made and she worked with a classic tailoring partner there.
With an incredibly important theme paying homage to Black Dandyism, “Superfine,” the significance of this moment was not lost on Hearst, instead, it informed her design process. She expressed that Dr. Cherise Smith, the Joseph D. Jamail Chair in African American Studies in the Department of African & African Diaspora Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, assisted with the research behind Rock’s look. Dr. Rikki Byrd, Assistant Professor of Visual Culture Studies at the University of Texas at Austin also consulted. Since the white suit was chosen, they each keyed in on the context of tailored looks often associated with Black Dandy figures.
“Dr. Smith explained to us that ‘Black dandyism is a repurposing, a refashioning, a rebuke against the status quo. To take on the persona of the Black dandy, one makes a conscious effort to care not only about their adornment, but their body in space,’” she shared.
With Hearst, Dr. Smith went on to share imagery of the Harlem Renaissance of performer Gladys Bentley who was dressed impeccably. A life-sized self-portrait of visual artist Barkley L. Hendricks that Hearst refers to as powerful was also a part of the imagery that informed the designer’s design process. She explained that in the 1970s, Hendricks produced a series of portraits of young Black men, which were usually placing them against monochromatic backgrounds, these formative images captured “self-assurance” and a “confident sense of style,” according to Hearst.
“We wanted the design to feel exactly how Chris’s personality is. He is someone so sophisticated in his thought process but at the same time he’s casual,” Hearst explained. She added that she and her team wanted a classic shape of the tailoring, but they also wanted the entire look to come across as effortless. “That ease is what defines Chris’s style.”
With the guidance from Dr. Smith and inclinations to honor Black Dandyism, the executed look was aspirational. The clean-cut suede jacket was packed with intentional detailing that felt apt for yesterday evening. Monica L. Miller’s riveting book “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity,” comes to mind here. In it, she wrote of author Jessica Feldman who shared how the Black Dandy partakes in “fascinating acts of self-creation and presentation.” Notably, this moment for Rock aligns with this notion.
Modern Dandyism was interpreted in a plethora of ways at the 2025 Met Gala. And for good reason, Chris’s plunge into consciously partaking in changing his aesthetic can be viewed as a radical choice. This choice though it lasted for one evening ushers him into a unique number: those who are unabashedly unafraid to express themselves through their art, their fashion choices, and beyond.
“The whole process has been fun,” Rock exclaimed. “I don’t normally focus on my clothes that much but the process from meeting Gabriela and her team, collaborating on the look with them along with my stylist Chloe Hartstein, and being fitted at her studio has been great,” he added.
Ahead of the 2025 Met Gala, here’s a glimpse into one of the ateliers responsible for Rock’s look.
Here you can take in the hue of the jacket worn by Rock.
When worn together, the trousers and jacket by Hearst make for an eloquent ensemble.
The comedic legend strikes a pose ahead of the 2025 Met Gala in his custom look by Gabriela Hearst.
The “Superfine” theme was utilized as inspiration behind this intricately tailored creation by Hearst.
The slick blazer and intricately tailored trousers are a vision in this shot featuring Rock and Hearst.
Rock stands alongside Gabriela Hearst and musican Questlove who also wore a look by Hearst to the 2025 Met Gala.
